According to Easyjet, the average Brit will spend around £3,000 on their main holiday, so to ease that dent in our finances, Martin Lewis, from Money Saving Expert, has come up with a few money saving ideas.
Use the right plastic—There are specialist overseas credit cards that do not charge fees for using them. This could save you around 3% on every transaction. Using the right plastic is cheaper than using cash!
Pay in the local currency—Don’t be persuaded to pay in pounds as many stores will ramp up the conversion cost and pocket the extra profit.
Rebook trick-If your hotel or car hire booking has free cancellation, regularly check if the price has gone down, and if you find it cheaper just rebook and then cancel your original booking (be sure to do it in this order)!
Get travel insurance ASAB– this means AS SOON AS YOU BOOK! Half of what you pay for is protection against illness or other issues that may prevent you travelling in the first place.
Take a EHIC/GHIC—these cards are free and give access in the EU to GPs and state-run hospitals for the same price as a local. If they don’t pay, then neither do you! Check your card is still valid and renew it if it has expired.
Book airport parking ahead-Use comparison sites to find the cheapest prices and book ahead. Generally, the earlier you book, the better the price.
Free EU Roaming– Most big networks don’t offer free EU roaming, but many of the smaller ones do. If you’re out of contract, why not ditch and switch, and save both in the UK and EU?
Cheaper worldwide roaming-Instead of paying your home network for costly add-ons to give you limited data, you can buy a cheap international SIM online which will enable you to temporarily use your data allowance overseas.
Beware car hire traps-Book early for the best price, don’t leave it until you get there. Don’t give in to hard sell tactics at the rental office to buy ‘excess cover insurance’. Instead, buy standalone car hire excess cover insurance in advance. When collecting the car, be sure to have a credit card with you in the name of the person who booked otherwise they may not accept the card.
Check your passport-If you have less than 6 months left on your passport (3 months for the EU) OR your passport is more than 10 years old, check the UK passport rules for the country you are visiting as they may deny you entry. Don’t risk being turned away!
Source: moneysavingexpert.com
