The 12 cons of Christmas: Part three
Times may be tough for Britain’s households at the moment, but when those Christmas bells begin to chime, wallets are loosened and the nation goes shopping crazy. Analysts are expecting us to spend nearly £70 billion over the festive period, around £13 billion of that online.
But, unfortunately, all our Christmas cheer is meat and drink to rip-off merchants and fraudsters only too willing to exploit our goodwill. Follow our four-part guide to make sure your Christmas spirit lasts through to the New Year.
7. NOT SO CHARITABLE CHRISTMAS CARDS
If you tried to sell a meat pie that contained less than 2% meat, Trading Standards would come down on you like a tonne of bricks, but the same laws don’t apply to charity Christmas cards. Retailers can label cards as charity cards even when only a measly 2% of the price goes to good causes.
For 10 years, the Charities Advisory Trust has been running its annual Scrooge Award to name and shame the retailers donating the least. This year’s winner is CCA Occasions, an online company whose personalised cards donate only 1.1% to charity. Meanwhile, John Lewis, Paperchase and Debenhams were commended for donating 10% or more of their card prices to good causes. So make sure you check the small print on the packaging before stocking up.
12 ways to give to chariities this Christmas
A better, and often cheaper, option is to buy your Christmas cards direct from charity shops or catalogues. Or if you want a broad range of card choices you could look for CardAid outlets (or buy them online at cardaid.co.uk), where a range of different charities’ cards are on sale and at least 40% of the price goes to charity. Or better still find your local pop-up Cards for Good Causes store (cardsforcharity.co.uk) - it’s the same as CardAid, except at least 75% of the card price goes to charity.
The store also sells charitable advent calendars, decorations and wrapping paper so you can get all your Christmas stationery in one place.
8. WATCH OUT FOR MODERN DAY SCROOGES
Scrooge may have hated Christmas, but modern money-lenders love it as so many of us fall into debt over the festive period. Here are a few money no-nos to avoid in the run up to Christmas. Payday loan companies make a song and dance about how quickly you can get your hands on a few hundred quid. Money can be in your account 15 minutes after making your online application.
Payday loans: a helping hand or a deal with the devil?
But what isn’t always clear is just how much you’ll pay for the privilege. Short-term lenders will typically charge £25 to £30 per £100 borrowed and charge penalties if your loan isn’t paid off the following month.
Don’t use your credit card to get cash out from a cash machine. You’ll start paying interest immediately on the withdrawal, at your card’s standard rate. Always use your debit card, or ask your bank for an agreed overdraft or to extend the limit on your existing one.
If you go beyond your overdraft limit your bank manager will start rubbing his hands with glee. Unauthorised overdraft charges can be eyewatering. Some banks charge penalties each time you make a withdrawal, on top of double-digit interest on the amount borrowed. HSBC, for instance, charges up to £150 a month.
Try to stick to a budget during the festive period, and if you do need to borrow some money do so sensibly with a 0% interest credit card or by dipping into a low-cost overdraft.
9. MAKE SURE YOUR PARCELS ARRIVE IN TIME
The best way to avoid Christmas delivery frustration is to send your parcels early. Make sure you know when the last posting dates are and don’t leave it to the last minute.
For valuable items it might be worth sending by Special Delivery. This guarantees delivery before 1pm the next working day, offers online tracking, electronic proof of delivery and compensation of up to £2,500 if the item is lost or damaged. But it isn’t cheap – prices start from £5.45.
As a general rule, the later you leave your Christmas posting the more expensive it will be. One tip to avoid Post Office queues is to buy your postage labels online and print them off. As long as you can weigh your parcels accurately at home the Royal Mail website calculates everything for you.
