Sainsbury’s Bank charges 8.9 per cent on loans above £10,000, although this rises the less you borrow to 15.5 per cent for £2,000. Alliance & Leicester charges 8.9 per cent on loans of £12,500 or above.Egg: www.egg . Alliance & Leicester: 0990 626262 Sainsbury’s Bank: 0800-096 0541. Don’t be taken in by the initial glitter.”If you have a large amount owing on your credit card you should consider taking out a personal loan as a lower APR to clear your card. It might sound fantastic but will only last for three to six months and you could be highly penalised after that. Gee says the most competitive is currently Egg, with an APR of 9.9 per cent and no annual fee.Some cards attract customers with competitive initial rates, but you should check that these have remained “Beware those offering initial 6 per cent deals.

Life insurance quotes: www.moneyextra Credit cardsCredit cards are an expensive way of borrowing money, even in times of low interest. Some charge as much as 20 per cent, enormous compared to mortgage standard variable rates of 7.25 per cent Storecards are even more costly. John Lewis charges 16 per cent APR, Marks & Spencer 25.70 per cent and Habitat 29 per cent.Switching to a cheaper card is straightforward and you may be able to transfer your balance to the new, lower APR. You could lose out on your investment by switching.CGU Life: 0500 100200 Philippa Gee: 01743 236982 Scottish Widows: 0345 678910. A woman would pay about £10 and £12 at these ages.As you get older, your children leave home and your mortgage shrinks, you may need cover for a smaller amount. You can also cut the sum you need to insure if your employer pays death-in-service benefits.Most people with a whole-of-life policy, which, as its name suggests, covers you for the rest of your life not just a set term, should stick with their provider, Gee says.

“If you took one out some years ago you could find premiums have fallen by quite a large amount, so you should review your policy. Try a company like Scottish Widows, which is consistently competitive, then shop around.”A non-smoking man of 30 would pay about £13 a month for £100,000 cover on a level 25-year term His premiums at 40 on a 10-year term would be around £17. Term assurance policies, that pay out if you die within a set time, usually 25 years, are par- ticularly cheap, says Shrewsbury-based financial adviser Philippa Gee. Columbus Direct: 0207 375 0011Life insuranceUnlike most things, life insurance has actually fallen in price in recent years, due to increased competition among providers and growing life expectancy. “You will also get a healthy discount if you exclude personal possessions from your travel policy where these are already covered by your household contents insurance.”Club Direct: 01243 787838. When we told them we could cover them for the whole year worldwide for £90, they were flabbergasted.”There are other ways of cutting costs.

David Cubbin says a family of four can get annual cover for Europe from £50, and worldwide from £90. “A family came in recently after being quoted £165 for two weeks’ insurance in Florida. A family could easily save £80 on their holiday.Annual “multi-trip” travel insurance policies can save money for those expecting to travel abroad several times this year. Touchline: 01705 200101Travel insuranceBuying insurance through the travel agent that supplied your holiday is expensive. High street agents offering cut-price holidays make their profits by selling expensive insurance to customers who can’t be bothered shopping around. Specialist lenders such as Club Direct and Columbus Direct can cut the cost of insurance for a fortnight in Europe from around £40 per person on the high street to just £20. A quick call to a direct lender such as Direct Line or Touchline could indicate whether you are paying too much.