In line with our risk management framework, today we published our Q4 2019 performance update.
How fintech can make your holiday money go further
With the school holidays nearly upon us, it’s that time of the year when many can look forward to hopping on a plane, heading abroad to sunny, glorious pastures to recharge the batteries, and enjoying some much-deserved R & R. Most importantly, it is a time to share special adventures and experiences with family and friends, and make lifelong memories in the process.
Yet this summer, travelling abroad comes against a somewhat mixed economic backdrop, with the pound having depreciated considerably over the past 12 months. Added to that, there are the perennial financial pressures placed on families as a result of airlines and hotels hiking prices during the school holidays.
These factors need not prevent you from having the dream vacation you imagined, but it does mean that any opportunity to save a few pennies should be taken. Fortunately, the rising power of fintech can help your cause…
1. Building your travel kitty
Holidays always feel most hard-earned when you’ve been disciplined with your saving towards it. However, the days of slogging away, making hefty sacrifices and drawing up monthly budgets are coming to an end. That’s because platforms like Plum and You Need A Budget help users digitally keep track of spending, and automatically set aside your money into segregated savings accounts. These apps can help you get out of debt, or even channel investments. But one major benefit is the ability to squirrel money away towards your holidays, and once you’ve hit a specific savings target, you can withdraw it to your current account, and then spend money you never knew you had.
2. Cheap foreign exchange
Lending Works announced a ground-breaking new partnership with forex disruptor Revolut in March, offering instant loans at affordable rates to users of the app. But whether you require credit to fund your holiday abroad or not, signing up to Revolut is a no brainer in terms of changing your money. The app is free, and your card will arrive within a few days of application. Once you’re up and running, it’s a simple case of transferring pounds to your Revolut account, and then you can spend this money in scores of different currencies at the real exchange rate. Furthermore, there are no fees involved. Time to stop being ripped off at airport kiosks, hotels, banks or the Post Office – there are fintech-powered savings to be made!
3. Splitting headaches
One enduringly awkward issue when travelling with friends or other families is that of settling the bill, or sharing the costs of other holiday activities. Do you just split it, even though some spend more than others? To avoid any such discrepancies, and prevent any resentment from brewing, apps like Splitwise, Cospender, Divvy and Group Expense make it easy for you to keep track of all costs and expenses incurred by each party over the course of the trip, enabling you to settle things up fairly and accurately at the end of it. In fact, these platforms are linked to Paypal, so you can make these final payments to each other within the app itself.
4. Save smart
We touched on how to make saving easier in point one above. However, that’s only half the job – once you’ve done the hard work of setting money aside, you need to ensure that this money then works hard for you. Strictly within the savings domain, challenger banks such as Atom and Aldermore offer fixed-rate accounts paying over 2 per cent. And of course, should you be willing to look slightly further up the risk spectrum (due to the lack of FSCS protection), you can earn up to 4.8 per cent from peer-to-peer lending platforms such as Lending Works. Either way, there is no excuse for allowing your money to sit idle in a savings account paying derisory rates. Make the switch today, and give your holiday fund a boost.
Related articles:
Our website offers information about saving, investing, tax and other financial matters, but not personal advice. If you're not sure whether peer-to-peer lending is right for you, please seek independent financial advice, and if you decide to invest with Lending Works, please read our Key Lender Information PDF first.
As with all investments, your capital is at risk.
As a platform, we take great pride in all that we've achieved since opening our doors for business nearly six years ago. We’ve
Since opening our doors back in 2014, we’ve always prided ourselves on living and breathing two key principles at Lending Works: innovation, and putting the customer first in everything we do.
With the retail sector enduring its fair share of challenges, companies are looking at new ways to attract customers, and drive conversion. In an overcrowded, dog-eat-dog marketplace, with behemoths such as Amazon flexing their muscle, it’s easier said than done.
On 4 June 2019, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) released its new regulatory framework for peer-to-peer lending (P2P); a Policy Statement known as PS19/14. As you might imagine, it's a document which, following a three-month consultation, is a hefty read of no fewer than 102 pages.
When it comes to investing, there are numerous questions that need to be asked, and lots of things which need to be properly understood before committing your hard-earned money
Featured
In a difficult climate, customer acquisition and lead generation present stern challenges for UK retailers, and a great deal of marketing spend invariably gets directed towards getting feet through the door.
There is a variety of literature and research illustrating the importance of building brand loyalty, albeit with some degree of variance.
Over the last decade, there can be little dispute that the reputation of mainstream banks – and particularly the so-called ‘Big Four’ (HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds and RBS) – is at its lowest ebb.
The idea of peer-to-peer (P2P) lending is a simple one; you lend money to those who wish to borrow, with a view to receiving a great return for doing so.
The peer-to-peer (P2P) lending industry is now regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The regulatory framework has been designed to protect customers and promote effective competition.
Most popular
In a decade of slow recovery, the rapid rise in asset prices has been the standout. But how sustainable has price growth been, and could we be in the midst of a bubble?
- Summary of a post.
Most people consider income tax to be a given, but in the UK it is barely two centuries old. In this article, we look at how this tax has developed over the years, and also why it is set to remain at the core of our tax system for many decades to come.
Open banking celebrated its second birthday last month, but has the ‘revolution for financial services’ that was promised actually come to pass? In this article, we look at the progress the initiative has made so far, and what the future holds in the face of high levels of scepticism.
On the face of it, a 'broken' energy market needed fixing, and the price caps introduced in early 2019 were heralded as the solution. But, one year later, have they actually helped consumers save?
Last week, the Office for National Statistics surprised economists by announcing that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) had sunk to 1.3 per cent for December – a full 20 basis points lower than City expectations, and also the November equivalent.
Recent
The Lending Works Shield does not give you a right to a payment so you may not receive a pay-out even if you suffer loss. The Lending Works Trustee has absolute discretion as to the amount that may be paid, including making no payment at all. Therefore, investors should not rely on possible pay-outs from the Lending Works Shield when considering whether or how much to invest. For more information click here.