How to save money in Spain

Life is very expensive, and many resort to store and credit cards to pay for treats like holidays, and clothes. The only problem is that interest rates on credit and store cards can be excessive, and to clear the debt as soon as possible is vital. If you have a good credit score, you can transfer your debt to a credit card which does not charge you interest. This mean you will be able to clear the debt quicker. However, there are a couple of things you need to be aware of when you take out a balance transfer card deal.

The Cost Of Transferring the Debt

Nearly all balance transfer cards will charge you a small fee for transferring the debt, so before you sign up for any deals, make sure that you check out any associated fees. Some of the cards which will let you pay the debt off for a longer time, will charge you a bigger fee. Make sure the card you pick is right for you. If you don't think that you can pay off the deb quickly, go for one of the cards with the longer repayment period.

Pay The Debt Off Quickly

When you have successfully transferred the debt, you want to pay the debt off as quickly as possible. Of course, you can always shift the debt again, but it may effect your credit score, and having a healthy credit store is essential for all of us these days.

Try to pay off the debt before the 0% rate ends as normally by the end of that period, the interest rate of the cad sky rockets, and you really don't want to have to pay any unnecessary interest.

Pay At Least the Minimum Amount

Your 0% balance credit card is likely to have a few terms and conditions. Most of them require you to pay the minimum amount every month, and the payment must be in on time. If you cannot meet those requirements, you are likely to lose your 0% balance making the balance transfer pointless in the first place. Check out how much you are spending on other things, and perhaps cut back on some expenses. Going out for coffee a couple of times everyday, can quickly add up, and if you can save an extra 5 per day, you will end up another 150 towards your monthly repayment.

How to Find the Right Card for You

Most of the sites which offer cards with 0% balance transfer rates, have their own debt calculators. They are very useful when it comes to checking out which card is right for you. It also gives you a goal. By putting in how much you can afford to pay every month, will motivate you to pay the balance off quickly. There are also a couple of comparison sites which you want to check out, and you never know, even you local bank may want to help you. Too few of us treat our banks like the businesses they are, and we should all be making the most of what banks have to offer us. After all, they are quick enough to make money out of you.

Your Credit History and 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards

If you credit history is not as great as you want it to be, you may find the card company offers you a shorter repayment period. You need to make sure that you actually get what you think you are going to get. The card company, or bank, may be offering a 20 month repayment period on their website, but when you actually get an offer or read the small print, you may find you will get a shorter repayment period. The repayment period is almost always affected by your credit history, so it is vital to make sure you know what you are getting.

Do You Always Need to Get a New Card ?

Yo don't always need to get a new card, or cards. Having more than one credit card is not that unusual, and you may find that you can spread the balance over several card. This means the interest on the debt could be less, but this is a bit of a gamble to be honest. It can save you 100's, but you really need to check out the terms and conditions of your cards.

Not only that, do call your credit card company. The world of finance is very competitive and your current company would probably hate to lose you. You may even find that they have another card deal to offer you, or could perhaps give you an interest free period to pay your card. This is not so uncommon if you have your credit card facility through your bank. Your bank will know your credit history better than any other company, so don't forget to speak to your bank. Set up a monthly repayment so you know you have to have the debt paid within the agreed time frame.

Over 21 million people go on a cruise, or cruise vacation, every year, and many still pay top dollar for a cruise. Cruises are an excellent way to travel and see many exotic ports. A good way to describe a cruise vacation is to say you basically take your hotel with you. However, bringing your hotel with you is not always cheap even though it is a convenient way to travel. You can save money on a cruise, and with a little bit of savvy, you can save a lot of money on your next cruise. But you do need to know, what the top tips are for saving money on your next cruise?

How to Save Money on Your Next Cruise: Become a Flexible Cruise Passenger

If you have some time on your hands, you can easily save money on cruises. It is important to be flexible on both the itinerary of your cruise, and the timing of your cruise. Most cruise passengers have a certain itinerary in mind. You may want to see the Greek islands before you cruise on to exotic locations such as Israel and Egypt. But, you often find the cruise company will run a return cruise. Guess what? The return cruise to the port you wanted to start your cruise from may be cheaper. Does it really matter? You will still see and experience the same things, but you could save yourself a couple of hundred dollars. Isn't it better to save money???

Timing is important when it comes to taking a cruise vacation. If you don't mind cruising out of season, you can save a lot of money. You may think that August is the perfect time to visit European capitals, but in fact it is often too hot to walk around at this time of the year. Aim for a cruise vacation slightly out of season. Your travel agent may tell you that you get a lot of storms in the Mediterranean then, but that is not true. You get can get storms or high winds any time of the year in the Mediterranean, but surprisingly September could be the worse month.

Should I Book My Cruise Vacation in Advance or Wait for Late Availability?

Late bookings on cruises can be great value for money, the only problem is that the best cabins might be sold off. Start checking out the cruise companies that you would consider going with in advance. Take a look and see if there advance booking discounts that are as good as their late booking deals. Often advance bookings deals are better, and they may even include little extra benefits such as drinks or excursions packages.

Do a Deal with Your Cruise Company

Do you book through a travel agent or directly with the cruise company? Some argue it is better to book with a travel agent for peace of mind, but I am not sure that is true. Travel agencies do have special offers, but you can probably get a good deal by booking direct. As a matter of fact, don't be frighten of asking for a deal. Ask the representative on the phone, if he or she can give you a special deal if you book TODAY. Remember they want to fill those ships, both for their own sake and the staff that work for tips only, so getting passengers on board is vital. TODAY is the operative word if you want to get good discounts, and does not only work when you book your cruise. Try it when you are out shopping, and you will see that little five letter word, can get you mazing discounts.

Sign Up For the Weekly Newsletter

Cruise companies love sending out newsletters. The more newsletter you sign up for with cruise companies direct, or their agents, the likelier you are to get a good deal on your cruise vacation. Shop around still and make sure you are comparing apples with apples. If that the same cruise, or similar cruise, is available with an other cruise company, go for that one instead. Loyalty does not always work, but make sure you are not missing out on things like drinks packages. Get to know the value of drinks packages, and make sure the complete cruise saves you money.

Cruise Lines Loyalty Programs

Most cruise lines have loyalty programs, but they all work slightly differently. The best cruise lines loyalty programs are the ones which give you discount off your next cruise vacation and some special benefits as well. Check out the following cruise lines, and compare their loyalty programs.

MSC Cruises

Carnival Cruises

Princess Cruises

The three cruise lines cover slightly different cruise destinations, but they all have good loyalty programs. If I am completely honest, I have saved a lot of money with the MSC cruise loyalty program.

Smaller Ships – an Insiders Tip

Getting money off your next cruise can be done in all sorts of ways. I will let you in on a little secret that I have discovered in the cruise industry. Get to know the fleet of the cruise lines you would like to travel with, and you will soon find it is cheaper to travel on the smaller ships within the fleet. Princess cruise cruise line is the perfect example. They do a lot of cruises in and around Japan, and their smaller ships are always cheaper. You may have to get from Tokyo under your own steam, but you even save money after having bought a ticket on the bullet train.

Would You Like to Go to Europe for the Summer, and back Home for the Winter?

In that case, check out repositioning cruises. I spent four months traveling around the Southern US States after finding a repositioning cruise into Miami. It was great and guess what I did on my way back to Europe – I caught another repositioning cruise. Not only did I get two days in New York on my way back, but I got to see the Azores on the way out. It is expensive to travel to the Azores, and I would not have gone otherwise, but the repositioning cruise made it possible. Most repositioning cruises are great value for money as they often include drinks packages and even free excursions.

Organise Your Own Excursions

When you are on a cruise, it is easy to organise you own excursions. Read about about your destinations before you get there, and then visit locals attractions on your own. Your first stop when you get off the ship should be the local tourist office to pick up a map. But, I have also found the app Pokemon Go is a great way to find exciting places that are perhaps a little bit tucked away.

Cities such as Split in Croatia, Malaga in Spain, Venice in Italy and Lisbon in Portugal, are great places to walk around. If you don't want to walk, check out local hop on and hop off bus services. I used one in Rome, and it was fantastically cheap. If I had gone on the ship's tour around Rome, I would have paid a lot more. Now I saved $80 and could afford to splash out on ice cream by the Trevi fountain.

Finally, don't forget to download some fun apps to play with while you are on the cruise ship. Spas on cruise ships are normally expensive, and you can only make so many paper flowers. Also, your feet may be tired after a long day exploring, so you don't fancy the gym. But on a day at sea, make the most out of all the free activities.

Can you make money from cruising? You certainly can make money from cruising, and you going on a cruise vacation, and even make some investments which will pay out, but that is a different story... By the way, don't forget to check out prepaid debit cards before you go.