MONEY MORSELS
Landline waste
ALMOST £480 million is being wasted every year by customers paying for landlines they do not use, according to comparison site CompareTheMarket.com. A quarter of people have a landline, but never use it — paying £73 a year on average, the study found.
Switching perk
ROYAL Bank of Scotland is offering £100 to customers who switch their main account to the bank via its website rbs.co.uk. The offer is available until July 6. Customers must pay £1,500 into the account and log in online or through the bank’s mobile app before August 10 to qualify.
World Cup costs
ENGLAND fans travelling to the World Cup in Russia are being warned they face huge bills for medical treatment if they do not have adequate medical insurance. Trade body the Association of British Insurers says examples of recent payouts to British travellers in Russia include a £28,000 bill for a woman who spent six days in hospital after a stroke and a £20,000 bill for treating a blocked intestine.
Pension fall
THE average annual amount paid into a private pension has fallen to its lowest-ever level. Official figures show that £3,873 per saver was paid into private pensions in 2017, compared to £6,206 a decade earlier. The drop is a result of the fact that more people are now saving into pensions under new rules, but many are putting away smaller amounts than in the past. Some 9.6million people have been automatically enrolled into workplace pensions, with savers putting away a record £90 billion in 2017.
Digital deals
AROUND 2.6million older people could be missing out on the best energy deals because they have never used the internet, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
Viagogo ban
WEBSITES including Google have been asked to get rid of adverts for ticket site Viagogo by the Advertising Standards Authority. Its crackdown includes the launch of warnings about the site’s misleading prices. They will appear when customers search for Viagogo. It has been referred to Trading Standards for failing to be clear about booking fees and charges added to a purchase at the last minute.
Energy angst
GREEN Star Energy is struggling to keep up with customer complaints after taking on the business of a collapsed rival. Ofgem appointed the small energy supplier as a ‘Supplier of Last Resort’ in January after Future Energy went bust. But last week, the firm warned customers that it was ‘experiencing an increase in calls’, which may take longer to answer.