POUND NOTES
■ THE typical cost of home insurance has jumped by 11% so far this year.
Homeowners taking out a new annual policy in the first three months of 2022 paid an average of £186, says comparison website comparethemarket.com.
That is up from an average £167 in the final three months of last year.
The cheapest premiums rose to £156, up 10%, and the cost between the cheapest and average premiums is increasing.
The firm’s director Alex Hasty said: “Homeowners could make greater savings by switching ahead of renewal.”
■ AS Britons look forward to booking holidays, there are several ways to bring the cost of flights down this summer.
Expedia and the Airlines Reporting Corporation say booking an international flight on a Sunday can save you 15% compared to a weekday. Flying internationally on a Friday will help to save about 10% on average.
The best month to go away is September, with savings of up to 40% on offer.
■ Big brand hay fever remedies cost 10 times as much as supermarkets’ own-label versions but work no better, a consumer watchdog has revealed.
Which? found generic pills costing as little as £1 were as effective as household names such as Zirtek for £10 or Piriteze for £7.
All have the same active ingredient, cetirizine.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “It can cost a small fortune buying medications to alleviate your symptoms for three or four months every year.”
Which? urged users to check products’ potential side-effects and suitability for use with other drugs.
They should ask a pharmacist if unsure, it added.