A recent article in the Times exposed a flood of complaints from angry Barclaycard customers, who claim the monster bank may have been using dodgy tactics to extract fees from them.

They say they have been hit by late payment charges after their normal repayment date was shifted without warning…

Not since British Gas introduced its woefully inadequate boiler breakdown cover or TalkTalk underestimated demand for its “free” broadband have we received so many letters on a single subject. The sheer scale of the correspondence suggests an orchestrated attempt by Barclaycard to confuse borrowers into missing their payment dates so that it can levy extra interest and charges. Worse still, to judge by the letters we have received, the lender appears to be targeting borrowers who usually clear their balances in full each month.

Barclaycard’s inadequate explanation is that it gives all customers a minimum of 20 days to pay from the date that a bill is generated, but that this payment window can be as many as 32 days. It says that the date can change because of weekends, Bank Holidays and, crucially, “operational expediency” - a vague notion that can only mean “whenever we wish to boost profits”. This is simply not good enough.

It sounds like another example of the banks being about as clear as mud when it comes to the cost of their services. Wonga will never change your repayment date, but you are always welcome to bring it forward! We won’t charge you a fee if you decide you want to repay a cash advance early and save interest.

A recent survey by the Halifax has found students owe an average of nearly £220 on credit cards - adding to the potential long-term debt they’ll graduate with.

Here’s another statistic (for what statistics are worth!). The average student leaves uni owing some thirteen grand! Incurring this kind of major debt seems to have become an accepted part of education these days.

If you’re about to start a degree yourself, here are a few tips to bear in mind…

• Minimise student loans by only taking out what you need, not the maximum available
• Try taking out small Wonga loans for occasional emergency costs, but only when you know you can repay the cash comfortably within a month. That way you clear the debt within 30 days, not some years after you graduate
• Draw up a budget of your income and outgoings - and stick to it
• Shop around for banks offering student accounts with no charges
• Make the most of student discounts - many retailers offer them and you won’t get these kind of reductions again until you hit retirement age!

The Times has written about recent research from Moneyexpert that exposes another ruse by banks to secure even more revenue during the credit crunch and ongoing regulatory pressure.

The article highlights how the best savings rates are being reserved to tempt new customers, while existing customers are often seeing the interest they can earn reduced. Instant access accounts are being worst hit, as the banks look to tie customers in with products that come with a long-term commitment. Here’s an extract, but you can read the whole article here at the Times Online.

Banks and building societies have slashed interest rates for loyal customers with instant access accounts as they look to lure new savers with eye-catching offers on long-term fixed-rate products.

The credit crunch has created a “dash for deposits” with rates as high as 7.2 per cent paid on fixed-rate savings. However it is only long-term savers, happy to lock their money away for extended periods, who have been the beneficiaries, an analysis by Moneyexpert.com, the comparison site, has shown.

The average rate paid on instant access accounts has dropped from 3.76 per cent in January to just 3.3 per cent now, said Moneyexpert. Northern Rock’s Silver Savings account, for example, paid 5.75 per cent in January but has since been cut to 5.02 per cent.

Your credit history can be a big factor in the cost of borrowing. Like a school report, good behaviour is rewarded, but if you don’t play by the rules it’ll be noted by the credit bureaus and your grades will suffer!

Lenders may penalise you with higher interest rates, or refuse to lend you anything as a result of a poor credit rating, although it’s worth noting that many banks will be looking to assess your potential profitability as much as any risk of non-payment!

Your credit history looks at current debt, bill payment and a number of other factors. It may seem strange, but not using credit can be as bad for you as behaving badly with it. Lenders are looking to rate your reliability in the past, so if you’ve not yet proven you can be trusted you’ll be classed as higher risk.

Using Wonga.com can actually help improve your credit rating - and fast. This should never be the sole reason for applying for a cash advance of course, but it’s a very useful bonus and could mean better deals from potential long-term lenders in the future.

Wonga is good for your credit rating because we carry out a credit check as part of our sophisticated decision process. When you take a short term loan from Wonga we create a SHARE account, which is a way for lenders to see the past behaviour of potential customers with other companies. Thanks to our hi-tech systems we update this information very rapidy with good news, everytime you repay a cash advance on time.

It means other potential lenders, such as mortgage providers, banks and credit card companies, get almost instant visibility of your trustworthy use of our service. Anecdotal evidence from testers and customers suggests it’s a very quick way of improving your ‘FICO‘ score, which is a rather mysterious rating used by some credit bureaus and can play a deciding role in applications with some lenders.

Wow. The Times has today broken a personal finance story that beggars belief. Actually, it will shock most people but the Wonga gang is only too aware of the crazy fees banks charge for unauthorised overdrafts. It’s one of the reasons we set up our service - to offer people an alternative for emergency funds. But even we were choking on our cornflakes while reading this sorry tale.

Lloyds TSB is alleged to have charged one unfortunate student a whopping £800 in cumalative fees, after she initailly went just 8p overdrawn. Yep, that’s eight pennies. No longer enough to buy a modest selection of sweets from the corner shop.

OK, so she didn’t act quickly to rectify the situation, but it’s a mighty big sledgehammer to crack a particularly tiny nut. The bank disputes its customer’s claims, but recent research found that Lloyds TSB had the most expensive overdraft charges of all the high street banks.

Whoever you believe, the fact remains that banks can charge customers extortinate fees if they dip into the red - either by accident or on purpose - regardless off the amount. It’s the lack of transparency and sense of fairplay that stinks. So next time you’re in need of a few pounds (or pence!) in a hurry, think very carefully before stretching your current account. Consider a short-term Wonga loan instead!

Lloyds TSB has this week been criticised for promoting Visa debit cards to kids, without always getting the green light from mum & dad. The bank’s excuse is they don’t always know where the parents are. But perhaps the suprising thing is that it’s standard industry practice to promote cards to kids as young as eleven.

Many people will be mortified at the prospect of a big bank getting its claws into their child before they turn sixteen, but it’s important to remember we’re talking about a debit card here - not a credit card. The bank argues it can be used to make savings online and to teach the basics of cash. It can’t be used to go overdrawn and suposedly can’t be used to make adult purchases.

One furious dad uncovered by the Guardian would beg to differ, claiming his young son got hold of Viagra and fake ID (amongst other things) with the his Lloyds TSB plastic. But that’s opening up a whole new can of worms, because you could argue the lad had obviously got funds in his account plus unrestricted internet access, so pinning his behaviour purely on the fact he had a debit card seems a little narrow minded. What’s not acceptable is the fact his dad wasn’t aware the bank had offered him the card in the first place.

There’s no question banks should always ensure the parents or guardians of any child are on board with the idea, but some of the outrage expressed this week seems to miss the point. Children need to learn about money and start being responsible for it if they’re to wise up before adulthood. If having a bank account is acceptable to many, why not the means to spend some cash in the way most people spend it? It might not be for everyone, but if the bank had got its act togehter on parental consent then it might not have created such a palarver. It seems like they didn’t, which isn’t on.

For the avoidance of doubt, Wonga is a credit-based service and will therefore definitely not be availble to under-18s!

It’s been reported this week that some of the major banks may challenge the recent court ruling which said the OFT can investigate and influence the fees they charge for overdrafts. The banks make an estimated £3.5 billion per year from charging customers who go overdrawn without permission. An appeal could lead to a decision being delayed for months.

Even if you go a few pounds overdrawn without authorisation you can get stung by big fees which far outweigh the cash you needed in the first place. With Wonga.com you’ll be able to access instant cash in the form of a short term loan, which you pay pack on a date that suits. We’ll calculate the full cost of the loan up front and, unlike an overdraft, you’ll repay the cash within a set time frame.

It’s been reported that financial giant HSBC has lost a server containing the personal details of over 150,000 customers in Hong Kong. It’s the latest in a seemingly never-ending string of reports about ’secure’ files going walkabout. It’s not so long ago that the bank also lost the details of more than 350,000 British life assurance customers and it’s not the only high profile organisation to come under fire for poor security.

If you have ever been the victim of such a security lapse, or fear your personal details may have been compromised in another way, you should keep a close eye on your bank statements and bills. Watch out for any unfamiliar or unusual transactions and report them to your bank, building society or service provider straight away. You can also get advice on protecting your identity from potential fraudulent use at CIFAS.

When we launch the Wonga service we will naturally be committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of customers’ information - by using electronic and procedural safeguards that meet or exceed industry standards.

An article on thisismoney.co.uk paints another gloomy picture of Britain’s economy today, with poor growth in the services sector and a dissapointing bank holiday weekend for retailers…

“There was also grim news on the High Street in the wake of a miserable bank holiday weekend for retailers in London and around the country.

“Exclusive research for the Evening Standard by SPSL showed Saturday was particularly bad in the capital, with shopper numbers down 3.8% on the equivalent day last year.

“Retailers fared slightly better on Sunday when footfall was down 0.8%, but the improvement could not hide the pain on what was seen as a vital weekend for struggling stores.”

Consumers are certainly starting to feel the pinch in a very real way. The rising cost of gas, leccy, petrol and grub, plus uncertainty over housing and tightening of lending criteria by banks are all contributing. It’s a sensible time to minimise your long-term credit commitments as far as possible - credit cards, overdrafts and bank loans.

It’s worth making a list of what you owe, who you owe it to and what the repayments are. You should also make sure you find out the early repayment terms of any such commitments and work out if you can reduce some of the balances or even pay off a loan ahead of time without being penalised.

Although it’s easier said than done, it’s worth cutting down on any luxuries in the short-term if it means you might be able to reduce your outstanding debt during turbulent times. Use Wonga’s budget tool to assist you.

A recent BBC article highlighted new figures from CIFAS, the UK’s fraud prevention agency, which show that more people are lying in applications for loans and credit cards in the hope of covering up a poor credit history…

“Lies on application forms have risen by 13% from 19,239 in the first three months of 2007 to 21,780 in the first quarter of 2008.”

“The most frequent lie, according to CIFAS, was failing to disclose a previous address where the applicant had a poor credit history.”

It’s never a good idea to withhold information, or use misleading information in any application for credit. Not only is it fraud, but providers of financial services share information and any such record would seriously damage your ability to gain credit in the future.

If you are concerned about your credit history then the best thing to do is order a report from one of the major credit agencies, such as Call Credit, and seek advice about how you can improve it. Prevention is always better than cure, but you’ll find plenty of webistes offering tips on steps you can take.

Here are just a few examples: Thisismoney, uSwitch, TimesOnline and MoneySavingExpert.