Carpooling is a way of life for many people in the US, with parents running their kids to school, but also with work colleagues sharing lifts to and from the office, with everyone chipping in to help with petrol costs and the like.

Over here it’s a slightly different story; for many it seems, the old British adage of ‘my home is my castle’ seems to extend to the car, and the train seat – I can remember catching the train to college in the mornings and feeling loath to give up the adjacent seat to anybody except an expecting lady. Though I’m happy to budge up for anyone these days (provided that they aren’t drunk, morbidly obese, or have BO) I’ll still take a seat on my own if given the option.

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Here at CompareNow, we’ve continually sung the praises of shopping online – it’s faster, more convenient, and allows you to easily keep track of your finances if you shop from your desk. High-street excursions should be reserved for things such as clothes shopping (you can’t check for vanity sizing online) and for relaxing activities (grab a coffee or smoothie) – why spend your Saturdays queuing in a travel agency waiting to buy holiday insurance when you can do it all online?

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Virgin Money have begun heavily promoting the 15 months 0% balance transfer window which comes with the Virgin Credit Card in an aggressive billboard and poster ad campaign.

The card also comes with a 3 month period providing 0% on all purchases and has the now-standard typical rate of 15.9% APR (variable) and gives punters the chance to earn reward points that can be put towards Virgin-affiliated products and services.

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“If you only apply for one credit card a year, this could be the one,” gushes Steve Willey of moneysupermarket.com on the Abbey site. Abbey’s new card launched in April this year has certainly turned heads with its veritable banquet of 0% rates on pretty much everything. To recap, the Abbey Zero card comes with the following:

• 0% on balance transfer fees
• 0% on balance transfers for 6 months
• 0% on purchases for 6 months
• 0% foreign usage fees
• 0% cash withdrawal fee
• 0% annual fees

OK, so the last one shouldn’t be expressed as a percentage per se, but it looks nice and uniform when typed like that. Anyway…

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It has been recently announced that Vodafone, the world’s biggest mobile network, have been pipped to take over domestic home and broadband operations of Tiscali here in the UK.

Since the broadband bubble burst here in the UK, we have seen massive market consolidation, with formerly independent internet service providers being snapped up left right and centre by big name brands like Virgin, Orange, Sky, O2 and the Carphone Warehouse, each of them vying to offer consumers a one-stop solution for all their communication and entertainment needs; digital TV, fixed-line calls and mobile phone services.

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Recent rises in interest rates and the corresponding decline in property prices as a result of the credit crunch have sparked fears that the spectre of Negative Equity has risen again to torment a new generation of first time buyers and homeowners.

According to a document from Morgan Stanley published in the Telegraph in April this year, UK house prices could drop by some 15 per cent over the next two years, which would drive over a million households into negative equity.

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