Royalties Gold RBOS v A+L Premier Plus

Rate_tart?_sticks_and_stones.....

I know Martin doesn't like these 'packaged accounts' but we pay £144 per annum for this account which gives us both Annual Worlwide Travel Insurance (worth around £90), 25% off the total bill for 4 in some restaurants (worth around £60), 10% off the total cost of flights or package holidays for us and anyone travelling with us - and yes I always find the cheapest deal first and ask them to match it THEN deduct the 10%!). This alone saves us £120 on our annual flights to the Canaries. Then we have use of the airport lounge before we travel- worth £16 each. So for the cost of £144 I estimate that we 'save' at least an additional £160 and that's if we don't include the 25% discount on theatre trips. We also have a joint a/c with the Abbey, we pay the higher salary into the Abbey and the lower one into the RBOS. We have reasonably high earnings but tend to spend everything in the account every month and make max use of 0% credit cards.

I'm thinking about switching our Abbey a/c to the A+L but unless someone can see a flaw in my accounting or tell me I can get all the other benefits elsewhere cheaper, I'm tempted to keep the Royalties Gold account. This will mean that we'll have travel insurance via both accounts?!

Grateful for any constructive suggestions.

Thanks

grumbler

Not a suggestion - just a question. Have you ever paid £16 for the airport lounge before you got this account? :think:

Rate_tart?_sticks_and_stones..... wrote:

...We have reasonably high earnings but tend to spend everything in the account every month and make max use of 0% credit cards...

Don't forget that sooner or later you will have to pay the debt...

Rate_tart?_sticks_and_stones.....

I take your point, and the answer's no but we really do enjoy starting off the holiday in this way and we have been particualrly glad to have it when flights have been delayed by more than an hour. Teas, coffees, wine, spirits and snacks can all mount up when you are a 'captive buyer' in an airport.

Also 0% Barclaycard period coincides with maturing endowment so debt will be cleared then, but I do appreciate your concern.

JanCee

I convert my RBS account to Royalties Gold when I book my hols, use the travel insurance, commission free foreign currency ordering and then cancel it as soon as I get back. That way I get the benefits I really use without having to pay for 12 months for them. Because I am going away twice this year I will have kept it for about 6 months. This still works out cheaper than an annual travel insurance policy.

realaledrinker

I do exactly the same with smilemore. Comprehensive travel insurance for the family for £6 x 3 or 4 months. Easy peasy.

realaledrinker

In fact I am fibbing as this year I have a year's Norwich Union comprehensive policy for free as part of my egg contents policy (which was the cheapest I could find, too!).