There have been several revisions to the Avios scheme over the years, unsurprisingly all meaning your points don't get you quite as much or they are harder to earn. But the scheme isn't worth ditching yet, particularly if you are clever about how you spend them your points. We have run the numbers and unearthed the tricks to stretching your points further afield.

People should save at least 12% of their salary into pensions and employers should be made to stump up half of that, according to a new report. Savers should also be given meaningful retirement targets based on real-life ambitions like being able to afford an annual holiday, a reasonable car, meals in restaurants and bottles of wine, recommends an influential pension industry group.

What Car? received feedback about 14,000 UK-registered vehicles in the latest reliability survey, with owners reporting how many faults their motors had in the last year. These were the 10 models with the worst track records, including (from top left to right) the Fiat 500X, Nissan Qashqai, Volvo XC90, Mercedes E-Class, Range Rover Sport and Jeep Renegade.

The will they or won't they game is back on. No, I'm not talking about England's tilt at World Cup glory after winning their first knock-out tournament match since before the financial crisis. This game rolls round more often than English footballing success - it's the question of are interest rates about to rise? And August is the date we're now playing for.

In a move that could put it in direct competition with the other commercial broadcasters ITV, Sky and Channel Four, and BT the internet giant would offer programmes at no cost or by funding them through adverts shown during shows. Its plan emerged in a job advert for a new London-based 'head of free to air TV and advertising'.

Additional charges, unforeseen insurance costs and poor customer service all related are common car rental grumbles reported to This is Money by readers. With this in mind, we listed the best insider tips for holidaymakers to avoid being ripped off at the rental desk and save money in the process.

A gale is blowing through UK high streets, and retail and restaurant chains are feeling the sting. In this cut-throat environment where relevance is paramount, household names Toys R Us, Maplin, East, Poundworld and Prescott & Conran have already gone to the wall. Other marginally fitter chains are frantically closing shops.

The firm, which boasts of charging homebuyers no commission, made losses of £21.3m in its 2018 financial year - significantly more than the £5.1m it lost the previous year. And though it claims 81per cent of listings on its site ‘sold’ in the 12 months to April, this also included exchanges and sales that were still subject to contract.

The absolute maximum the Government allows you to build up in a pension is £1.03m But many workers whose salaries have risen to about £80,000 unwittingly breach this allowance. The result is a £70 million jump in pension tax collected by HM Revenue & Customs over the past two years - and the numbers of people caught out is doubling.

I pay Virgin Mobile £6 per month for a SIM-only tariff. I occasionally exceed my usage, but never by more than £5 or £6. But, on May 8, I got a bill for £91.10. My account details suggested I'd used the internet and exceeded my limit on most days from April 7 to May 5. The time of the usage on April 7 was at 7am and the rest at midnight.

Here's a thought to hold on to as you slog through a day's work in this heat: you may have won a life-changing £100,000 Premium Bond prize, but no one's told you because it's been allocated to someone long dead. There are all sorts of conspiracy theories surrounding Premium Bonds, such as that older ones are less likely to be drawn, or those held by people in the South East have more chance of winning.

Car owners face a postcode lottery of widely differing charges - including administration fees and idiosyncratic add-ons - depending on where they live in the UK. The audit by consumer motoring experts at Carbuyer and Auto Express of charges from 243 UK councils running controlled parking zones - dubbed CPZs - reveals how motorists are paying hundreds of pounds a year into council coffers to park in their own streets.

The band of secret enforcers - with an average age of 75 - have all fallen victim to postal fraud in the past. Now they are turning the tables on the scammers who cheated them out of their life savings. Sigrid Hambley became a Mail Marshal after falling victim to a scam. She received a letter from a fake law firm telling her that a distant relation had left her £2m in their will

It's not rare to see a house for sale with an annexe, or even some outbuildings, but a Devon farmhouse on the market stands out from the competition with a unusual feature indeed. The house, near Tiverton, has an aircraft hangar and a 300m runway that is suitable for light aircraft. The six-bedroom house sits in almost 60 acres and comes with various outbuildings that include a separate two-bed barn conversion, as well as small areas of woodland.

Marcus says it will offer savings products firmly aimed at the UK retail market in the late summer having already secured its banking licence. The accounts it offers in the US have proved incredibly popular. Within an 18 month period, it garnered a mammoth $22billion in deposits and approved $3billion in personal loans.

We've taken a look at the exchange traded funds picked by those with hefty portfolios who want to keep costs low, easily access a basket of assets, or simply doubt a fund manager can beat the market. Our analysis looks at the most popular ETFs for those lucky enough to hold at least £1million with Hargreaves Lansdown, Interactive Investor and AJ Bell Youinvest.

A new survey of drivers has identified the seven most commonly used terms vehicle technicians blithely drop into conversation - even though they know the customer probably won't understand them. Learn these pieces of jargon and you'll be able to query what repairs you're being charged for.

The large Edwardian Arts and Crafts property is for sale for £1.15million via fixed-fee estate agents Yopa, which describes the property as a 'seaside villa of great charm and character'. But experts suggest that it could be knocked down and replaced with a new home due to its proximity to wealthy Sandbanks in Poole.

Ten years ago, who would have thought that super-SUVs combining supercar performance with limo luxury would be all the rage? Today, there's no shortage of choice in this market. Which one rules? Here's out top 10 countdown, including the (from top left to right) Mercedes-AMG GLS 63, Lamborghini Urus, JE Motorworks Zulu2, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Bentley Bentayga, Mercedes-AMG G 63.

Britons regularly underestimate the cost of living and how much they need to save for a comfortable existence at retirement, according to a new study. On average, savers expect living expenses to account for 38 per cent of their yearly retirement income, but existing pensioners say they shell out 53 per cent to cover these costs.

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee kept interest rates on hold at 0.5 per cent, in spite of forecasts of a 90 per cent chance of a rise just three weeks ago. Policymakers voted 7-2 for a hold, with the two members who called for a rise saying that they believed there were 'upside risks' for inflation.

Choosing the right DIY platform is crucial but a wealth of choice and changes to charges have left many investors scratching their heads. We pick some of the best. We also highlight why investing in an Isa makes sense, as it should protect your hopefully growing investments from tax forever.