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Credit card debt is an issue that afflicts a large number of people, and it's always worth keeping an eye out for better offers.

By moving to new lenders, you could save compared to the interest you would have been paying.

Banks have been improving their offers for customers shifting debts to a new card over the past 12 months, according to new figures.

TotallyMoney research says that most big banks now offer more than 30 months at 0% interest for joining customers.

The credit reporting site's research, carried out by Moneycomms, found that average balance transfer lengths have improved by almost five months.

Natwest currently offers 34 months at 0% interest on its top deal.

Barclaycard, HSBC and Tesco Bank all offer 33-month 0% interest cards as well.

TotallyMoney says that a customer shifting an average interest-bearing balance - 拢3,002 - along with a typical 3.5% fee to the leading Natwest offer could save 拢1,568 compared to what they may have paid.

It adds that almost one in two credit card customers are paying interest on their balance each month and could stand to benefit from a transfer.

What is a balance transfer credit card?

For a small fee, around 3-4%, balance transfer credit cards let you shift credit card debt and stop paying interest for a set amount of time - which can allow outstanding debts to be paid off.

Longer balance transfer lengths mean more time without paying interest and bigger savings compared to other deals.

However, you'll need to make the minimum repayment set each month by the lender.

If you miss a payment, you could be required to pay a penalty fee and may lose the 0% rate.

Also, once the interest-free period ends, a higher rate of interest may be applied.

By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire, business and economics reporter

The good news continues for UK residents heading on their holidays to the US - one pound now buys more dollars than at any point in nearly the last four years.

Not since the end of October 2021 has sterling equalled so many dollars.

A pound now buys $1.37.

It means people travelling to the US will now see their pound go further than it has in the past three years and eight months.

Shoppers in general could benefit if the high remains, as the cost of importing dollar-priced goods, like oil, becomes cheaper. 

Should costs remain lower for importers, savings could be passed on to consumers. 

What's going on?

The pound is rising because the dollar is falling.

The value of the world's reserve currency had already dropped as geopolitical tensions eased and investors expected high interest rates for longer.

The latest fall comes after President Trump said he was considering replacing the head of the US central bank, known as the Fed, before his tenure was up. 

What about the euro?

The picture is not quite so rosy for sterling users heading to a euro-using country. 

You'll only get 鈧�1.17 for your pound, down from a recent high of 鈧�1.19 a month ago and 鈧�1.21 before Trump announced his country-specific tariffs in April. 

Aldi has launched a new voucher support scheme to help parents during the school holidays - but you'll need a dose of luck to benefit.

Parents can apply for a 拢50 voucher from the scheme. But only one family is selected to get one, in a lottery every day over July and August.

The vouchers can be used to stock up on whatever people need, from the cupboard essentials to new toys, the supermarket says.

Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, said: "The school holidays can put extra pressure on finances, especially when it comes to keeping children fed, entertained and active during the six-week break.

"As the UK's cheapest supermarket, we don't believe in paying a premium for healthy, quality food and we'll always do what we can to support parents in making their money go further."

How to apply

Shoppers will need to submit their name and email address to [email protected] to apply.

Then one family will be chosen at random every day in July and August to receive a 拢50 voucher.

 New rules at Nationwide Building Society come into effect today that let first-time buyers purchase new build homes with a 5% deposit.

The building society is also making moves to try to open up more paths for first-time buyers to purchase new-build flats.

It will allow people to borrow up to six times their annual income via Nationwide's .

The scheme has already supported more than 57,000 customers since its launch in 2021, with just under half of them using it between April 2024 and March 2025, Nationwide said.

It added new build mortgage sales last year were around a third lower than in the last full year of the government's Help to Buy scheme in 2022.

The building society identified deposit requirements as playing a major part in this, and hopes its new scheme will go some way to tackling the problem.

New build flats and construction delays

Nationwide is also increasing the maximum loan-to-value cap on purchases of new build flats.

Also, from today, first-time buyers will be able to buy a new flat with a 15% deposit - as opposed to a 20% one previously.

Mortgage offers on new build properties will also be extended from six months to nine months, to account for construction delays.

'A trio of positive changes'

Henry Jordan, Nationwide鈥檚 director of home, said: "A strong housebuilding sector drives growth, and as the UK's biggest building society, we're backing it with a trio of positive changes.

"Not only are we increasing lending up to 95 per cent LTV on new build properties, but we are also offering first time buyers the ability to borrow up to six times' income through our Helping Hand proposition on new builds. 

"In addition, we're extending our mortgage offers to nine months 鈥� recognising the construction delay that can occur with new build properties and giving greater peace of mind to applicants."

Lego has posted a record turnover of more than 拢500m, defying a global slump in toy sales.

The Berkshire-based division of the Danish toy maker reported a 12% increase in revenue - taking it to 拢502m in 2024 - "despite economic challenges",  

Net profit hit 拢35.5m, a sharp turnaround from a 拢4.5m loss in the previous year. The company stated that this loss was primarily due to a one-time tax issue that has now been resolved.

Its success has been credited to the launch of Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy on Disney+ as well as popular licensed sets, including Lilo & Stitch.

Rival toy producers Mattel and Hasbro both experienced a decline in sales over the same period.

Yesterday, we reported on travel chaos and problems for a mobile network.

Let's bring you up to date...

Eurostar severe delays

Britons hoping to escape to the continent on Eurostar saw trains hit by severe delays and cancellations on Wednesday.

This, Eurostar said, was because of three reasons, one of which was the theft of 600 metres of copper cable near Lille, France.

There were also two deaths on the track, and displaced trains.

Services were forced to run on alternative routes, and at the time, Eurostar advised people to cancel or postpone their trips.

At least five services on its London-Paris route were cancelled, and seven others were delayed by around an hour.

But late yesterday evening, Eurostar issued an update, saying that while delays were expected until the end of Wednesday, normal traffic mostly resumed around 1pm.

If you were affected, you could be due compensation. We looked at your options yesterday - click below for a reminder.

Three UK outage resolved

Also yesterday, we brought you news that Three UK suffered an outage.

While its data services remained unaffected, voice calls and some text messages were disrupted.

Yesterday evening, Three UK said its voice and text services had returned to "near-normal levels".

It added: "We understand how disruptive this has been and sincerely apologise for today鈥檚 inconvenience".

Living standards will be "bleak" during the second half of the 2020s, according to a thinktank.

The Resolution Foundation said the "bust, boom and bleak outlook" seen this decade could leave the 2020s "as the first decade of the modern era to witness no improvement in disposable incomes across Britain".

For example, the typical annual real income of non-pensioners is only set to grow by around 拢300 in total.

Its report said: "Our outlook for 2025-26 specifically remains poor with income flat (0% growth)."

The Living Standards Outlook 2025, funded by Nationwide Building Society, blamed frozen tax thresholds and rising council tax, which it said "[cancels] out real pre-tax earnings growth for many, even before accounting for water, rent and mortgage rises".

Every Thursday, our Money blog team interviews chefs from around the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks and more. This week, we chat to Mike Reid, renowned TV chef and "".

Good food doesn't have to be expensive... tasty food is simply tasty food. Obviously, better ingredients and produce (which would usually mean higher costs) would lend to a better flavour. However, some of the best food I eat is street food, from local markets or vendors. When I was in Singapore last year, I tried one of the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, with a pork noodle dish at about the equivalent of 拢5 for a one star dish. It proves that good food doesn鈥檛 have to be expensive.

Michelin-starred food isn't always the tastiest, but... it is definitely a marker of consistency and talent. We are blessed in the UK with a thriving food scene, with so many great chefs, and not all of them are cooking within Michelin restaurants. What I would say with Michelin restaurants is that it is a very good marker for a place to eat where you should be getting great service and great food. It is a guide to help you. I love dining out at Michelin restaurants and have cooked at this level too, but I'm just as happy dining across the great spectrum of restaurants that we are blessed to have. 

The best chefs I've worked with are... legends such as Michel Roux Jr and Gordon Ramsay. I also had the pleasure of making "Five Star Chef" with Michel for Netflix, and that was such an incredible experience of working with him again. His professionalism and talent stand out every day, and I learned so much from him about being on set and the energy and expertise he brings with him. 

I handle a TV chef cooking me a bad meal by... styling it out - I would never want to publicly embarrass anyone. Food is so subjective, even though it may not be to my taste, the next person who tries it might love it. So I would try my best not to pass comment. Or my other tactic is to focus on a redeeming element, so for example: "Oh wow, the flavour of that beef is beautiful, or the colour of that sauce is so vibrant."

What annoys me the most about the industry is... how we have an expectation now of being able to eat most foods all year round - then we actually complain about how it doesn't taste as good. We need to get back to respecting our produce more and understanding the seasons. To enjoy strawberries in summer and not look for them in winter. To get back to eating tomatoes that have been grown and ripened on the vine in the sun, as opposed to in a greenhouse, grown and picked early. It will be so much better for the planet and better for us to enjoy things as nature intended. 

The biggest mistake I see chefs make is鈥� overcomplicating their dishes. We have such a desire when we are younger and starting out to showcase our skills, to show on each plate what we can do, and this often leads to dishes being overly complicated and too much going on. Sometimes you see 10 elements on a plate when only five are needed to make it really outstanding. Restraint is the mark of confidence and a true belief in the food that they are cooking. I remember so clearly when the penny dropped for me and my food went to another level after this. My chefs were happier, too. 

The most overrated single food item is鈥� Dubai chocolate. I do not understand why this has swept the world and taken over. It's invading menus in every area, breakfast is now littered with it, inspiring dishes, and dessert menus are overloaded with it too. I think it's overly rich and way too sweet. But that's just my humble opinion! 

What I think about food influencers is... that love them or hate them, they drive covers to your restaurants, so you need to embrace them. I have worked with and met many - most are lovely people and big foodies who feel fortunate to do what they do. The minority can be a little "needy", let's say, but I think when you have a genuine influencer that you know will drive business to your restaurant, you are happy to work with them. I think it's about being selective and choosing the right ones for your audience.

My controversial food/restaurant opinion is鈥� your meal should be paid for in advance. We are one of the few, if not the only, "entertainment" services where you pay after receiving your goods. Think if you go to the movies, theatre or a concert, you pay in advance. Paying after your meal gives some guests the impression that if it wasn't exactly as you wanted, you don't have to pay for anything. You don't get a refund if you don't like a movie? We have already paid for everything, the staff, the ingredients, the building and our costs have been laid out in advance, so I don't see why the experience is different to other industries. It shouldn鈥檛 be a choice.  Of course, if we don't meet your expectations, there needs to be a level of compensation, but at the moment, all the power lies with the guest.

The best city in the world to eat is... San Sebastian. From the Michelin-starred restaurants to the incredible pinchos bars - the quality of food is incredible. 

My favourite restaurant chain is... Sticks and Sushi. Great concept, good quality fish, and I love the sticks too. My sort of chain.

My go-to cheap eat at home is...  wagyu skirt sandwich

• 150g Wagyu Thick Skirt
• 1 Hens Egg
• 陆 Tomato, Sliced
• Sprigs of fresh Watercress
• 陆 Onion, Sliced & Saut茅ed
• 陆 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tbsp Kewpie
• 3 Shallots
• 1 Tbsp Corn flour
• Oil for frying
• 2 Slices of White Sourdough 

For the gravy:

• 500ml Beef stock
• 2 Tsp Corn Flour

Method

1. Coat your shallots in the corn flour and then fry off in your oil at 160C;
2. Grill the wagyu from room temperature, seasoning generously with salt on your BBQ for about eight minutes, making sure your coals are not too hot, you want a nice medium heat. Then rest for at least six minutes in a warm place;
3. Start reducing your stock by half. Prepare your corn flour slurry by adding a touch of water to your corn flour and mix well;
4. Over a low heat, fry your eggs till the white is cooked but ensuring you have a beautiful runny yolk;
5. Once finished resting, take the roasting tray juices and add to your stock. Bring to the boil and then thicken with the cornflour slurry and season to taste;
6. Assemble your sandwich, basting the bread with your mustard, then adding the chutney, the beef cut in half and all your other bits, finishing with the watercress and the chips on the side. 

Claire's Accessories is exploring a potential sale of the business due to rising cost pressures, it has been reported. 

The retailer鈥檚 owners are said to have hired bankers to seek out potential buyers, Bloomberg has reported. 

A prospective bidder could acquire parts or all of the retailer's 2,750 stores worldwide, including its 281 locations in the UK, according to Bloomberg.

It comes amid the news that the business needs to address an almost 拢367.3m loan due by December 2026.