The hidden clauses in your loans, savings, investments   and credit cards may cost you a small fortune. 

How to avoid being snared by the small print trap 

SMALL PRINT is the bane of homeowners, savers and investors. Every financial product comes with page upon page of complicated terms and conditions, usually printed in almost illegible type. 

Crucial information is often hidden deep within this small print, which means that a seemingly cheap product could end up costing you dear. 

Over the next two weeks, The Sunday Times will reveal the most common small-print traps. 

This week, we look at savings and investment schemes, mortgages, credit cards and personal loans. Next week, we will investigate the small print in insurance policies. 

Savings accounts 

Finding the best savings account used to be relatively straightforward - but not any more. Banks and building societies have added a variety of bells and whistles, which often make it impossible to spot the best deal. 

For example, Halifax, Abbey National and Woolwich each offer five easy-access accounts. The differences are usually hidden in the small print. 

Bonus or introductory rates - you are offered a half percentage point or one point bonus for the first few months after opening an account. The return you receive after the bonus period is often revealed only in the small print. The tactic of using bonuses is becoming increasingly popular and is employed by Abbey National, Bristol & West and Northern Rock. 

Limited withdrawals - some accounts allow you to make only a handful of withdrawals each year. If you need to take out more money, the interest rate is slashed. For example, Halifax's Saver Reward allows only three withdrawals a year - after which the rate is slashed from 4.35% to as low as 1.35%. 

Withdrawal fees - you may be charged a fee to withdraw money from your so-called easy-access account. For example, Alliance & Leicester's Easy Saver account charges investors £1 every time they want to take money out in a branch. Coventry charges 50p, or £1 from a branch, if the balance in your account is below £100. 

Tiered rates - most accounts vary the interest rate depending on how much you hold on deposit. The rate most heavily advertised is typically available only for substantial balances running into tens of thousands of pounds. The supermarkets all recently introduced tiered rates for their accounts. For example, Safeway pays 5.6% on balances over £5,000, but just 1.7% if you deposit less than £500. 

Minimum balances - you will be heavily penalised if your balance falls below the minimum opening balance. For example, if you have money in a Halifax Instant Saver account and your balance dips below £500, the interest rate will be cut from 4.35% to 1%. 

Isas 

Investors are offered thousands of different Isas and unit trusts, which are often virtually impossible to understand. Earlier this year, the government introduced a voluntary kite-marking scheme for Isas, which was intended to make life simpler for investors. Funds with low charges but without onerous small print qualify for a so-called Cat-mark. 

However, the scheme has largely been snubbed by the investment industry. Just 34 funds qualify for a government Cat-mark. 

Hidden fees - funds charge an annual management fee that can be anything between 0.35% and 1.75%. However, it is often not the true annual cost of the fund. Firms also levy a range of hidden charges, which can increase the cost by a further 0.25% a year. In America, the total fees must be clearly revealed to investors, but not in this country. 

Initial charges - you can be charged up to 6% of your investment when you open an Isa or unit trust. Firms claim that the charge is made to cover the cost of advice. Even if you choose not to take advice, you must still pay the fee. Usually, the only way to avoid the charge is to buy a fund from one of a handful of specialist "discount brokers". 

Exit penalties - some companies charge a penalty of up to 5% for cashing in your fund. M&G and Legal & General are two of the worst offenders. 

Pensions 

Most people will not be able to rely on the state for a prosperous retirement. Therefore, more and more people are taking out personal pensions sold by investment firms. 

Personal pensions have already been at the centre of an £11 billion mis-selling scandal, yet many companies still seem happy to continue confusing investors. 

In 2001, the government will be introducing stakeholder pensions - a new type of scheme without hefty charges and onerous small print. 

However, traditional personal pensions will still be sold by many firms and advisers, and finding the right scheme will remain a complicated task. The use of small-print jargon is unmatched by virtually any other product. 

Charges - pension firms are legendary for their ability to dream up charges. Large chunks of your investment will disappear within the first few years. 

If, for example, you contribute £200 a month to a pension, its value after one year is typically just £1,333 - yet you have invested £2,400. 

Aside from the initial charge - or charges - you will also be hit with an annual management fee of about 1%, but it could be as high as 1.75%. On top of that there is often a monthly policy fee of about £3. Although it sounds modest, if you contribute only £50 or £100 a month it represents a relatively hefty percentage of your investment. 

Transfer penalties - many companies penalise you if you want to move your pension to another firm. The transfer penalty typically runs into thousands of pounds, but reduces as you approach retirement. Transfer penalties vary between firms and among the worst are Allied Dunbar, NatWest and Skandia. 

Early-retirement penalty - when you take out a pension, you will often be asked when you want to retire. Few people realise, until it is too late, that if you want to retire earlier you could be penalised. Therefore, you should specify an early retirement date and extend the contract if necessary. 

Flexibility - it is critical to check that you can stop, start or vary contributions without penalty. Many firms levy swingeing charges if you stop paying into your pension for a few months - if, for example, you give birth, fall ill or lose your job. More progressive firms have scrapped many of these clauses. 

Mortgages 

Home loans are currently under intense government scrutiny. Millions of homeowners are stuck with uncompetitive mortgages - trapped by small-print clauses that were not properly explained. 

There are more than 4,000 mortgage deals on offer - Halifax alone has 105 schemes. And the use of small print makes it impossible accurately to make comparisons. 

The government is likely to clamp down on some of the worst practices unless the lenders clean up their act. The Treasury has already said it will introduce a voluntary kite-marking scheme early next year. 

Lock-in periods - borrowers are forced to pay the high standard variable rate for several years at the end of a fixed, discounted or capped deal. The Sunday Times has been campaigning for lock-ins to be banned. Britain's biggest three lenders - Halifax, Abbey National and Nationwide - have all recently scrapped the lock-ins for new - not existing - borrowers. 

Redemption penalties - you usually have to pay a penalty running into thousands of pounds to remortgage, if you have a fixed, discounted or capped home loan. 

You should ask for the penalty to be explained in pounds and pence, as the contract will often only express it as a percentage of the loan or a certain number of months' interest. 

Compulsory insurance - some lenders force you to take out their own buildings and contents cover as a condition of a special deal. The cover is typically about 30% more expensive than identical insurance available elsewhere. Many banks and building societies also charge a penalty of about £25 if you want to insure with a different company. 

Fees - lenders levy a wide range of fees, which can add up to £1,000 to the cost of your loan. In some cases, a mortgage with a cheaper rate may be more expensive than a higher-rate mortgage with lower fees. For example, Halifax is offering a three-year fixed rate of 6.79%; Chesham is offering 6.7%. However, Chesham has higher fees and compulsory insurance so it works out significantly more expensive for someone taking out an £85,000 loan with a 5% deposit. 

Migs - if you can afford to put down only a small deposit on your home, most lenders charge a one-off fee - known as a mortgage indemnity guarantee premium (Mig) - that can add thousands of pounds to the cost of the property. The fee pays for insurance for the lender should you default on the loan and the repossessed property is sold at a loss. 

However, it provides you with no benefit or protection and you may still be liable to repay the loss. 

Annual credits - most banks and building societies calculate interest annually. You therefore continue to pay interest on capital that you have repaid each month throughout the year. The system adds £2,500 to the cost of a 25-year £75,000 mortgage. However, some lenders, such as Abbey National and Halifax, are moving to the fairer daily rest system, where interest is calculated on a daily basis. 

Credit cards 

There is cut-throat competition among credit card firms to offer the cheapest rate. But many firms are giving with one hand and taking with the other in the form of small-print clauses. 

Fees - you are typically charged £10 a year for the privilege of owning a credit card. However, the fees can be far higher. The Co-operative Bank gold base rate Visa card has a fee of £120. NatWest's gold card has an annual fee of £35 and an Amex gold card costs £40 a year. 

There are other charges if you go over your credit limit, pay with cheques that bounce, ask for duplicate statements or request Data Protection Act information. 

Interest-free period - you are usually given up to two months after making a purchase before interest is charged. However, some cards - such as Alliance & Leicester Diamond, Lloyds TSB Asset Advance, and Co-op Gold Advantage Visa - offer no interest-free period. You pay interest from the day (or sometimes the day after) you make a purchase. You should also beware that if you do not pay off your balance in full you will lose any interest-free period. For example, if you have 56 days interest free and you pay off your debt after 100 days, you pay 100 days' interest on your purchase, rather than 44 days (the difference between 56 and 100). If you had repaid the debt after 56 days you would have paid no interest. 

Introductory rate - a popular tactic is to offer a low rate, but only for the first few months. Credit-card firms then hope that cardholders will not switch when the rate soars. For example, Halifax charges 9.9% for the first six months - but then 18.9%. Nationwide charges 8.5% for the first six months, but the rate then goes up to 16.5%. 

Personal loans 

Loans are already a relatively expensive way to borrow money - with rates typically triple the Bank of England base rate. Yet loan companies have a raft of confusing small-print clauses to further boost profits. 

Individual interest rates - many firms, including Lombard Direct, Northern Rock and Tesco, vary the interest rate depending on your credit rating. In some cases, you could pay 7% more for your loan than the advertised rate. The practice is by no means restricted to those with poor credit histories - about half of Lombard Direct's customers pay the higher rates. 

Conditional insurance - you may have to sign up for repayment insurance to get a cheap rate. The insurance repays the loan if you fall ill or lose your job. The cost of cover can vary between lenders - the loan with the lowest rate may not be the cheapest, as insurance may cost more. 

Early repayment penalties - you will usually be charged a penalty equivalent to either one or two months' interest for repaying the loan early. Only a handful of companies, including Barclays, Egg and Lloyds TSB, do not levy the penalties. 

Sunday Times November 21 1999

In the second part of his investigation, Robert Winnett scrutinises the detail of car, home, travel and health cover

INSURANCE policies are notorious for their small print. Insurers have an interest in minimising the amount of money they pay out, and one of the most effective ways of achieving this is by burying exclusions and important caveats in the micro-print of the policy documents. 

All too often the first customers hear about these crucial exclusions is when their claim is refused. 

This week, in the second half of our guide to small-print traps, The Sunday Times reveals the small-print car, home, travel and medical insurance clauses most likely to catch you out. 

Car insurance 

This is the only compulsory type of insurance - yet finding the right policy is a minefield. The annual cost of cover differs by hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds. 

Many people sign up for insurance over the telephone and fail to check the policy document that arrives several days later. But the cheapest policy may not necessarily be the best if it fails to pay out when disaster strikes. 

Excesses: you typically have to pay the first few hundred pounds of any claim. However, there are two types of excess - compulsory and voluntary - that often get confused.

Compulsory excesses apply for young or inexperienced drivers, theft claims and expensive cars. They must be paid by everyone. You then have a choice to increase the excess on a voluntary basis. Many insurers will automatically add a further £100 or £200 "voluntary" excess. 

Although some companies say that increasing your excess will reduce your premiums, most brokers say that you often find that premiums will rise only fractionally (typically about £7) if you have a policy with no voluntary excess. 

Annual mileage: some insurers ask you to estimate your annual mileage. But if you overshoot this by a significant distance, the insurer could refuse to pay a claim. For example, if you say you drive less than 5,000 miles each year, and have an accident after you have driven 8,000 miles, you may have to foot the repair bill. 

Modifications: if you change your car - by fitting alloy wheels, an expensive new stereo or a sunroof, for example - you could invalidate your insurance. Insurers claim these modifications increase the risk of the car being stolen. Therefore, you must inform your insurer of any changes, although this could lead to higher premiums. 

Cancellation fees: insurers charge a fee for cancelling a policy early. If you cancel within the first few months you will usually get back only about 75% of what you should if it was calculated fairly. Typically, the less the policy has to run, the lower the penalty. 

Also, if you write off your car, your insurance premium will not be refunded. For example, if you write off a car a week after taking out a policy, you could lose 51 weeks' worth of premiums. 

You should also be aware that brokers will claim a year's commission if you cancel a policy early. This typically accounts for 7.5% of your premium. 

Use of car: most policies cover drivers only for "social, domestic and pleasure" use. If you use your car for business, even if it is a "one-off", and you have an accident, the insurer could refuse to pay. 

No claims bonus: check that any no-claims bonus is transferable to other insurers. 

Peter Wright, from the Kent-based insurance brokers, Berry, Birch & Noble, says: "You should also ensure that you have a protected no-claims bonus. Some insurers will quote an unprotected bonus because it is cheaper, but it is often worth paying slightly more for the protection." 

Market value: when insuring a car you will be asked for its "market value". If your car is written off, insurers may only pay out this value, minus depreciation since the cover was bought. Therefore, if you want to make sure you get back what you paid for the car you should always give an optimistic estimate of its value. 

When it comes to claiming, insurers will always try to pay out as little as possible. However, most insurers will increase their offer if provided with "evidence" justifying a higher value. Always keep service histories, photographs and any relevant receipts to help push for a higher payout. 

Home insurance 

There are two types of home insurance - buildings and contents. Buildings insurance pays for damage to the structure of your home, contents cover pays out for damage to your belongings and furnishings. Most lenders will insist you have buildings cover as a condition of a mortgage. They will try to get you to sign up for their own, usually more expensive, scheme - but you should shop around for cheaper cover. You can typically save 30%. 

More than 25% of homeowners do not have any contents insurance. Many have been put off by horror stories as the insurance excludes so many common occurrences. 

Exclusions: insurers have drawn up a huge list of incidents not covered. Every year, hundreds of thousands of homeowners try to claim for damage that is not their fault, only to find insurers hiding behind small-print clauses. 

Popular exclusions include damage caused by vermin - such as rats, wasps or even squirrels - damage to fences, garden walls, patios and plants, and loss or damage to items such as fax machines or computers used partly or totally for business. 

If you, or even your guests, cause the damage, the insurer may also refuse to pay. 

Single-item limits: the maximum claim for a single item is often limited to about £1,000. You must inform your insurer of more expensive items, though you may have to arrange additional or separate cover. 

Flood/subsidence: most insurers have comprehensive databases identifying areas prone to flooding or subsidence. If you live in a high-risk area, you will pay a higher premium and could face a high excess. 

If your home has flooded or is prone to subsidence and you do not tell the insurer, it may refuse to pay your claim. 

Unoccupied home: do not expect a payout for any loss or damage if your home is left unoccupied for more than 30 days, or if it is unfurnished. 

If the home is not heated to at least 10C, and the pipes burst, your insurance is likely to prove useless. 

Millennium bug: insurance companies have recently been hurrying to exclude any millennium bug problems from policies. The industry has decided that insurance will cover damage caused by malfunctioning items - but not the items themselves. For example, in the unlikely event of your video recorder catching fire, and setting the curtains alight, the curtains would be replaced but not the video. 

Accidental cover: most standard insurance includes some cover for so-called "accidental damage" - but only for certain items such as televisions, pipes and sinks. 

Many other items are excluded. For example, you may find you are not covered if you spill red wine on the carpet. If you want protection for these kinds of incidents make sure you ask the insurer first. 

Items out of the home: more expensive insurance - known as all-risks cover - will pay out for items that are lost or damaged even if they are outside of the home. For example, it would compensate you if your bicycle was stolen while locked up at the train station. 

All-risks cover comes with its own set of excluded items. Only items that are normally "on or about your person" - such as cash, camera, or jewellery - are covered. 

Excesses: insurers insist you pay the first few hundred pounds of any claim. Check whether this excess is voluntary - this is often not properly explained - and ask how much more the policy will cost without the excess. 

Travel insurance 

When booking a holiday, the travel agent will do its best to sell you insurance cover, which will be among the most expensive. Look to cheaper, specialist travel insurers. Check that you will not be stung by the following small-print traps: 

Claim limits: there is a limit to the amount you can claim under each section of the policy. For example, you can usually claim for millions of pounds in medical expenses, but the maximum for lost or stolen baggage is typically about £1,500. 

The maximum you can claim for a single item or for lost cash will be a few hundred pounds - so if you are travelling with anything that is more expensive you must arrange separate cover. 

Pre-existing conditions: if you have a pre-existing health condition - such as asthma, diabetes or angina - any claim arising from the problem may not be paid. You must inform your insurer before travelling. 

Dangerous sports: some policies do not cover dangerous sports such as skiing, bungee-jumping or even horse riding. If you have an accident you will not be covered. 

Long-term travel: if you are travelling for more than three or four weeks, perhaps in a gap year before university, you need a specialist policy. 

Unattended items: if an item is not in your possession when it is lost or stolen you may not be compensated. 

Proof of loss/purchase: any items that are stolen must usually be reported to the local police within 24 hours. You will also usually have to provide a receipt or other proof of purchase - insurers claim they have paid out for more lost or stolen Rolexes than have ever been produced. 

Health insurance 

The National Health Service has been heavily criticised for poor standards of service, but the private alternative is often little better. 

Health insurance comes with more small-print traps than virtually any type of cover. It is frighteningly expensive yet often lacking when it becomes a matter of life or death. Insurers retain the right to change the small print every year, so policyholders need to stay alert. 

Excluded conditions: most private medical insurance will not pay for the treatment of chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes and Aids. 

Some policies will pay for the treatment of "acute episodes" caused by the chronic condition. For example, if you suffer from arthritis and need a hip replacement, the insurance should pay. But it will not pay for the drugs needed every week to reduce arthritic pain. 

Failure to disclose: if you fail to tell an insurer about any pre-existing condition or complaint, your policy may be invalid. For example, if you have suffered from a heart problem or cancer, you must say so when signing up for a policy. 

A huge range of other less obvious disclosures must also be made. Penny O'Nions, a medical insurance broker, says: "I recently had a customer whose claim for cancer treatment was refused because she has been having smear tests since she was young. 

"The previous smear tests were clear - but the insurer regarded the fact that she had been having regular smears as a warning signal that she had not revealed." 

In another case, an insurer refused to pay out for multiple sclerosis treatment after a patient failed to reveal they had suffered pins and needles. 

Existing conditions: any conditions that you already suffer from - or have suffered from in the past - will not be covered. For example, if you have had a heart attack, you will usually have to pay for the treatment of future heart conditions. 

Also note that if you try to take out cover from another insurer, it will exclude conditions you suffered while covered by your existing insurer. 

Restricted hospitals/doctors: most policies have a list of approved doctors and hospitals where you can be treated. Check which local hospitals and doctors are on the list. 

Sunday Times 28 November 1999