Staying on top of your financial situation will reduce money worries.
There are plenty of ways to manage your money, through your bank, apps, online etc.
Don’t rush into any long-term financial commitments at this stage, while your future plans are still uncertain.
 
 
 

Regular Checks

 
Check your bank balance and reconcile bank/credit statements regularly; it’s easy via mobile/online banking, or request a statement from a branch or ATM.

• Avoid unnecessary charges
  Keep within any overdraft/credit limits so you don’t incur fees and charges.

• You can register for text alerts from your bank – to advise you of your weekly balance and notify you of any large payments in or out of your account.

• Beware of fraud
  If there’s anything you don’t recognise, check it out.

• Check regular payments every few months and cancel anything you no longer require e.g. Direct Debits (DDR) and Standing Orders (SO) like utilities, retail accounts, subscriptions, club memberships, insurance purchased alongside electrical items etc.

Security

Lost/stolen cards

Note the emergency phone number for your credit/debit cards.
Cancel cards straight away if lost or stolen.

Take sensible precautions

• If an ATM looks like it might have been tampered with, don’t risk it.

• Always take care to conceal your PIN number

• Beware of telephone scams and online phishing, such as cloned bank websites and fake bank emails. (Phishing is a fraudulent attempt to access your personal information, such as account details, usernames and passwords. Criminals send bogus emails, letters or texts, which generally appear to be authentic communications from legitimate organisations.)
  Never give out account details unless you know whom you’re dealing with.  Banks won’t request this information by email, nor will they ever ask for your whole PIN number.

Consumer Scams – FCA
Advice from Financial Conduct Authority on how to protect yourself against scams, & what do if you think you have been affected.

Phishing – Action Fraud
How to protect yourself against phishing & what to do if you receive a phishing message.

e-Finance

 
Find out about the latest developments that could help you manage your money. In addition to mobile banking, there’s a whole raft of new financial services, apps and websites arriving on the scene.

Be aware – Research options carefully because there have been some recent concerns over data security & privacy (mostly relating to cloud-based data storage and account aggregation).

Online Storage Advice – Money Saving Expert
Online storage for documents & work, as well as photos & music.
This guide explains how these services work, how to make sure they’re safe & which are the best free services out there.