We’re Nice Really
Sorry to bring it up, but with the current economic climate I’ve been thinking of how banks can present themselves to customers as the market picks back up.
Managing Your Credit Card
- The ability to set payment goals for different types of purchases. You might choose to pay off clothing and food purchases at the end of the month, whereas you may give yourself 6 months to pay off a holiday. Obviously these purchases would essentially be on the same card, but your statement would separate the payments so you can keep better track of your debts.
- Categorised payments on credit cards, e.g. clothes, eating out, groceries, so you can see where spending can be cut.
- The ability to set budgets for these categories, and track when going over-budget. It could alert you when you’re nearing a specific budget - “No more clothes this month!”
- Suggestions for how to make most of remaining budget - so if you had £20 left in your groceries budget and 2 weeks left till payday, it might suggest a £20 Asda shopping list that could provide 2 weeks worth of meals.
- Case studies of other people and what their budgets / spending profiles are.
Vouchers / Saving money
- Internet browser add-on - if you were on the Boots website the toolbar icon would flash to indicate vouchers/coupons are available
- If you created a budget online and it indicated you spent a lot on eating out it might offer you 2-4-1 meal vouchers rather than just suggesting you cut-back.
- A feature that shows on a map which shops charge more or less for certain items. There used to be a kids’ TV show which each week would have a product that viewers would win prizes for finding the highest or lowest price for. So if it was Hula Hoops someone might ring in with a price of 94p at a petrol station, and someone else might ring in with a price of 29p at their corner shop.
- It could also incorporate current vouchers available on the map.
Tips
- Pledges - e.g. pledge to take sandwiches in to work. Other people could join your pledge and everyone’s progress could be tracked.
- People could suggest money saving tips, and others would be given the ability to digg them. Digged tips would appear on your facebook app (or rss feed, or whatever)
- Suggestions to have one free day / evening out a week. Or suggestions based around current time of year - e.g. free family days out just before the easter holidays.
Credit Rating
- The good side of credit cards - how to use them to improve your credit rating and effectively manage your money.
- Introductory credit cards for people with low credit ratings - very small limit (£100?) that helps them to rebuild their credit rating.
- Case studies of different people and their credit ratings - and how they can improve them.