British Gas owner, Centrica, has announced that both its gas and electricity prices are going up by 15% with immediate effect. British Gas becomes the third major energy supplier to raise prices this year, after EDF, which upped rates by at least 8% earlier this week, and npower, which increased prices by up to 17%, 2 weeks ago.

This April will mark a year since the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) forced providers to reduce their fines for late or missing credit card payments from £20 plus to £12. But whether ot not this amounts to a 'victory' for the consumer, is questionable. Since then credit card companies have been sneakily introducing new credit card fees and increases to rates in a bid to recoup around £1bn in lost revenues. "It's important to review your credit card regularly to ensure you're getting the best deal," says Lisa Taylor, of financial data compiler Moneyfacts. "When your provider sends through revised terms and conditions take time to read the changes, as there is every chance your credit is costing you more."

easyJet has teamed up with Citi Cards to launch a new credit card . Features include one free easyJet flight worth up to £40 (including taxes) when £250 or more is spent in the first 3 months; 10% back on all easyJet flights booked (and related purchases such as hotel bookings and car hires if made at the same time as the flight) within the first 3 months and 0% interest for the first 9 months on all balance transfers (3% fee, minimum £5). Meanwhile, the easyJet MasterCard rewards program, called "easyJet 1-2-3" earns cardholders easyJet Miles on all purchases made on easyJet.com and anywhere else. Three miles are earned for every £1 spent on easyJet flights, two miles for every £1 spent on overseas purchases, and one mile for every £1 spent on all other purchases.

The total annual savings available by replacing near-worst with near-best products across a range of financial services is £4,594.86, according to Moneyextra.com. That's almost £370 more than the savings available in the previous quarter. Robin Amlôt of Moneyextra.com comments, "Despite the credit crunch, it's not only possible to make and save more money by choosing the right products, you can make and save even more now than you could three months ago!"

The Bank of England mildly surprised market watchers, Thursday, by opting to keep interest rates on hold at 5.50%. The surprise decision came against a backdrop of sentiment that had increasingly been swinging behind a base rate cut in recent days following confirmation of weak Christmas trading numbers from many of the nation's High Street retailers as consumers reined in spending. But the decision will have been a tough one for the Bank to call, given policymakers had to balance out the impact of a slowdown in consumer spending against signs of inflationary pressures building up in the economy - prompted in part by higher commodities prices in general and the prospect of increased residential energy prices in particular.

MBNA has announced the launch of two new credit cards with bmi after signing a new deal to provide cards for Heathrow's second largest airline. The new bmi American Express Credit Card from MBNA, offers 1.5 destinations miles for every £1 spent on the card, plus new Card members will earn 20,000 bonus destinations miles when they spend £250 on their card within 90 days of account opening, enough for a return flight to Europe. This annual fee free card offers 0% p.a. on balance transfers for the first 12 months from the date the account is opened (3% handling fee), plus 0% on card purchases for the first 3 months. After the introductory period the card will revert to a typical rate of 15.9% APR (variable).

If your New Year's resolution is the tackle your debt by consolidation, tread carefully as you could be caught out by high interest rates and over priced insurance. So warns financial search engine, Moneyfacts.co.uk. That said, Lisa Taylor of Moneyfacts makes the point that consolidating your debts onto one loan can prove an ideal solution. It could cut your monthly payments and see your interest bill lower. Also, for those less disciplined, the fixed monthly repayment might offer the structure you need to commit to repay the debt within a given time.

Halifax is launching a new 0% credit card deal with the introduction of its Halifax Plus Credit Card. The card, with a typical APR of 15.9%, features 0% for 13 months on balance transfers (3% balance transfer fee), 0% for 6 months on purchases.

Shoppers hitting the New Year sales could find that goods at knock-down prices aren't necessarily the bargains they seem to be, warns Which? Legal Service. Indeed, some retailers misrepresent sale goods, using incorrect advertising and misleading price tickets, says the professional legal advice team from Which?

More than 3 million credit cardholders (7%) are planning to shift at least £8.99 billion excess pounds to new credit cards in the New Year according to research from Abbey. On average, cardholders will typically be switching £2,666 in the first three months of 2008. Although men and women are almost equally as likely to be planning to take advantage of a balance transfer credit card deal, (8% and 7%), men are planning to switch much larger balances than women (£3,395 vs. £1,820).