25 family days out for under £25

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on
April 25, 2021

Having the kids at home can be great fun, but it can also prove to be expensive.

Our latest survey with UK parents revealed that two-thirds (65%) worry about the cost of keeping their kids entertained during school breaks.

On average, parents told us that over the holidays, they typically spend around £15 more per day, per child, on extras such as food, treats and activities, versus a normal school day. We estimate that across an average year, the school holidays could cost parents £975 per child. This is based on the child having around 65 school holiday days a year (not including weekends). Households on lower incomes are typically more worried about this financial burden.

With this in mind, we’ve looked at some of the best value days out that all the family can enjoy, across the UK, along with tips to help you prepare your spending and budget around school holidays.

Take control of your school holiday budget

Here are our top five tips to help you make a plan to make the most of your money around school holidays:

1. Budget in advance

If you can afford to, set aside a little bit of extra money before school holidays come around, so the extra cost of lunches or little treats doesn’t come as a surprise. Our pots make it easier to set aside little bits of money regularly.

2. Know what you can spend

Be clear on your budget by reviewing incoming income and regular outgoings. You may find that you need to make compromises on things like takeaway meals and streaming service subscriptions to do other things with your kids on their days off.

3. Stick to your budget

Easier said than done but try your best to stick to your budget. With Monese, you get instant notifications whenever you spend making it easier to track how much money is going out. At the end of day, check the Spending Overview screen in your app to see exactly where your money went.

4. Search for free activities

Play dates, walks, trips to the park — they’re all free! You’ll be surprised just how much there is to do out there that doesn’t cost you a penny.

5. Watch out for special offers

Local magazines and newspapers, newsletters and social media are all good places to look out for on special offers on trips and activities with your family and can save you a lot of money.

Budget-friendly places to visit

At the time of research (April 2021), all of our suggestions came in at £25 or less for the admission of two adults and two children, although travel expenses and parking charges may be additional.

1. West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village, Suffolk

One of England's great archaeological sites, featuring extensive indoor galleries and a stunning recreation of an Anglo-Saxon village surrounded by 125 acres of unspoilt countryside.

Price: £16 for a family ticket (up to 5 family members, maximum 2 adults)

2. Beaumaris Castle, Beaumaris, Wales

Beaumaris on the island of Anglesey is famous as the greatest castle never built. It was the last of the royal strongholds created by Edward I in Wales and his architect James of St George — this was to be their crowning glory, the castle to end all castles.

Price: Free

3. Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park, Birmingham

From reptiles and birds to furry favourites like monkeys and red pandas, there are new friends to meet everywhere you turn at Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park. You can even catch up with the keepers at feeding times to find out more about some of their animals and see them have their lunch!

Price: £21.80 for two adults and two children

4. Cambridge Museum of Technology, Cambridge

Cambridge Museum of Technology is the home of our industrial heritage. Children are free to explore and take part in activities while learning about Cambridge’s former industrial landscape.

Price: Families of two adults and up to four children — £13.00

5. Cannon Hall Farm, Barnsley

One of the biggest farm attractions in the UK, it’s a world of animal magic where thousands of baby animals are born every year. Children can enjoy sheep and ferret racing or learn how milk is produced during cow and goat milking demonstrations.

Price: £23.70 for two adults and two children on a weekday

6. Canonteign Falls, Devon

Visit Canonteign Falls for peaceful walks among the waterfalls and lakes and family fun in the gardens and playgrounds. Experience the highest waterfall in Dartmoor National Park.

Price: £25 for a family of four

7. City of Caves, Nottingham

City of Caves is part of a hidden maze of over 500 original sandstone caves underneath the streets of Nottingham dating back to the dark ages.

Price: £24.50 for a family of four

8. Cotswold Sculpture Park, Gloucestershire

There are ten acres of lush, forested ground with dozens of sculptures from a variety of artists. The sculptures are also available to buy if you find one that you wish to have in your own garden.

Price: £20 for two adults and two children

9. Derby Ram Trail, Derby

Derby Museums in partnership with Wild in Art are bringing a flock of 30 colourful and unique 5ft rams on a trail around the city of Derby.

Price: Free

10. Free Harry Potter tour, Edinburgh, Scotland

Explore some of the real places in Edinburgh that inspired J K Rowling to create the Harry Potter series.

Price: Free

11. Imperial War Museum North, Manchester

Explore the timeline from the First World War to the present day, immerse yourself in the Big Picture Show, discover the forgotten histories of service personnel and civilians and see conflict through the eyes of artists.

Price: Free

12. Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, Yorkshire

This trail follows a well-defined footpath which runs as close to the edge of the two rivers as possible to provide spectacular views of the waterfalls. Walking boots or strong shoes are advised.

Price: £24 for two adults and two children

13. Kelburn Country Centre, Ayrshire, Scotland

The most popular attractions at Kelburn include the magical Secret Forest — a complex of woodland paths and raised walkways with fairy tale surprises at every turn, and the Waterfall Pool where the Kel burn drops 20ft into a spectacular grotto. There's also the Adventure Park, the Wild West Saloon, indoor soft play, gardens, surprising artwork throughout the glen and much more.

Price: Free

14. Macduff Marine Aquarium, Macduff, Scotland

Meet hundreds of local fishy characters at this fascinating aquarium. Enjoy daily feed shows, touch pool sessions and see divers feeding the fish!

Price: £22.40 for a family of four

15. Natural History Museum, London

Find answers to your big nature questions. Delve into stories about the Museum's collections, scientists and research. Uncover the history of life on Earth, from the smallest insects to the largest mammals.

Price: Free

16. Northern Ireland War Memorial, Belfast, Ireland

The Northern Ireland War Memorial tells the story of how Northern Ireland was affected by and contributed to the Second World War. The museum has an expanding collection and offers a range of family events and workshops for schools and community groups.

Price: Free

17. Northumberland College Zoo, Northumberland

Northumberland College Zoo is home to 150 species of animals. Children can watch animal feedings throughout the day and learn about conservation.

Price: £6.95 per adult, 4.95 per child

18. Puzzlewood Forest, Coleford

Experience twisted trees in an otherworldly woodland through a mile and a half of paths, bridges and lookout points.

Price: £25 for two adults and two children

19. Rabbit Farm, Gwynedd, Wales

Take a visit to this farm and interact with lots of animals. Children can handle different animals including rabbits, guinea pigs, even puppies. They can also hand feed many of the larger animals like pigs.

Price: £5 per adult, £4.50 per child (3–15yo)

20. Royal Victoria Country Park, Hampshire

The Royal Victoria Country Park is by the shores of Southampton Water. It comprises 200 acres of mature woodland and grassy parkland, as well as a small shingle beach. It has a fairy garden, playground and miniature railway.

Price: Free

21. Sandringham Garden, Norfolk

The 600-acre Royal Park has two waymarked trails winding through woodlands and parkland with further unmarked paths for you to explore.

Price: £12 per adult, free for under 17

22. Volcano Falls Adventure Golf, Yorkshire

Set on a mysterious island amid dense jungle, an exploding volcano, plunging waterfall and ferocious dinosaurs lay two challenging indoor 18-hole mini golf courses, waiting to be defeated. Enjoy some refreshments on your visit with a range of street food and two fully stocked Tiki Bars!

Price: £24 for a family of four

23. Wales Ape and Monkey Sanctuary, Swansea, Wales

The sanctuary rescues and provides a home for many types of animals, especially primates, such as chimpanzees, baboons, spider monkeys and marmosets.

Price: £25 for a family of four

24. WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre, Moray, Scotland

The WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre is based at the mouth of the River Spey where the world's largest bottlenose dolphins are regularly seen feeding, hunting and breaching, wild and free along with seals, ospreys, the occasional otter and a whole host of other wildlife.

Price: Free

25. Wood Mills Nature Reserve, Sussex

Visitors can walk past the old ponds and lake, through the ancient woodland, alongside the streams and waterways into the unimproved meadows with their wild hedgerows — habitats all contained within its 47 acres. This variety of habitat attracts an impressive number of species including mammals, insects, amphibians and birds.

Price: Free

How are you planning your budget around school holidays and family days? Let us know your spending and savings tips on FacebookTwitterInstagram or write to us at community@monese.com.

Methodology Survey of 2,000 UK parents completed in April 2021.

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Finding the right Monese plan for you
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Finding the right Monese plan for you

Some of our plans are getting a tune up - here’s all you need to know

If your plan is impacted by this change, you can find more information below. For a full rundown of our terms, please click here.

At Monese, we are committed to delivering the best possible banking alternative, so that anyone across the UK and Europe can better manage their money, digitally. 

So, we’re making improvements to our plans to better tailor them to our customers' everyday needs. These changes will include updates to transfer limits, adjustments to fees, and tweaks to our free plan. 

As a part of this, we are enhancing our Classic plan to include our new Cashback offering. We are also introducing a new plan called Everyday, designed for those on our free plan who are looking to start using their Monese card more often. All our plans have a bunch of great ways to spend, send, and save your money - with options tailored for every need.

With these updates, we are confident that everyone will be able to find a plan that is right for them, and help them build a brighter financial future.

Read more below for some of our most commonly asked questions, and a full schedule of changes at the bottom.

What are the main changes?

Monese plans now have four tiers: Pay As You Go, Everyday, Cashback, and Premium, so that you can find the right plan for your needs. 

For our current Simple users, the main update is just a simple name change, and slight updates to domestic transfer fees. We’re also making virtual cards free on all plans so that you can connect your account to your Apple or Google Wallet. 

For Classic users, you will start to see us refer to your plan as Cashback. We also have an exciting new way to help you save. You can read more below on changes to your particular plan.

We are also introducing a new tier, Everyday, designed for those using their Monese card regularly, rather than occasionally.

This means that there are more options for more people using Monese around the world.

Why are we making these changes?
We’re all about making sure we deliver the best tools for you to manage your money, and based on how people are using Monese currently, we noticed that we needed to create some new options for our customers. 

It’s especially important that we provide an Everyday plan for customers who feel that £7.95 per month is a bit of a stretch, but want to start using Monese more regularly. 

What is a Pay As You Go plan?

Pay As You Go does what it says on the tin. Previously known as the Simple plan, our Pay As You Go plan allows you to access Monese without a monthly fee. This allows customers starting out on Monese to get familiar with the app, and only pay for what they use. This plan is perfect for someone using their Monese card sporadically, or looking to explore their options in the app.

What is included in the Everyday plan?

Our new Everyday plan has everything you need to get you started on your journey to a brighter financial future with Monese. This plan is designed to be a low cost, low commitment option for those looking to save on transfer limits, deposit fees and virtual cards - perfect for those always on the go. Everyday will also include Partner Cashback.

What is the Cashback plan and why has my Classic plan changed?

For our Classic users, there won’t be a huge amount of change, aside from the inclusion of Cashback, a new way to earn as you spend every month, among other changes to:

  • FX and international transfer fees
  • Free transfer out limits
  • Cash top up limits

You can read more in our schedule of changes below.

Plus, with Enhanced Cashback, you can earn up to £2.50 per month on your everyday spend. This is on top of being able to access our regular partner Cashback.

Will my Premium plan be changing?

For our current Premium plan users, nothing is changing. This is still the best plan for those using Monese as their primary account.

See below for the full details of what is changing in every plan

Pay As You Go (previously Simple)

Monthly domestic transfers out (limit): Previously £1 per transfer, Now £1.29 per transfer

Debit Card Top Up Fee (%): Previously 1%, Now 2%

Card spend Abroad FX (%): Previously 2%, Now 3%

Virtual card order fee: Previously £0.30, Now Free

Physical card order fee: £4.95, now free with your first £100 deposit

No other changes

Cashback (previously Classic)

Free monthly domestic transfers out (limit): Previously 100, Now 10, £1 after

Debit card top up fee (%): Previously free, now 1%

Cash top up fee (%): Previously £400 free, now £100 free, 3% after

ATM out fee (%): Previously £500 free, now £300 free, 2% after

No other changes

Premium

No changes for existing customers

First physical card order fee: previously free, now £4.95

Cyber Monday: Things to remember
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Cyber Monday: Things to remember

Cyber Monday has arrived! And it is, as ever, a veritable behemoth of a worldwide sales event, bristling with bargains and a dizzying array of offers, all at low, low prices. It’s all too easy however to get a little disorientated by the mass-induced shopping frenzy, and perhaps a little careless in our singular pursuit of that must-have item we've seen online. This means we can often overlook, or ignore, the warning signs that what we're buying, and where we’re buying from, might not be all it seems.

With this in mind, we thought it would be helpful to list a few tips and tricks – as provided by our Fraud Team – that should help keep you stay safe during the Cyber Monday excess, and help keep your money protected from any dodgy deals. One smart way to stay protected while shopping online is to keep your device optimized and free from security vulnerabilities. Using a tool like CleanMyMac can help by removing junk files, clearing malicious threats, and ensuring your system runs smoothly while you browse. A cluttered or sluggish computer can slow you down and even make you more susceptible to scams, so giving your Mac a quick cleanup before diving into Cyber Monday deals is a simple but effective safety measure.

Lock down the URL

When inputting sensitive information, especially financial information on a purchasing page, make sure the URL starts with ‘https’. The ‘S’ means it’s secure.

Avoid bank transfer buying

Try to use trusted payment sources only. Professional merchants usually will have websites that support a variety of payment options. Fraudsters tend to prefer bank transfers.

Watch out for those ‘hidden’ subscription traps

Have you ever looked at your account to see a recurring charge that you didn't expect and didn't order? A subscription trap occurs when you're purchasing online and you're tricked into buying additional products or services that you don’t need. Many have been stung by these types of subscription traps. Over the coming days, check your balance very closely!

Protect your most valuable asset, your data

When making purchases online, think twice if you’re asked for additional personal and sensitive data. Are you being asked for ID, passport or driving licence numbers? Or even National Insurance numbers? These details are irrelevant to your purchase. Your identity could end up getting ‘stolen’ and used to commit unscrupulous things.

Beware fake “IT Support”

Some scammers can give the impression that the website you’re visiting has ‘frozen’ and urge you to call a support team to fix it. During the phone call, these scammers can masquerade as major computer companies and persuade you into believing that your computer is riddled with viruses. In reality it is not, and you’ve passed over sensitive information unnecessarily.

Buy from trusted sites only

Buying from third-party sellers, including some social media stores, offers no refund policies and are a haven for fraudsters looking to steal your money.

By keeping sight of these basic rules of engagement, there’s no reason why your Cyber Monday shopping bonanza – even if you’re just hunting for a great deal on a new phone – shouldn’t be an easy, secure and rewarding pre-Christmas indulgence.

Introducing the new unlimited Monese Premium plan
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Introducing the new unlimited Monese Premium plan

We’re dedicated to providing next-generation financial services to everyone, which is why we offer a range of account options - to suit the various needs of our customers.

First and foremost, we cater to those who simply need a free, fully operational Monese account - one that offers all the essential features you’d expect of a standard bank account. Some of our customers, however, are more active than others, which is why our fixed-fee Plus plan is often a better choice - offering lower rates on currency conversions and cash top-ups.

Unmetered money management is cleared for launch

Now we’re introducing the unlimited Premium plan! Designed with the most heavy-duty Monesers in mind, we’re offering them this fantastic opportunity to enjoy the removal of all transactional fees of all kinds, providing a truly exceptional and frictionless mobile money management experience. For a fixed transparent monthly fee, we’re proud to offer Monese Premium - capping the cost of a completely unmetered financial service. Money management simply doesn’t get any better than this!

A fixed fee that’s simple and fair

The flat fee of £/€ 14.95 a month will allow for genuinely unlimited money management, offering you as many free ATM cash withdrawals as you like. You’ll also enjoy free foreign currency exchange at the wholesale rate, free cash top-ups and free instant card top-ups. You’ll also get a second account (either UK account or Euro IBAN, depending on your first account) and card at zero extra cost.

Make savings with every transaction

We can confidently recommend Monese Premium as the best personal finance solution for those who travel frequently - whether it’s for business or pleasure. If you’re travelling for 3 months around the globe, or spending two weeks on holiday with the family, there’s no reason to worry about restrictions on withdrawals or charges on exchange rates. Everything is included in the cost - making for a money management experience that is completely unlimited.

Compared to our own Starter plan you can expect to make considerable savings on cash top-ups (£10 on a £500 Post Office top-up). You can also expect to rack up significant savings if you’re making regular international money transfers on a frequent basis - these could be potentially huge savings when compared to many high street banks.

No strings, no hidden fees

Monese Premium comes with no strings attached - if you don’t use it for an entire month (and don’t have any money in it), you won’t even be charged the monthly fee and there are no penalties. And you can always downgrade your plan whenever you like, without having to commit for a minimum term.

In the Monese Premium plan, we believe we’re offering something truly unparalleled, that champions our core ideals and our dedication to providing the very best service at the lowest possible prices. Whatever pricing plan you’re on, we’ll always present our costs of service in way that is completely transparent and ethical - and this latest addition is no exception.

To compare our all of our plans, you can have a look at our pricing page here.