05/07/2014 Your Money

Wiggins, the Giro d'Italia, and the Tour De France today. On Your Money

we are looking at whether cycling to work could make you healthier,

wealthier and, if you are wise, you could get your boss to pay for it.

Hello and welcome to Your Money, your weekly guide to making the most

of our cash. Tour De France, this isn't it, but if it has inspired you

to get on your bike, we'll tell you how to get help with the costs.

The cost of hay to get on your bike, we'll tell you how to get help with

the costs. The cost of hay fever medicine ` do

the cheaper drugs work as well as the ones with the fancy packaging?

Our reporter sticks her nose into it.

And the Norwegians launch low`cost flights from Britain to America. You

could say they are taking a leif out of Ryanair's book.

So the Tour De France starts in... This weekend. It is working its way

through Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and then London. If it is enough to

make you dust down your saddle bag, ring your bell and cycle to work,

you could get help with the cost, especially if you have to buy new

kit. David is from Sustrans, he's the specially if you have to buy new

kit. David is from Sustrans, he's the national `` give us an overview

of what the cycle to work scheme is. It is an easy way for the employer

and employee to save money. At salary sacrifice scheme. The

employer buys the bike, the employee pages the employer back over a

period of, say, 12 months. They pay it back before tax is deducted from

the salary, so they are saving on that tax essentially. So it is not

exactly cost free but it does save you a lot of money. And your boss

has to register first, is that right? That's right. Your employer

should register for the scheme. It is easy to do. Once they are

registered they can, you can select the bike through the cycle to work

providers. Do you get to pick the bike or do you have to take whatever

jalopy they give you? You get to pick the bike. Which ones are

available depends on which provider your employer is signed up with. Do

you have to prove that you are going to cycle to work? Do you have to

turn up in the office fully clad in revolting lycra or something? The

guide lines say you should use the bike for 50%, in terms of commuting,

but the employer doesn't have any sort of mandate to go and check what

you're doing with that bike. You shouldise for commuting really, at

least 50% of the time, but no`one's checking. There are some

practicalities aside from the money. If you cycle to work, you've got to

have somewhere to lock it up. You will probably want a little bit of a

wash before you sit down beside your colleagues, or your colleagues would

wish you did. If your employer doesn't provide that, you are stuck

aren't you? Not necessarily. In terms of the washing thing, if you

are going to cycle seeds, you are going to need a

shower before anyone wants to sit beside but. If you cycle at a

leisurely speed, and most people's commutes aren't that far, you can go

in without getting a good sweat on and sit down just fine. In terms of

the lock`in, there's usual lip plenty of places to lock a bike up.

Ideally we would want employers to provide those for their employees.

Insurance. Do you need it? Is it worth it? Is it good value? It is

personal choice. In security terms, it is helpful if you are in an area

where there's high bike theft, but ideally the first choice is really a

good lock. Buy a good lock, get your bike registered with the police and

insurance is a personal choice after that. Scott Davidson

thank you. More rights for more people who need

a bit of flexitime. Until now, only parents of children under 16 and

registered careers had if legal right to ask for flexible working.

Now any worker can ask for flexible working and the boss has to reply.

As long as they've worked for their employer for at least 26 weeks.

Bosses have to look at the request in a considered way. If they say no,

they have to tell you why. Workers can make bun flexibility, they have

to tell you why. Workers can make bun flexibility request `` one

flexibility request each year. Sorry the numbers were out there,

but you followed the gist of it. More than 20 million of us have hay

fever, so we spend millions a year to control it. Could we do it for

less? Chloe Hayward... Bless you! This year it's been particularly

bad. For Jamie, summertime means one thing: Hay fever season. He controls

his symptoms but taking over the counter antihistamines. I take one a

day and again in the evening. But taking such regular medication is

expense sieve. Including tablets and eye drops I spend about ?4 a week. I

probably go for a branded product, mainly because of the marketing. You

probably think they are better than the value pack that's you can pick

up. But are the branded products really better than their unbranded

generic alternative's. In the UK most hay favour medicines contain

one of two ingredients. If the patient has the same active

ingredient at the same dose at the same formulation it is very unlikely

the patient will experience a difference between the branded and

unbranded formulations. I have several different packs of hay fever

med sent. These both have the active ingredient of Cetirizine. The

unbranded is just 99p. Other here another three weeks with the same

active ingredient. The branded one will take you ?3.49 at Boots. Their

own brand, ?2.99 and the value unbranded one, 99p. The final two,

not only do they have the same active ingredient but the some

formulation. Two pills are totally identical but the price difference

is ?2. The wonderful thing in the UK is because our medicines are closely

regulated, we can be confident that if it says it has extra ingredient,

it will. Most of the treatments are readily available over the counter.

You don't have to have a prescription. If you are entitled to

a free prescription, you may want one, but for those paying a fee, it

is cheaper to buy the med situation. With hay fever season in full swing,

could this change the way Jamie controls his symptoms? I will

definitely definitely consider these in the future.

A little birdie at Boots tellses me it has stopped making the cheaper

99p tablets but they will remain on the shelves until they run out.

If you have just moved home, have you told your bank or credit card

company your new address? If not, you could be at risk of someone

stealing your details. Another 10,000700 companies are

under orders to sign up some of their workers for the automatic

state pension from this week. That's where some money is taken from our

pay packets and put into a personal pension account. Bosses chip in as

well. Workers should have had a letter about it. If you haven't, you

need to talk to the payroll department.

Here's a quick way to lose pounds at the gym. Sign up, pay up and don't

go. The website money supermarket says we waste ?13.7 billion a year

on direct debits we forget about. That's ?7 a month. It says we should

spend five minute each month checking our bank statements and

identifying any mysterious payments. Just in time for summer. Low`cost

flights are back between Britain and the United States. This time they

are being done by the budget airline Norwegian. Our low`coast flights

really that cheap once you have added in the extras? Wegian. Our

low`coast flights really that cheap once you have added in the extras?

`` low`cost flights. Flights. 30 years ago Britain's Sir Freddie

Laker's no`frilled Sky Train was branded by sky`high oil prices.

These are the first flights across the Atlantic by a budget airline for

more than 30 years. You can see why people are excited here at Gatwick

Airport. But the reality is that those cheapest fares have long gone

for this summer, so if you want to fly across the Atlantic cheaply you

have to wait this will the dark days next February. The its chief says

the new generation of jets like the 787 Dreamliner changed the

economics. Norwegian's new Dreamliner will serve three US

destinations and, if it is profitable, more low cost airlines

may enter the fray, if they can get hold of the right planes.

Let's hear from Bob Atkinson. Some of the best fares on that airline

have gone already. You've got be really quick to snap up those

bargains. You needed to with Norwegian. They are advertising

their leading fares from ?179 one way. When I trawled their website

this weeks I couldn't find any fares available at their lead`in prices.

When you do price searchs you are finding out that for July, August,

September, there may be only ?75 cheaper than other non`stop direct

airlines from London Heathrow, where you've got lots more choice. Choice.

And their prices do not include a bag, on board food or a seat res

vision. You have to pay extra. So is low cost really low cost? By the

time you add in the extra charges it looks more expensive than it first

did. Definitely. Norwegian, to be fair to them, they do give you WiFi

free on board. That's a nifty thing. The I think Norwegian are a great

airline. I've flown with them a few times. However, getting your meal

and a seat reservation, they are doing a package at ?70 return. But

add that on and they are not that much cheaper than the lights of

British Airways, united, Virgin, American et cetera. It is important

that you compare not just the airlines and availability from

Gatwick Airport and Heathrow Airport but make sure you are comparing

like`for`like. I was wondering, does that apply to every low cost airline

when you look at their extra charges? Are they as cheap as they

we they are? We think back to the days when we could get a flight for

99p each way. Ryanair were doing that only five, I six or sitting

years ago. But after the crash in 200 ght for 99p each way. Ryanair

were doing that only five, I six or sitting years ago. But after the

crash in 200 a 8 `` 2008 and the cost of oil, the low cost carriers,

wool they do have attractive low fares, you generally have to travel

midweek. And you need to travel hand luggage only and not bother with

on`board food to get the low prices. Travel at peak times such as the

school holidays and low`cost carriers will often be more

expensive than the scheduled carriers like BA British Airways

have fought back in this market. They have hand`luggage only fares

for Europe. You still get their on`board food and drink but with a

handy and generous hand luggage allowance you can often get a BA

flight out of Heathrow for less than you would with Ryan jet and Ryanair.

What's cheap? If you can travel in the next three to four weeks, there

are dust counts galore on traditional package holidays. The

big travel companies like Thomson and Thomas Cook they've got

discounts of up to 75% off brochure price. These are to places like

Greece on a self catering basis. You can get a week in Greece in the next

week from ?140 room only. A bargain. If you want all inclusive, you can

get deals from ?50 to ?400 to Morocco, the Canaries. Packages at

the moment are fantastic value for last minute peer. If it is the

destinations that you are looking to, the cheapest when you are there,

the Bulgaria, the Black Sea resorts. Places like Spain and Portugal,

which are fantastically cheap at the moment. Restaurateurs over there are

fighting to win back their lost domestic market by attracting fewer

than tourists with cheap deals and bars. Cyprus, and Florida. The US in

general. The dollar, your pound goes a long way there. I'm happy for you

to keep talking while I book a holiday but we need to bring it to

an end. Thank you. You with keep up to date with the

money pages on the BBC News website. This is BBC News. The headlines:

Yorkshire plays host to the world's greatest cycle race, the Tour de

France.