Fuel Prices, Loyalty Cards, Leaseholders

Available for over a year

Fuel prices are roughly 40% higher than they were before the war with Iran began. It is having an impact on the services that businesses provide, making things like school buses, food delivery and farming a lot more expensive. We’ll hear how the costs and cutbacks are starting to impact consumers. From supermarkets to chemists to outdoor retailers, millions of us are now signed up to schemes that promise discounts, personalised offers and exclusive deals. Loyalty cards used to be about collecting points and earning rewards, but today, they're increasingly about getting a lower price in the first place. New research suggests nine in ten Britons now belong to at least one loyalty scheme, with the average person holding around 12 shop loyalty cards. So, are they really about loyalty? According to Hamptons, annual service charges on flats have increased by more than 55% in the last decade. In 2025, it reached an average of £200 per month. It has become such a problem that 93% of people in leasehold properties say they wouldn't buy one again, according to estate agents body Property Mark. More small businesses than ever rely on online sales, but some retailers say they're dealing with a rise in suspicious traffic, fake orders and fraudulent transactions. Government figures suggest around 612,000 UK businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack last year, while online card fraud remains one of the biggest forms of payment fraud. Presenter: Winifred Robinson Producer: Charlie Filmer-Court