The month of April will be a bumper-booking period for holidays and short breaks as late-booking Brits scramble to make the most of the forthcoming Royal Bank Holiday bonanza, according to Escape Travel Money.

The company, which offers travellers the opportunity to save £££ through using a pre-paid MasterCard when abroad (thereby avoiding hidden charges and fees), has noticed a 60% week-on-week increase in sales as the bank holiday bumper-period comes closer.

Escape Travel Money believes the increase will continue to rise as more and more people scramble to grab a late deal and make the most of the forthcoming holiday period.

As anyone who likes to keep a watchful eye on their finances will already know, the Escape Money Travel MasterCard saves British travellers’ hard earned cash from being eaten up by hidden fees, expensive exchange rates or charges for cash withdrawal when abroad.

Customers with an Escape Travel Money card can upload cash onto their card before departure using the company’s better-than-high-street rate. Whilst abroad there are no fees for shopping with the card at any of the 30million MasterCard locations around the world, or for withdrawing money from ATMs.

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Press information and images:          Katie Wright, Emily Cuthbert or Sarah Rathbone at Siren

katie.wright@sirenpr.co.uk; emily.cuthbert@sirenpr.co.uk or sarah.rathbone@sirenpr.co.uk

020 8237 1210 or 07595 055 882

Notes to editors: Brits paid back £12bn in personal debt in 2010, according to Savings Brake research by independent financial advice website unbiased.co.uk

About EZPay

EZPay Ltd (www.ezpayltd.co.uk) is the prepaid card provider from the Phones 4U Group. The company specialises in prepaid MasterCards and currently offers three products: The Escape Prepaid MasterCard; The Escape Travel Money Prepaid MasterCard and the Neon Prepaid MasterCard for under 17s.

Escape Prepaid MasterCard

The perfect card for people who want to take control of their general spending and those who regularly transfer money abroad. It’s free to load with cash at Phones4U stores and can then be used fee-free online or in-store like any other debit or credit card. Alternatively, the Escape card can be used to send cash to friends and family overseas without charge – and users benefit from some of the best exchange rates available today – making it far better value than traditional money transfer services. As an additional benefit users can earn up to 20% cashback on online purchases from great brands such as Apple, BHS and Top Man.

Escape Travel Money Prepaid MasterCard

The Escape Travel Money card is the ideal travelling companion. The card can be used in over 30 million locations worldwide – anywhere you see the MasterCard acceptance mark. There are no fees for using the card abroad and there are no fees for withdrawing money from ATMs while you’re abroad. You can also earn up to 20% cashback on your online purchases, excellent for when you’re booking airport parking and other travel essentials.