Morals mixed up in finances

Almost nine people in ten take their morals into account when changing financial providers or utility suppliers, new figures show.

Research from the British Heart Foundation shows that 87 per cent of Britons take ethical and charitable considerations into account when choosing products and services.

But at some point their intentions are diluted - with just one person in five actually changing to products which support charities.

The British Heart Foundation puts this discrepancy down to either a lack of awareness or choice in the marketplace.

"The results of this survey suggest that many consumers do consider supporting charities through their consumer choices which is great news," said Aneesha Moreira, director of fundraising at the British Heart Foundation.

The foundation's data shows that more than 50 per cent of the people surveyed have switched a household or personal finance product in the last year.

A cost-conscious ten per cent had switched between three and five services while another 30 per cent review their decisions at least twice a year.

And for those wanting an easy option to support a charity, there are a number of charity credit cards available in the UK that give a percentage of everything spent on the card to a nominated charity.

Additionally, a new energy offer from Scottish and Southern Energy - energyplus Pulse - means for every household that switches to energyplus Pulse, £10 will be donated to the British Heart Foundation every year they are a customer.

Click here to see if you can save money by switching energy provider

Click here to change to a top-rates UK credit card XXX