Not so long ago, only banks and traditional insurance companies offered financial or insurance products, yet today it may often seem as if even the local corner shop is offering financial products. That's not quite true, of course, but many more companies do offer financial products than used to be the case, and it can sometimes be difficult to decide who is offering the best deal.

And, while Marks and Spencer once offered mostly fashion products, with the only hint of a credit card being when you paid for your shopping at the checkout, today you'll find as good a deal on M&S credit cards as you will with the latest range of M&S fashion.

In fact, these days Marks and Spenser, through its Marks & Spencers Money website, offer a range of financial products which would not look out of place in many banks, including M&S Car Insurance, M&S Buildings Insurance, M&S Travel Insurance, M&S Pet Insurance, savings products, M&S Credit Cards, M&S Loans, and much more besides.

Marks & Spencers Money Insurance: There are, quite literally, hundreds of companies in the UK from whom you can purchase insurance. Whether you're looking for the best deal on Car Insurance, buildings and contents insurance, or even wedding insurance, it doesn't take long to find a company that will sell you a policy.

However, not all insurance companies, and certainly not all insurance policies, are the same. What may be standard on one insurance policy may be an optional extra on another, for instance; Car Insurance and Buildings Insurance are especially like this.

For example, most home and contents insurance policies either ask you to provide the total cost of rebuilding your home plus the total value of your home contents, or they will set an upper limit. This may seem fine at the time, but, in the event of a claim on your Buildings Insurance policy, the values act as maximum limits, and so you may, in effect, be under-insured and not receive the full value of your insurance claim.

Fortunately, Marks & Spencers Money Insurance does not have these insurance limits, excepting liability and cash cover, and therefore you can not be under-insured.

Contrary to popular opinion, not every insurance company is out to get you, and it's not every insurance company that will disect the fine-print until they find some way of denying your insurance claim. However, you do need to shop around for the financial products and insurance policies that are the best suited for your individual needs.

That's why insurance policies, and other financial products, from Marks and Spencer are so useful. Marks & Spencers Money financial products are, of course, designed to make Mark's & Spencer a profit, but there is no denying that they are also very good value for money, offering many features as standard which you'd often need to pay extra for at other insurance companies.

Take, for example, Buildings Insurance policies. Usually, UK Buildings Insurance policies have limits on particular types of items such as freezer contents, garden furniture and outdoor toys, outbuildings or cars, etc. These restrictions are called inner limits. However, the only inner limits on the Marks & Spencers Money Buildings Insurance policy are £500 for cash; £2m for property-owners and personal liability; £10m for domestic employees liability and £40,000 for tenants liability. Even better is the fact that you're likely to pay no more for Marks & Spencers Money Buildings Insurance than you will anywhere else, and you may even pay less with M&S.

Flat Front Eveningwear Trousers, at Marks and Spencers
With a modern, flat front silhouette combining comfort and style, these dapper trousers add versatile appeal to your formal wardrobe, maintaining your smart look throughout the day

Autograph Pure Cotton Knitted Bow Cardigan, at Marks & Spenser
Part of Kids' Autograph, a luxurious collection of beautifully designed clothing in smart styles and high quality fabrics with superior finishing details. Kids' Autograph gives a stylish well-dressed look.

Magnum in Presentation Box, at Marks & Spencer
Chteau D'Argadans Bordeaux Superieur 2005 Magnum (13% vol.) Wine accessories Box dimensions: W138 x L425 x H138mm All prices include delivery Available for delivery from 1st December to 23rd December 2008 You must be 18 or over to purchase this product Glasses and serving dishes not included unless otherwise stated Looking to place a corporate bulk order?. Click here This product is not available for international delivery. Find out more

Portfolio Petite Ruffle Front Blouse, at Marks & Spensers
Part of Portfolio's Parisienne trend. Feel bold and chic in this feminine look inspired by Parisian style. With a striking colour palette of cream, ruby, black and dove grey, this is a style-conscious trend for the new season.

Older Boys' Square Buckle Belt, at Marks and Spencer
Fashionable and practical, this square buckle belt adds a stylish finishing touch

Blue Harbour Pure Cotton Stripe T-Shirt, at Marks & Spencer
Fashionable and relaxed, this crew neck t-shirt is made from pure cotton it's soft, breathable and comfortable to wear

Classic Collection Wool Rich Lined Mouflon Coat, at Marks and Spencers
Wrap up in style! This warm, soft coat in wool-rich mouflon will keep you feeling cosy and looking chic. Lined and smartly finished with a stitch detail, it's the perfect blend of fashion and comfort

Per Una Pure Cotton Cropped Pyjamas, at Mark & Spencers
Modern and feminine, these pretty cropped pyjamas are made from pure cotton, so you can relax in comfort and style. Part of Per Una's sleepwear collection

Newborn Pure Cotton Embroidered Jeans, at Marks and Spencers
Fashionable and practical, these cotton jeans are hardwearing and comfy. The embroidered design gives a cute look

Leaf Damask Duvet Cover, at Marks and Spencer
Leaf jacquard design Comes in single (3ft), double (4ft 6in), king size (5ft) and super king size (6ft) Co-ordinate with supima natural plain dye sheets and pillowcases strokes T351720F,T351720S,T351720P,T351720V, Manufacturer: Marks & Spencer

Girls' Limited Hello Kitty Hat & Scarf Set, at Marks & Spensers
Snug and cosy, this cute hat and scarf set is a fashionable choice for chilly weather.

Machine Washable Fine Stripe Tie, at Marks n Spencer
No more trips to the drycleaners! This striped tie is machine washable

3 Cotton Rich Plain Sports T-Shirts, at Marks and Spencer
Ideal for PE, this great value 3-pack of t-shirts is made from pure natural cotton trimmed with stretch ribbing

Fuji FinePix J250 Digital Camera, at Marks and Spencers
Pixels: 10.0 megapixels Zoom: 5x optical zoom, 5.7x digital zoom Screen: 3.0" TFT LCD Display ISO: Auto / Equivalent to ISO 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 (Standard Output Sensitivity) Dimensions: W9.2 x H5.79 x D2.26cm (excluding accessories and attachments) Weight: Approx. 151g (excluding accessories, battery and memory card) Face Detection: Face Detection technology with automatic red-eye removal Movie recording: 640 x 480 pixels, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames/sec. With monaural sound Power source: Rechargeable NP-45 Li-ion battery (included) Self-timer: Approx. 10sec. / 2sec. delay

Perfect Autograph Weekend Satin Honeycomb Print Chemise, at Marks and Spencer
Luxurious and sophisticated, this modern chemise is part of our exclusive Autograph Weekend collection. It's beautifully designed and detailed with honeycomb print and made from the softest fabrics for the ultimate in comfort

2 Pure Cotton Assorted Design Pyjamas, at Marks & Spensers
Cute and comfy, this 4 part set of pure cotton pyjamas featuring 2 tops, full length bottoms and a pair of shorts is an outstanding value

His & Hers Pants - On Our Anniversary Card, at Marks and Spencer
Cover text: On our anniversary Inside message: With love Approx size: 176 x 126mm

Belt Stitched Tote Bag, at M+S
Stylish and useful, this tote bag features buckled loop strap detail and a stitch belt design. A practical and fashionable accessory

Schoolwear Plus Fit Senior Stormwear™ Recycled Girls' Blazer, at Marks and Spencers
This larger sized blazer is treated with our unique Stormwear™ finish which repels water and Stain Defence™ to repel stains. It's made from polyester from recycled plastic waste instead of oil. Using recycled materials helps to conserve the earth's natural resources and protect the environment for future generations View Plus Schoolwear Size Guide. Find out more

Performance Stormwear™ Wool with Lycra® Single Breasted 3 Button Black Jacket, at Marks and Spencer
This stylish single vent jacket is equipped to deal with your hectic travel schedule. This jacket is treated with Stormwear™ technology, a breathable water and stain repellent finish

Pure Wool Etched Leaf Rug, at M&S
Pure wool Floral design, Manufacturer: Marks & Spencer

Blue Harbour Cotton Blend Lightweight Check Chino Shorts, at Marks&Spencer
Think smart on those warmer days and nights with the design of these check print shorts. Pair with sandals and a T-shirt or team with a short sleeve shirt and boat shoes for a dressier casual look

Barrel Large High Ball Glass Tumbler, at Marks and Spenser
Barrel shape High ball Dishwasher safe, Manufacturer: Marks & Spencer

Girlie Dress Up Drawstring Bag, at Marks and Spencer
This folding drawstring bag is a brilliant addition to any school kit. Keep it folded up in its pouch inside a school bag and unfold when you need to carry extra kit such as homework, library book or games kit. The drawstrings feature special safety catches which snap apart under pressure

Autograph Pure Silk Multi Check Tie, at M&S
Fashionable and contemporary, this pure silk tie is part of our exclusive Autograph collection. Designer style and luxury at high street prices

Floral Embroidered Hat & Mitts, at Marks and Spencer
Keep little heads and hands warm with this embroidered hat and mittens set in soft comfy fabric

5 Older Girls' Pure Cotton Contrast Trim Shorts, at Marks&Spencer
Stock up on stylish essentials with this 5 pack of contrast trim cotton shorts

Sing Along Spider Sound Book, at Marks & Spencers
Children will love pressing the button and singing along to 'Incy Wincy Spider with this illustrated sound book

125 Years Pure Cotton Long Sleeve Check Shirt, at Marks & Spencers
Part of the Commemorative Collection, celebrating 125 years of M&S. Featuring smart styles inspired by our archives

Yellow Flower Seed Birthday Card, at Mark's & Spencer
Cover Text: If friends were flowers... then I'd pick you Inside message: Blank for your own message Approx size: 174 x 126mm

There are lots of ways to save money using Marks & Spencers Money. Not least of these is Mark's & Spencer Standard Car Insurance. With Marks & Spencers Money you can keep the cost of your Car Insurance down by choosing Standard cover, over Premier Cover. UK Vehicle can then be added to your policy as optional extras, if you wanted to.

If you're thinking of adding both Breakdown Cover and Motor Legal Protection, then it would cost less to upgrade to Premier Car Insurance cover from Marks & Spencers Money, which also has other features.

Nonetheless, many features are standard to both the Premier and the Standard Car Insurance policies on offer from Marks and Spencer, and these include: Courtesy car (subject to availability); Loss, theft, damage and destruction of vehicle; Loss or damage to personal property in vehicle; Personal accident cover up to £10,000; Windscreen cover (£75 excess); a 24 hour claims service, and many other options as standard on each policy. In short, with Car Insurance from Marks & Spencer Money, you get more, and you pay less.