Smile, part of the Co-operative Bank, says that the charge was correctly applied, pointing out that you had exceeded your free overdraft limit of £500. As a goodwill gesture, it is writing off the charge on this occasion. But it suggests that, as it has previously refunded correctly applied charges, you should try harder to avoid exceeding your authorised overdraft.Q. In June, I received a renewal letter for my O2 annual mobile phone contract, which was due to expire in August Instead, in July I cancelled my contract. But I have since received monthly bills in both August and September. O2’s billing section tells me that it has no record of my contract cancellation, yet O2’s enquiry line confirms that my contract has been cancelled PK, by e-mail.A.

O2 apologises for your problems, which it says were caused by you being given the wrong address for your contract cancellation It has cleared your account.Q I bought a £20 Vodafone top-up at St Pancras rail station. But when I was on my train, I found the £20 had not been added to the credit on my mobile, nor has it been since Vodafone has promised me only £10 credit NB, by e-mail.A. Vodafone has now credited your phone with an additional £20 as a goodwill gesture.Questions of Cash cannot give individual advice Please do not send original documents. Write to: Questions of Cash, The Independent, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS; cash independent.co.uk. re you feeling stuck in a rut? Is work getting you down? Well, why not swap the boring nine to five for trekking through the Himalayas or working on an environmental project in Mongolia?

Taking a career break has become an increasingly popular trend. An estimated six million people have quit their jobs to travel around the world in recent years, according to a new survey from Direct Line Travel Insurance.Those working in media, advertising, tourism and aerospace engineering were the most likely to get itchy feet, according to the study, with Australia and New Zealand high on the list of destinations.
The findings don’t come as a surprise to Charlotte Hindle, coordinating author of The Career Break Book.

Taking a sabbatical is no longer a luxury reserved only for gap year students, she says. Professionals in their 30s and 40s are just as keen to recharge their batteries.”People take breaks for a variety of reasons and it’s a very good way of reprioritising their lives,” she says. “Some are dissatisfied with the career path they are following, while others are just unhappy with the organisation they’re working for.”The most common way of spending this free time, adds Hindle, is through a combination of voluntary work, learning a new skill – such as a language – and some independent travel.However, the secret to a successful career break is in the planning. We have consulted leading experts in personal finance, taxation, property and employment to compile a list of key areas you need to consider.CONSIDER YOUR OPTIONSA career break is a period of unpaid leave from work – usually up to five years – which has been agreed with your employer who will guarantee you a similar role on your return. Pay and benefits will normally stop during this period.Sabbaticals, on the other hand, are periods of time off in addition to your annual holiday entitlement, and usually awarded on the basis of length of service.

They can be paid, unpaid or partly paid.The third option is just to give up altogether and hope you can find a new job when you return to the world of work.Consider your personal circumstances. Are you looking for a career change or do you just want time away? How long do you want off and how will you fill your time? Do you want to learn new skills or work as a volunteer on an overseas charity project? If you’re stuck for inspiration, have a look at career break websites. Once you have an idea what to do, you can start pursuing the dream.TALK TO YOUR EMPLOYERApart from the new parental leave regulations – where you can take off up to 13 weeks for each child – you don’t have any legal entitlement to a break from work, says Jonathan Swan, information and policy officer at Working Families. It comes down to negotiating with your boss.”The problem is there are no hard and fast rules so you’ve got to be sure of your worth to the company,” he says. “You’ll need to sell the idea to your employer that time away will enhance your skills and benefit their business.”Although a survey by the Confederation of British Industry found one in four companies offered breaks, the terms of these packages vary enormously.CHECK YOUR BANK BALANCECarefully planning your finances is essential before you pack in work, insists Anna Bowes of independent financial adviser Chase de Vere, regardless of whether or not your time off is being paid for by the boss.”It won’t be any fun taking a break from work if you go into debt,” she says.

“You’ll need to make sure your mortgage payments are covered and that you have enough savings to pay the bills. It could be worth setting up a number of direct debits to ensure you don’t fall behind.”Another important consideration is whether taking a sabbatical will impact upon any income protection policies you have taken out. Check the small print and, if in any doubt, give your insurance company a ring to clarify the position.It’s also worth sparing a thought for your pension planning, says Mark Dampier at independent financial adviser Hargreaves Lansdown. “If it’s a company policy you should see if it is affected in any way and whether you can make up any shortfalls,” he says. “You should also see if your life insurance will be affected.”The good news is that going away doesn’t always mean missing out financially – even if your company stops your wages – as you might qualify for an income tax rebate.”If you took a few months off at the end of the tax year then you might not have received the full benefit entitlement which means the Inland Revenue could owe you money,” explains John Whiting, tax partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers.