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Credit Card help

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Okay so im going away for the summer to america, basically the company recommends you get a credit card for emergencys, so ive been having a look around and tbh i dont know wtf most of it means. So can anyone recommend me a good one? :confused: Thank youuu

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    VISA, Mastercard or American Express are all good options. If you're planning to pay off the amount you spend each month (recommended), it doesn't matter what interest rate you get. If you want to max up the card and pay it back over time, shop around all the banks and credit card providers for the lowest APR.

    The best place to start is your own bank.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Im with HSBC and dont think that thier too good. Im not really plannin on using it unless i totally have too, its just back up really. I'm thinking about Virgin though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Im with HSBC and dont think that thier too good. Im not really plannin on using it unless i totally have too, its just back up really. I'm thinking about Virgin though.

    one of my friends is with HSBC, and she just got a deal on a credit car with 0% interest on balance transfers AND new purchases for something like 9 months, i think, which is an awesome deal.

    in your situation, if you could find any card with 0% on new purchases, it would be ideal.

    if you're away from home i'd also recommend setting up a direct debit for the minimum payment every month. that way you don't have to worry about paying the full whack off if you need to use it, and you won't have to worry about forgetting a payment.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Cheers thats really helpful, im gonna go to hscb tuesday after my mornin lecture an see what they offer. Ill definately set up the direct debit though. Thanks again.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kaffrin wrote:
    if you're away from home i'd also recommend setting up a direct debit for the minimum payment every month. that way you don't have to worry about paying the full whack off if you need to use it, and you won't have to worry about forgetting a payment.
    Yep, and if you do that the interest rate is irrelevant. The other advantage of getting an HSBC one is that you can check your current account and credit card online at the same time and change the direct debit instruction too.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The nationwide is a good card for using abroad
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Let's not forget APR doesn't automatically mean you pay less interest, it depends on a number of things including how many days you get before the interest is applied and whether or not it is before/after your payment date.

    Second to this, I don't agree that if you are paying the balance it doesn't matter what card you get. You might not be able to pay the balance one month, and there are a lot of good cashback paying cards out there so you make money for spending on them.

    I would take a read of this article -

    Newbie Credit Card Guide

    And take it from there :)
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