no credit history?

Re: no credit history

I moved to London in June of last year and was able to get a 0% credit card from Sainsbury's (12 months on transfers & purchases!) after about a month of looking around. As long as you are employed and do not have any *negative* credit history, you should be able to get a credit card - just don't expect a huge credit limit.

I don't know if this mattered, but I had lived in the UK in 2000 for 6 months, and managed to open a bank account then which I had left open all this time. I never had a credit card or my name on any bills.

ps - Sainsbury's is a supermarket over here.

state borders

Wasn't that how the USA was until recently? People could move across state lines but banks couldn't?

Waw, what an EU!

So that's how the EU works! people can move freely, goods can move freely..but your credit history get left at the border. And this is Europe's answer to the USA?:rollin

Sal.

Re: no credit history

Hi,

As you might have read in my other posts on this board, I'm planning to leave my home country the Netherlands and move to the UK and setup a Limited.

Now I don't have a credit history in the UK. I obviously will need at least one credit card, would it be possible to get one without a credit history?

You'll have a basic credit rating - i.e. it won't be positive or negative. You should make yourself resident and then enroll on the electoral register then wait a few years.

Consider getting a card through your limited company.

Re: no credit history

Just a note on using debit cards for car rental and hotels: when you reserve with a card, they will put a block on a sum that is more than the cost of what you have actually reserved, sometimes much more, up to 3 times has been known. So if you reserve 500 worth on a credit card, they may block 1500: you'll be ok if, like most people, you are not near the limit. But if you reserve 500 worth of hotel on a debit card, they may put in a request to block 1500, and if that fails (e.g. you only have 1200 in there but that's more than you expect to need) then you won't get the reservation; if it works, maybe another legitimate debit will get refused despite your having enough in the account for everything yuo actually do.

Hi,

I was in the same situation about 6-7 months ago. It was even a struggle to get an account opened, but I later discovered that regarding credit cards www.capitalone.com, do offer card to people with por credit rating and possible as would apply in your case no rating.
Obviously with the higher risk they feel they take with persons with poor credit the charges for failure to pay off the amount on the card within the required time you get hit by severe interest. Just be mindful of that.

I initially opened my account on moving to the uk with halifax, however I would'nt recommend them as it was alot of red tape to process.
However I am currently changing to Alliance and Leicester, who have a good package and also bundled with the account comes a credit card. I have found them very efficient so far, so may be worth checking them out.
You can fill out an online request.

Hope this help.
Jay

Re: no credit history

why not bring a Dutch one with you.

Well the thing is I don't have a Dutch one privatly. We Dutch hardly use credit cards. I do have a company credit card on my Dutch company, but I'm getting rid of that Dutch company. I won't have a Dutch address in about 2 -3 months, so it would be pretty impossible to keep that one or get a new one.

If I could get a Visa debit card with my UK bank account that would be fine to. I don't need/want credit anyway. I just want something I can use to pay for car rentals, hotels etc.

Thanks btw for the replies

Re: no credit history

why not bring a Dutch one with you.

6 years abroard and I still use my UK one. I wouldn't dream of jumping through all the hops necessary to get one in a foreign country.

tim

no credit history

Depends on if you enter the country legally.

Most things seem open to illegal entrants.

no credit history?

No.

Hi,

As you might have read in my other posts on this board, I'm planning to leave my home country the Netherlands and move to the UK and setup a Limited.

Now I don't have a credit history in the UK. I obviously will need at least one credit card, would it be possible to get one without a credit history?