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Hi sweets well each to their own but my personal point of view is when you spend £500 on a credit card then pay the miniumum payments of (example £15 per month) the credit card company then slap interest on top of the money you have borrowed thus causing an ever spirriling tumble towards debt. As with all credit cards the concept of having one is great as you can buy that case of Wine, pay the deposit on the holiday but remember you are paying a loan company whom charge interest. Best option is to speak with your bank whom may upgrade your existing debit card to a visa debit or switch card which can be used worldwide. Yes i have a credit card but very very rarely use exept emergency 0% owed on card means 0% interest dont get a card then start spending or if you are sure you want one Vanquish is quite good you can control your limit You can request a maximum limit of £250 untill you see fit to higher or lower the limit you can manage. Well good luck and please be careful and consider the consequenses of debt...... Debt is easy to get into but hard to get out of....

by dale3567

2 years ago

Asker's Rating: 

Don't get one, use a debit card. I'd only spend what I had avalible. Credit cards are trouble :(

by sdude28- 2 years ago

Don't think of them as credit cards, think of them as debt cards. Every time you use it, you will be increasing your debt. That said, if you can pay off the balance at the end of each month, you will not incur any interest charges. If the interest rate is, for example, 21% and you spend £1000 on the card and don't clear the balance you will start being charged 21p for every pound you have spent i.e. £210 Don't do it.

by Boy Wonder- 2 years ago

Hi Capital One are quite good if you don't have a good credit rating - to avoid the high repayment interest just make sure you pay of the total amount every month. If you just pay of the interest you will find yourself owing more the next month . Its also worth using your card a little every month say £20 and then paying it off when the bill comes in and this will repair your credit rating. You can take money out but you pay interest from the moment you take it out . If I were you I would get the credit card and keep it for dire emergancies and not when you see that tourist gift you just can't live without. In most countries you can use your debit card with your pin number. One last thing check with your bank as they may offer you a better deal on a credit card rather than capital one. Have a great time travelling.

by Liz V- 2 years ago

Get one, see you in the debt queue

by leece- 2 years ago

Let me first say "don't do it." If you do you must be prepared to manage your credit card debt or it will be a huge burden and make your life miserable. Also, if you have bad credit you will pay much higher interest because credit card companies consider a person with bad credit a high risk. Therefore, they want to be compensated for that risk - meaning higher interest rates. These high interest costs are not worth paying.

by Mr_Blue- 2 years ago

I realise you said you do not wish comment from the "don't do it brigade" but I will risk a rebuke and state categorically "please don't do it" This country owes £3 trillion on plastic - don't add to it! It does not matter how careful you are these things are heartbreak.. Been there and have the scars to prove it..

by treving42- 2 years ago

Best advice I can give you concerning Credit Cards is do not get one. They have lead millions into deep debt. Hundreds of thousands will have their houses repossed because they cannot keep up with the payments. Mostly this is due to heavy borrowing on credit cards. Avoid credit cards. Start saving now. I'm 66 and am still saving about £80 a month from my pensions. In a year from now I expect to get a nice lump sum of about £15,000 - taken me ten years to get it, but worth having. You could do very much the same and buy yourself an insurance policy with built in savings and a maturity date of say 10 years from now. Worth having. Spend meanly and save hard. That way you will survive.

by CLIVE H- 2 years ago

Ask your bank for a credit card. They maybe willing to issue you one as you bank with them. If you have bad credit you may not be able to get a card at all. The amount of interest you pay back depends on how much you've spent and how high the interest is. Obv the lower the interest the better. People get into trouble when they only pay the minimum amount back usually £5 as then the interest gets added every month and repayments increase. I got a credit card to go travelling and I never ever used it. I only use it now for the extra insurance in case anything goes wrong and only if I can pay it off in one go. Check out the countries you want to travel to and see what "plastic" they accept. It may be you dont need one at all! The link below gives the cost of using your card abroad as they charge for everything!

by lbaker2656- 2 years ago

Obviously they're expensive if you don't clear the balance in full each month. If you're thinking about travelling abroad consider a card that doesn't charge for overseas use, Nationwide is one example. The charges for overseas use can be very high. If you don't want to get into a mess, the simple answer is only spend what you can afford to repay in full. You can get cash out on most credit cards but again with fees for withdrawals it's a very expensive way of getting money out. A good idea might be to get a decent Sunday paper and look at the best buy tables that they publish.

by jmc445976- 2 years ago

Credit card are good for building credit,but if you use them for a shopping spree you are setting yourself up for years of interest payments. Only buy things you can pay off every month like gas and food. If you take cash out of your credit card they will charge you 21% or more per year. I had $10,000 on my wifes credit card it took me 3 years of making high payment to get rid of it. Use your credit wisely and ask yourself if you really need a large vacation with Global warming and all.

by Cookie- 2 years ago

Best advice: DONT GET ONE! I used to have capital one. Finance charges eat you alive and I had issues with them "holding" my payment until the day after the due date so they could charge late fees. And that was with me paying over the phone a week before the payment was due!!!! Go to your bank before your trip and get a preloaded visa card. This can be used as a visa everywhere. Also if your debit card is a Visa Debit card than you can use it everywhere that takes Visa.

by KUJayhawksfan*- 2 years ago

i wouldnt get one myself because iv had store cards and there bad enough! instead what i do now so that i can purchase online or over the phone ect is use a top up master card. heres a good website www ... this way you can top it up and know one including your friends will know the wiser. i wish i had good credit now but iv been stupid in the past. it will be something you regret, but if you do decide to get a credit card remember to pay it in full each month because you will have great credit after this.

by mumy20- 2 years ago

This raises a number of issues! 1) In spite of what other people say, there is nothing wrong with getting a credit card. I do not assume you are an idiot, and assume you can manage not to spend what you don't have... most people have credit cards and survive fine! As you say, it is a good way of paying for certain things - particularly if you are traveling, and particularly for big purchases (you are better protected). The fact you are even asking questions now is a very posotive sign! 2) "i think i must have quite a poor credit rating" - this is a big deal! Even if you are unbothered now, it could have severe impacts on you in later life, particualrly if you want to buy a house. You need to investigage. Go to www.experian.co.uk and sign up for a free credit check to make sure, just remember to cancel it after a month! It doens't sound from your description that you should have a bad rating. You have to materially affect it, by not paying what you owe. Simply moving house isn't a big deal. There might be a mistake - look into it! 3) Hopefully you don't have bad credit. If not, then the world is your oyster. It might be helpful and easier to start with your current bank and see what they can offer - that way repayments can probably be managed more easily, and you might get a bigger limit. Indeed, your salary is quite low by national standards - so you are unlikely to get more than a few hundred limit to start with. 4) If you have got a bad credit rating, you will need to shop around more - although this depends on how bad it is. As you say, lenders like Capital One have products for people with worse credit histories. ---- EDIT You can get cash out on credit cards, but its generally not worth it. You are charged for doing so (unlike with a debit card).

by simplesimon- 2 years ago

Hello, Instead of long speech, here the key points you need: - pay in full your balance within 30 days to avoid interest - always remember your limit and add your purchase in your head to avoid over limit charges - AVOID using your credit card for CASH withdrawal (fees are usual higher than direct transaction, especially abroad) (note that not all credit card offer cash advance Finally, if you just want a credit card to get a mastercard or visa. Then you can apply for one of those prepaid credit card. You just need to top it up and that's it. Very cheap www ...

by John S- 2 years ago

Do not get s credit card, they are big trouble. They set you a low limit, and after a short time increase it. And before you know it you have used it. You are best off with a debit card, or just use cash. That way you are only spending what you have available.

by GIZMO- 2 years ago