Can any one advise me (I would like my first Credit Card)

Splogg

Hey guys, i seem to always stumble into this website every few months for one reason or another but first time poster.

I need help picking a credit card.

As it stands i have one bank account with a simple debit card (maestro). I have a £50 overdraft which i have never used - i have never been in the red. I have had this account for about 2 years now.

I have never had a credit card, As far as i know i have no credit history (No idea really) as i do not have a contract mobile, i do not pay for cable etc, i live at home with my family! (I am 20 years old, 21 in oct)

The only regualr things my statements show are payments TO paypal, for about £100ish every month - i do not know if this counts as some kind of history. And also my monthly income from work (Ranges between 400min and 800max - part time worker - but not a student) and some money i get paid into my account from online things (Google Adsense).

I dabble in making money online (My £100 paypal pays for servers etc), My making money efforts online are going to be taken up a notch, but i am finding that i NEED a credit card. (i am not asking for advice on making money online!)

I need either:
A Mastercard
A Visa card
A American Express card

Basicly i need advice on the cards, i have tried to provide information above which i think may be needed in the descisson making. But i know basicly nothing about credit cards never mind how to pick the best one.

I think i am going to need to be able to place between £200 - £400 a month on it, and i would aim to pay it off as soon as they ask for the money (not sure how that works, the month after etc)

I would be living within my means (At least at first) but something to keep in mind is that at some point i more than likely will be putting more onto these cards than i get in secure income, so it MAY come down to not being able to pay them at the end of the month but deffenitly the next month, so i think this is another key part of the descison proccess (fees etc)

I need this ASAP, eg i would like to apply for one today (online if possible!)

Any advice for me guys?

Cheers

--update
Some of my transactions will be in the US, eg in Dollars $

Any

Who is your current account with?
The £50 agreed overdraft already counts as a credit history.
Usually the best place to go for the very first credit card is your bank. Then you use it as you described and build yourself a bit of credit history.

Splogg

Hi, thanks for the reply.

My current bank is called, "Northern Bank" (I live in N.Ireland - within the UK!!)

I was going to mention the above in my first post but thought it would make peoples advice more complex, i am not aware of the Northern Bank being in the main land, so i suspected no one would be able to say if it is good or bad to get a credit card with them (I have no idea after all!)

cifpower

Splogg wrote: »

Hi, thanks for the reply.

My current bank is called, "Northern Bank" (I live in N.Ireland - within the UK!!)

I was going to mention the above in my first post but thought it would make peoples advice more complex, i am not aware of the Northern Bank being in the main land, so i suspected no one would be able to say if it is good or bad to get a credit card with them (I have no idea after all!)

Do you have the Freedom account from Northern? There is a credit card which goes with this account. I would go into your branch and apply for it there. Maybe give them a call beforehand as you may need to make an appointment.

Splogg

cifpower wrote: »

Do you have the Freedom account from Northern? There is a credit card which goes with this account. I would go into your branch and apply for it there. Maybe give them a call beforehand as you may need to make an appointment.

That name does ring a bell, all i remember is he made me take some sort of student one even though i was not a student but this is all i remember at this time.

I will confirm if it is a Freedom account tomorrow, Have you any idea if this would be a "normal" credit card, as in mastercard or visa? The main issue i am having here is being stuck with this maestro thing which basicly no where in america seems to have heard off.

WhySoHard_2

You could always open an additional current account with one of the banks who offer Visa Debit cards. My Visa Debit works fine in America.

cifpower

Splogg wrote: »

That name does ring a bell, all i remember is he made me take some sort of student one even though i was not a student but this is all i remember at this time.

I will confirm if it is a Freedom account tomorrow, Have you any idea if this would be a "normal" credit card, as in mastercard or visa? The main issue i am having here is being stuck with this maestro thing which basicly no where in america seems to have heard off.

Yes it is a normal credit card (mastercard I believe) and comes with 0% on purchases for 5 months but if you buy abroad on it you will incur foreign currency charges.

Splogg

I will be working in dollars, so would rather not be hit with fees each time.
Although not actually being in Ameirca, i assume this is basicly going to be the same thing?

cifpower

Splogg wrote: »

I will be working in dollars, so would rather not be hit with fees each time.
Although not actually being in Ameirca, i assume this is basicly going to be the same thing?

Yup. The only way to avoid these fees is to get the Abbey Zero CC or the Nationwide CC or current account's Visa debit card.

Splogg

Excellent think you cifpower!

And out of those three which do you think would be best for me?

cifpower

Splogg wrote: »

Excellent think you cifpower!

And out of those three which do you think would be best for me?

If you just want to spend the money you have and not to borrow I would opt for the Nationwide FlexAccount which comes with a Visa debit card. If you want to take out credit opt for the Nationwide CC.