new to credit cards

kirsty6685

wondering if someone can help me, im going to florida in may an is wanting to get a card to pay off the holiday but as i have not had a card before its hard for me to decide wot one to get, i just want to pay off holiday an not use it again, so any help with my dilema would be great x

danothy

When you say pay off the holiday do you mean pay for the flights and accommodation etc. in GBP only or were you also looking to use it while in the states for your day to day spending in USD?

surrey_jim

If its spend abroad use Nationwide which is commission free. In terms of the atual holiday spend will you pay in full or over time? If it is your first card chances are you wont have built much of a credit rating and may be best to speak with your bank see what they offer.

kirsty6685

its just to pay off the holiday, not to use when there. im totally baffled by all the different type of cards

danothy

Well the ideal solution would be a card with a long 0% period on purchases, the Tesco Clubcard credit card is pretty good for that along with some others http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cards/best-0-credit-cards#zero

If you're not too familiar with credit cards it might be worth a look through the forum to get an idea of the potential pitfalls and the best way to go about using them. Also, as was said, if you don't have much of a credit history then a 0% card you're eligible for might be a bit hard to come by.

Are you looking to get the card because you don't have the money up front for the trip? If this is the case watch out for getting it paid off before the 0% period ends so you don't get stung paying over the odds for it by way of interest charges.

kirsty6685

i have my car on finance so shouldnt be too bad that way for credit, i could prob manage to pay the holiday but then its the spending money so would want to pay one or the other straight away if u know wot i mean. was maybe gonna phone up my bank an see wot they say about a loan or credit card.

want2bmortgage3

dont do it , stay debt free!

danothy

Many post on this forum have said that your bank is the best place to start as they have the most information about you. My experience certainly suggests that it's a good tactic too.

If you're happy paying interest on the payment for the holiday (personally, I would prefer not to) then I would suggest a card over a loan from your bank as it also offers section 75 protection for purchases over £100 (i.e. the lender is jointly liable if the holiday company goes belly up for example)

FreebieJeebies

Be cautious when speaking to your bank, as banks in genreral want to make as much money as possible from their customers, and may, therefore reccomend a high interest credit card by pointing out it's advantages and not it's small print info. Also ask yourself: "Do I have means of paying this back?" Otherwise, enjoy your holiday and send me some sunshine back!!

kirsty6685

thanx for the help folks much appreciated, will try send the sunshine to u all haha think im just gonna have to belt up an cut back big time, so bread an water it is from now on lol dont think im gonna go down the road of the credit card or bank loan cos thats just asking for trouble. u have all made me realise its just not worth the hassle

Fruit_and_Nut_Case

If you are planning a Virgin Holidays package you might want to consider a Virgin Atlantic AmEx Card which will entitle you to a 10% discount.