Rewards Credit Card

slimkay

Hi,

I am coming over from Canada... so I am totally new to the UK market. I used to have MBNA and AMEX credit cards. Seems most credit cards in the UK are focused on balance transfer and low interest rates. Since I always pay my balance monthly, I don't need that kind of thing and am trying to get the best rewards credit card (bang for the buck). - and I don't mind paying for a CC, as long as it's a good deal, you know?

I used to have the AMEX Starwood credit card in Canada, which is also present in the UK but is a lot less interesting due to the lack of insurance perks and the lower rate of return (since 1 pound is worth much, much more than a Canadian Dollar). I do have a lot of points with Starwood so if there really is nothing good out there, I might go back to it. I don't mind AMEX as most of the stores I visit do accept AMEX.

I would have gone with the British Airways AMEX but since I will be alone, I have no need for the voucher, unless I am wrong and you can use the voucher for yourself.

I saw that MBNA had "okay"/good cashback cards (AMEX/Visa) and Halifax with its Clarity Rewards CC so I guess I might go with that, but if there is an actually great rewards CC (as opposed to cashback), please enlighten me!

Thank you very much in advance.

Cheers.

jennifernil

Think you are worrying too much!

Sort your bank account first. If you are a good customer the bank will be falling over themselves to offer you a CC.

Once you are established you can look around for the best deals.

jen245

With no UK credit history, it will be near impossible to get a credit card for at least 12 months, and even then, you may be limited to your own banks credit cards, provided you can actually get a full current account to start with.

slimkay

jen245 wrote: »

With no UK credit history, it will be near impossible to get a credit card for at least 12 months, and even then, you may be limited to your own banks credit cards, provided you can actually get a full current account to start with.

Wow. Really? Even if I will earn upwards of £60,000 (and have a spotless credit history in my home country)? My employer is writing me a reference letter for my current account.

To jennifernil.... I am not worrying at all. If that's what it looks like, then I am sorry... I just will not have a lot of time to deal with this in the first couple of weeks and would like the matter solved as early as possible... and of course I am just merely asking you guys a question.

And I am definitely not interested in 99% of the banks' credit cards. Usually in North America, issuers like CapOne, MBNA and AMEX offer the best cards (but it may not be the case in the UK).

jen245

Sorry, but your credit history in Canada, means diddly squat here. You are basically starting from scratch.

slimkay

jen245 wrote: »

Sorry, but your credit history in Canada, means diddly squat here. You are basically starting from scratch.

It's no big surprise, though.

I was just asking you guys about the best rewards credit card. I'll deal with my credit history issues on my own.