Advice on which credit card for university?

Hermiod

Hi, I would like to take out a credit card before I go to university because I have very little in the way of family support and will be pretty much independent of any financial help come september.

I'd like to know if the barclaycard simplicity would be a viable option because of its now APR (barclay card platinum simplicity)

Now for an example of how i want to use it, Id want to say get my motorcycle fixed (my only means of personal transport) which would cost me about £900 pounds, before I go. I would then want to repay say £75 a month until the balance was repaid including any other charges I may have made to the card.

What would the charges be if i didn't pay the balace off in full and paid it partially each month?

The reason I am considering this is because my gran is the only family I have and she really can't afford to help me out with much except the occasional help with food. Ill have my student loan but that will have to be spent on surviving the next 12 months in university and only comes to about £325 a month. (plus my job which at the moment is only about £200 a month)

I hope one of you guys can help me get my head around this because the last time I went into credit (an unapproved overdraft, santander tried to charge me £125 for the facility (several times) and purchases made whilst in negative balance)

Cheers all and thanks for reading,

Hermiod

CLAPTON

do you have a student current a/c?

normally only your bank with your student a/c would give an 18 year old student a CC and this would probably have a lowish (max 500) credit limit.

Hermiod

CLAPTON wrote: »

do you have a student current a/c?

normally only your bank with your student a/c would give an 18 year old student a CC and this would probably have a lowish (max 500) credit limit.

Not currently, I can only take out that current account once ive got confirmation letters for my prospective university of beginning the course and thus being enrolled at that university. I want to steer clear of student credit cards because they usually dont actually have any benefits and can actually cause detriment to the student. Id like a credit card that doesn't advertise as for students to avoid this. (something i learned on this forum )

Is there really no possibility of a credit card company issuing me with a credit card at this age?

Cheers

seriousDFW

The bank that gives you a student account will almost certainly give you a CC, but as already said the limit will be low. I had a limit of £500 to start (HSBC). But I did also have £1000 interest free overdraft. Whilst at uni I applied for 2 credit cards, and both had low limits (£400 with Mint and £750 with Egg).

Just a word of friendly advice - minimise/avoid debt other than student loan if at all possible - it is so easy to spiral out of control thinking you'll have a high paying job after graduating. So many on here got into debt that way. However you're on here before starting uni, so you're already more clued up than I ever was!

CLAPTON

Hermiod wrote: »

Not currently, I can only take out that current account once ive got confirmation letters for my prospective university of beginning the course and thus being enrolled at that university. I want to steer clear of student credit cards because they usually dont actually have any benefits and can actually cause detriment to the student. Id like a credit card that doesn't advertise as for students to avoid this. (something i learned on this forum )

Is there really no possibility of a credit card company issuing me with a credit card at this age?

Cheers

I'm not sure why you say a student CC will have a detrimental effect on you.
They are the same as any other CC.
CCs with 'benefits' are usually only given to people with excellent credit histories and decent salaries which rules out most students.

In any event it is a very very bad idea to start Uni will debts; you will pay interest each month at a pretty high rate.

So only use the CC as a convenience and to build your credit rating for later life and only spend what you can afford to pay in full each month.

[Deleted User]

can you not get some work over the summer in order to get your bike on the road and save some cash?
i know atm its not easy but its not impossible if you are prepared to do anything legal,starting student life in debt is not a good idea as it will pile up over the 3 years anyway