Couldn't get a credit card. Why?

[Deleted User]

I have been in the UK for nearly 10 years now and I am a British Citizen.
I have always worked, paid taxes and never had a debit in this country or any problem with the bank.
My husband who has the same bank as me (and we have one joint acc) had one or two loans over the years, all paid in full.
Today I tried to apply online to a simple credit card and it was decline...why? Perhaps because I didn't have enough money in my current account? I used to earn a good salary from my own business but now I am working only 3 hours a day on my business and will start a new part time job tomorrow. I don't have as much money as I used to have but I am hoping my part time job will become full time one day.
So what do I do? Will I have a better chance if I go into the bank in person?
TIA

colsten

Check your credit file. noddle.co.uk is free (don't sign up for any of their chargeable offers).

[Deleted User]

So, I guess this noddle.co.uk is totally reliable....?

YorkshireBoy

Deleted_User wrote: »

I have always worked, paid taxes and never had a debit in this country or any problem with the bank.

Yet the bank (that has received your income and paid your bills over this period) still said no when you applied? What did they say when you asked them why they'd declined you?

dealme

I think banks usually prefer people with a stable income,
either from a job or an own business, while issuing credit cards.

So if you can meet them in person and convince them about
the same, it might definitely help you cause.

But then again, there are no guarantees.

[Deleted User]

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

Yet the bank (that has received your income and paid your bills over this period) still said no when you applied? What did they say when you asked them why they'd declined you?

They said my application was unsuccessful and I should check my credit score with Expedia or something similar but I don't want to pay for it now as money is tight at the moment. It was a message online, I applied online after checking my bank statement. I was surprised too because over the past 3 years I paid a lot of money in my accounts.

YorkshireBoy

Deleted_User wrote: »

They said my application was unsuccessful and I should check my credit score with Expedia or something similar but I don't want to pay for it now as money is tight at the moment.

They wouldn't have mentioned your "Experian score". You can buy a statutory credit report for £2 from Experian, like you can with the other CRAs (Equifax and CallCredit). Is money really that tight at the moment? If it is, it's possible to get a free report from all 3 CRAs (Experian and Equifax via 30 day free trials, and CallCredit via Noddle which is free for life).

[Deleted User]

So probably they didn't mention 'score'.

Money is tight but I definitely can afford £2. I thought it wouldn't be under £10 for some stupid reason. Thanks.

Ebe_Scrooge

Your credit "score" means nothing. It's worth checking on Noddle ( for free ) to make sure there are no bad markers on your file, but pay little heed to the "score" they give you.

Lenders each have their own criteria. This is comprised of many things, but the main ones are your income, and other available credit. If, for instance, you have 3 other cards with a combined limit of £15,000, lenders will generally assume a worst-case scenario whereby you max out on those 3 cards, plus the new one, thus having difficulty in meeting the minimum payments.

Are you on the Electoral Roll ? This is one of the main criteria. Other than that, it may just be a lack of regular income coming into your account.

As previous posters have said, it's worth going into a branch of your own bank and speaking to someone in person - if you're self-employed, then a "person" is much better placed to make a decision than an automated computer system.

dealer_wins

Deleted_User wrote: »

Money is tight

This is why you are being declined I would guess!!

richx45

I'd apply for a sub-prime credit card for time being, they won't be as fussy as to your income...