DMP & Mutual Support Thread - Part 11

ella2ethan1

Ha yes I do have a Barclay Card! So can I cancel my wish to open an account? I will try Santander online and see if that is easier. I have to give the bank my new account details as they or c&g are also my mortgage provider.

Will that make a difference?

ella2ethan1

I think it's me, I have to wait for a desision from Santander too. It won't help that I'm not the main wage earner but everything is in my name.

I probably should of waited before trying to apply for another account.

January2015

ella2ethan1 wrote: »

Ha yes I do have a Barclay Card! So can I cancel my wish to open an account? I will try Santander online and see if that is easier. I have to give the bank my new account details as they or c&g are also my mortgage provider.

Will that make a difference?

ella2ethan1 wrote: »

I think it's me, I have to wait for a desision from Santander too. It won't help that I'm not the main wage earner but everything is in my name.

I probably should of waited before trying to apply for another account.

Just don't complete your barclays account opening, i.e. don't go in with your documents.

Nationwide offer a basic account which is very easy to open online. It's called flex basic. Another one is the Co-op and also Yorkshire Bank....all of them are basic bank accounts, but that's all you need really. Just apply for the basic account - banks have to let people have them regardless of their credit history or income/earnings.

ella2ethan1

January2015 wrote: »

Just don't complete your barclays account opening, i.e. don't go in with your documents.

Nationwide offer a basic account which is very easy to open online. It's called flex basic. Another one is the Co-op and also Yorkshire Bank....all of them are basic bank accounts, but that's all you need really. Just apply for the basic account - banks have to let people have them regardless of their credit history or income/earnings.

Thanks, I won't go in (to Barclays) and see what Santander decide in a couple of days and if no joy try another. I was trying to rush as I get paid the 28th and my tax credits and child benefit are due. Ah well it was worth a try!

Thanks for all of your help x

[Deleted User]

ella2ethan1 wrote: »

Thanks, I won't go in (to Barclays) and see what Santander decide in a couple of days and if no joy try another. I was trying to rush as I get paid the 28th and my tax credits and child benefit are due. Ah well it was worth a try!

Thanks for all of your help x

I opened one with Nationwide, the FlexBasic one that January mentioned. Simplicity itself to set up, all done online. Does everything it says on the tin, I've been very happy with it since opening it in 2013:j. It just has a debit/cashcard but no overdraft or chequebook (but who wants them anyway?;)). Their customer service is excellent too and they've been incredibly helpful if ever I've had to contact them. Unlike Lloyds who I used to bank with and had a big credit card debt with:(

Whichever you opt for, good luck:beer:

I also have several online savings accounts with them for various 'pots'. Very little in each of them:o but it's so easy to keep tabs on things online and to move money around between them.

January2015

carbootcrazy wrote: »

I opened one with Nationwide, the FlexBasic one that January mentioned. Simplicity itself to set up, all done online. Does everything it says on the tin, I've been very happy with it since opening it in 2013:j. It just has a debit/cashcard but no overdraft or chequebook (but who wants them anyway?;)). Their customer service is excellent too and they've been incredibly helpful if ever I've had to contact them. Unlike Lloyds who I used to bank with and had a big credit card debt with:(

Whichever you opt for, good luck:beer:

I also have several online savings accounts with them for various 'pots'. Very little in each of them:o but it's so easy to keep tabs on things online and to move money around between them.

I definitely agree about Nationwide Flex Basic - that's the account I have. It was so easy to open - everything done online and I didn't need to take anything into a branch office.

I also opened a few of their savings accounts online. I have one saving account for my emergency fund, one for my Christmas savings challenge (which really covers Christmas and birthdays) and one where I save everything else that we put on the I&E form that doesn't get paid monthly, e.g. clothing, car repairs/maintenance/insurance, household insurance...etc. etc.

I love my basic banking account

Billy12345

Hi all

Ive been in a DMP since August and, touch wood, all proceeding well. I've had to take a three month break and making token payments as I had a massive car bill but SC were great. I'm due to paying the normal payments in May.

My question is that when I started the DMP I held back one credit card as I was going on holiday (which was already paid for, parents paid, please dont think badly of me) and I needed to swipe this for the car hire as they insisted I had a valid credit card. No payments were ever taken it was just "in case". Well holiday is passed and I need to add this card onto the DMP. I havent used it at all I just kept it as I needed it for the car hire swipe. I've been meeting the monthly payments from the food allowance which has been tight I dont mind admitting.

Anyway what will SC do when I tell them I didn't add this creditor at the beginning ? Will they look and say I wasnt treating my creditors equally and stop helping me ? Can I add this on line and not speak with them (really nervous about what they will say).

Billy12345

January2015

Billy12345 wrote: »

Hi all

Ive been in a DMP since August and, touch wood, all proceeding well. I've had to take a three month break and making token payments as I had a massive car bill but SC were great. I'm due to paying the normal payments in May.

My question is that when I started the DMP I held back one credit card as I was going on holiday (which was already paid for, please dont think badly of me) and I needed to swipe this for the car hire as they insisted I had a valid credit card. No payments were ever taken it was just "in case". Well holiday is passed and I need to add this card onto the DMP. I havent used it at all I just kept it as I needed it for the car hire swipe. I've been meeting the monthly payments from the food allowance which has been tight I dont mind admitting.

Anyway what will SC do when I tell them I didn't add this creditor at the beginning ? Will they look and say I wasnt treating my creditors equally and stop helping me ? Can I add this on line and not speak with them (really nervous about what they will say).

Billy12345

Firstly, I'm sure no-one on here will think badly of you for taking a holiday that was booked and paid for before you had your LBM and sorted your DMP. If I'd been in that situation I would have definitely gone on the holiday and made the most of it

I've no experience of a situation like this - but don't worry. The people at SC are just that...people. I don't know if you can add a debt online or whether you will need to phone SC. I would just bite the bullet and explain you had forgotten to incude this partcular credit card in the DMP and ask to add it now.

The worst that could happen is they say no (which I very much doubt they will), but if they do then you could consider moving to another free DMP provider such as Christians Against Poverty or Payplan, or consider self managing your DMP. As someone who moved from Stepchange to self managed after one year into our DMP I can only say how easy it was to make the move and how easy it has been to manage the DMP myself - including dropping to token payments for a few months when we had very unexpected circumstances hit us.

My best advice would be - don't panic, just speak to Stepchange and make a decision based on what they say. Remember if they say you cannot add it to the DMP you just need to thank them for their help and decide how you will manage your DMP from now on. Although I really don't think that will happen. I'm sure Stepchange hear this sort of scenario more often than we realise.

Good luck and let us know how you get on :beer:

Billy12345

January2015 wrote: »

Firstly, I'm sure no-one on here will think badly of you for taking a holiday that was booked and paid for before you had your LBM and sorted your DMP. If I'd been in that situation I would have definitely gone on the holiday and made the most of it

I've no experience of a situation like this - but don't worry. The people at SC are just that...people. I don't know if you can add a debt online or whether you will need to phone SC. I would just bite the bullet and explain you had forgotten to incude this partcular credit card in the DMP and ask to add it now.

The worst that could happen is they say no (which I very much doubt they will), but if they do then you could consider moving to another free DMP provider such as Christians Against Poverty or Payplan, or consider self managing your DMP. As someone who moved from Stepchange to self managed after one year into our DMP I can only say how easy it was to make the move and how easy it has been to manage the DMP myself - including dropping to token payments for a few months when we had very unexpected circumstances hit us.

My best advice would be - don't panic, just speak to Stepchange and make a decision based on what they say. Remember if they say you cannot add it to the DMP you just need to thank them for their help and decide how you will manage your DMP from now on. Although I really don't think that will happen. I'm sure Stepchange hear this sort of scenario more often than we realise.

Good luck and let us know how you get on :beer:

Thanks January.

I feel terrible for not including this at the beginning but had to keep one card back so I kept the one with the smallest balance and struggled like hell with the monthly payments.

I've looked online and cannot see anyway to add this so guess I'll have to bite the bullet and call them. They have been great in the past so fingers crossed there wont be any trouble. If I have to go self managed is it simply a case of filling in the I&E form on the NEDCAB website then writing to the creditors or is there more to it than this.

I would rather stay with SC at least for now to see how it progresses if they allow me to add this creditor to the DMP.

I'll let you know how I get on.:)

Billy12345

ella2ethan1

Thank both! Santander has opened my account but I will look at nationwide to open a savings account. Can you open new accounts together or should I wait a couple of months?

I have sorted out my plan with SC so just have to send the paperwork back, do you wait to do it in order to save for a couple of months or just send it straight back?