Overseas, maxed out card

remembe

I dont have a job here, so cant support myself.
I may find a little work, just to get by, local wage here is very low and work permits a big hindrance.
but returning to uk may mean I can get work and repay the bank
I didnt earn enough here, so spent what I had to.
Wanted to work online, but most options seem to exclude me one way or another
Is a Debt Relief Order viable?
I owe less than 15000 and so on.
If so,would the bank advise against?

agrinnall

I think you should consider returning to the UK, getting a job to allow you to pay off your debt, save up and only then return to Asia and from that point live within your means.

chattychappy

agrinnall wrote: »

only then return to Asia and from that point live within your means.

The OP didn't say where in Asia he is. Perhaps it's private.

Anyway, I met a couple of guys who struggled in Saigon for a long time before going back to the UK up to their eyeballs in debt. They concluded they could never make it there - too many local people with international standard skills plus local language ability etc. They would never earn more than subsistance level. Back in the UK they took on contracting work. They worked in the UK for 8 months and lived in Saigon November to February. It was the perfect balance - always plenty of cash in Saigon to fool around and none of the pressures of having to work there.

remembe

Returning to UK may be best option, but if I default on the next payment I'll have no bank account/credit when I fly in so it will be a whole lot harder then.
thats why I look for another card etc.
This Is Thailand

sleepyjones

Getting more debt to pay off existing debt is never a good idea but I see that you're in a bit of a unique situation.

I guess, depending on how long you've been out there you won't be entitled to any kind of benefits for a few months once back in the UK? ... so if you were to get a new card, buy flights back ... you might not have the available funds straight away to keep up the payments on that new card, never mind the old one, assuming it might take a while to get a job.

Your best bet would be to try and borrow money from friends / family back home ... maybe even ask your credit card provider to increase your limit / overdraft etc.

Failing that, Kickstarter / Fundme ... "I'm stuck in Bangkok, help me get home" I've seen far stranger kickstarter/fundme type campaigns.

Candyapple

What would you put down as your employment status / employers details if you applied for a card?

Your ‘UK address’ – is this your parents house?

If you have no money for flights back home your best bet is to ask your parents/friends for help.

remembe

I'm not aware of the current rules for benefits.
My UK address I used to live at with a girlfriend, who can post to me
Having to put "Unemployed" as status is what has prevented me from applying several times
I dont know where I would be able to stay if I get back

sleepyjones

Have you tried talking to the British Consul in Thailand?

I've no idea if they can offer any assistance, but worth a shot?

Candyapple

Would you not be able to stay with your parents / any other family members?

I’m assuming your (ex?) girlfriend doesn’t have you down on the electoral roll at the address so that automatically means you will be declined for probably 90% of applications before you’ve even got to the employment stage so your idea of getting a new card is pretty much screwed.

Or for some miracle reason if you are still on the electoral roll, your 'unemployed' status would only at the best of times get you a tiny credit limit, not enough for what you are looking for to pay for your return flights.

Some reading for you in regards to coming back to the UK:

http://heathrowtravelcare.co.uk/what-we-do/returning-to-the-uk-from-abroad/

https://www.gov.uk/jobseekers-allowance/eligibility

New or recently returned to the UK
You may be able to get income-based JSA if you can prove you’ve been living in the UK, the Isle of Man, the Republic of Ireland or the Channel Islands for 3 months before you claim, and you’re either:

- a UK national who’s recently returned from abroad and you haven’t worked since coming back
- an EEA national

agrinnall

chattychappy wrote: »

The OP didn't say where in Asia he is. Perhaps it's private.

Nothing in my post could be taken as applying only to a particular part of Asia, so I'm not sure what the point of this comment is.

Anyway, we now know that it's Thailand. Some people do manage to live and work there successfully, but when I was last there (which was 7 years ago so things may have changed) temporary residents working under the wire were having a lot of difficulty renewing visas and needed to leave the country to do so.