Credit card with no income?

Sje87

Hi All

Hoping you can help, as we're not having much luck researching our options with this one. Me and my partner have taken voluntary redundancy and have decided to take a year out to go travelling before coming back and finding new jobs. However, we've just found out that for the car hire for part of our trip we need a credit card - debits cards / cash etc aren't accepted (apparently this is pretty standard but unfortunately we didn't realise). We have healthy savings, equity in house etc but due to having to put £0 income on applications we're unable to find an option that allows us a credit card. If anyone has any advice / ideas for providers that might be worth trying we'd appreciate it.

Thanks!

[Deleted User]

No - you won't get credit without an income.

Will the car hire company accept a pre paid card?

Sje87

Thanks for replying so quickly, we'll contact the hire company and check. Fingers crossed, really silly mistake but hopefully we can sort something out!

Anthorn

Sje87 wrote: »

Hi All

Hoping you can help, as we're not having much luck researching our options with this one. Me and my partner have taken voluntary redundancy and have decided to take a year out to go travelling before coming back and finding new jobs. However, we've just found out that for the car hire for part of our trip we need a credit card - debits cards / cash etc aren't accepted (apparently this is pretty standard but unfortunately we didn't realise). We have healthy savings, equity in house etc but due to having to put £0 income on applications we're unable to find an option that allows us a credit card. If anyone has any advice / ideas for providers that might be worth trying we'd appreciate it.

Thanks!

In UK you must have an income even if it's only JSA or a state pension and that's what you put on application forms. It's more likely that your current job status as unemployed coupled with a low income will affect your application. However you could probably get a Basic Bank Account which will likely include a debit card.

Statutory redundancy payment does not affect JSA

If you go out of the country you lose your JSA and you will need to apply again.

molerat

OP probably already has a debit card - he needs a credit card for car hire purposes.

Anthorn

molerat wrote: »

OP probably already has a debit card - he needs a credit card for car hire purposes.

Simple: I listed what he could get in the circumstances. Have a nice cup of tea and lighten up

Kim_13

Aqua is worth a look as they are a subprime lender.

agrinnall

Anthorn wrote: »

Simple: I listed what he could get in the circumstances. Have a nice cup of tea and lighten up

But it's irrelevant, therefore a waste of your time posting it and our time reading (and in some cases replying to) it.

eDicky

Depending on the location in question, you may find a car hire firm who accept debit cards (or even cash), but the usual requirement when you pick up a car is said to be a credit card, so that an amount can be pre-authorised as security.

I say "said" to be, because in practice I have found that presenting a debit card or prepaid card with sufficient funds available is always accepted when the agent tries it in the terminal.

However I have never actually tried a UK bank debit card and it may be that such a card cannot be used to have an amount blocked as required. So a prepaid card could well be your best bet if you have no possibility of a credit card.

I don't think there's much point asking the hire firm whether a prepaid card is acceptable, as they will probably just say no without realizing that the card terminal at the pickup desk will likely recognise it as a credit card.

You could probably get more extensive advice on this by posting on the Currency / Car Hire board.