Student credit cards - do they exist?

Emmia

aris said:

If you have a low credit limit on a card, you can put it into a positive balance by transferring funds if you know you have a large purchase to make.

That's almost certainly against card T&Cs and is likely to get the card withdrawn. 

aris

Emmia said:

aris said:

If you have a low credit limit on a card, you can put it into a positive balance by transferring funds if you know you have a large purchase to make.

That's almost certainly against card T&Cs and is likely to get the card withdrawn. 

May depend on the card - i've certainly done it in the past.

MallyGirl

aris said:

Emmia said:

aris said:

If you have a low credit limit on a card, you can put it into a positive balance by transferring funds if you know you have a large purchase to make.

That's almost certainly against card T&Cs and is likely to get the card withdrawn. 

May depend on the card - i've certainly done it in the past.

Definitely not advisable these days and certainly not with a first credit card. 

[Deleted User]

aris said:

Emmia said:

aris said:

If you have a low credit limit on a card, you can put it into a positive balance by transferring funds if you know you have a large purchase to make.

That's almost certainly against card T&Cs and is likely to get the card withdrawn. 

May depend on the card - i've certainly done it in the past.

All credit cards will say in the terms that you cannot put the card into positive balance, you may have got away with it but you will usually find they are switched on and reverse the credit immediately

[Deleted User]

WillPS said:

Deleted_User said:

WillPS said:

Deleted_User said:

WillPS said:

aris said:

WillPS said:

"Not wanting to open another bank account" isn't a pitfall, it's an opinion/desire which you seem intent on forcing on your child. In fact, having only one bank account is in and of itself problematic.

How do you know it isn't their wish either?  Please stop making assumptions and criticising how other people choose to run their lives.  This isn't a parenting forum.

It's not about parenting, it's about allowing any capable adult to make their own informed decisions independently. You kind of gave away that it was your desire rather than your son's by answering "I'd prefer not to" to another poster.

None of us have the ability to invent a credit card, there are very good reasons why availability of these products is controlled. Barclays do not have to give your son a card regardless of any banking history either of you currently have.

Invite your son to use an eligibility checker, and if none of the offers on there are promising, then the account with TSB or HSBC is likely the only possibility.

If your son doesn't want to do that, that's up to them, isn't it? Nobody actually needs a credit card, it's not like a history of holding one is an absolute necessity to get a mortgage, nor is it a necessity for travel.

Your son should also be advised that the credit limit is likely to be extremely limited on any card (probably £500 or less), which would limit his ability to maximise S75 coverage (remember that it only works on products which cost over £100).

You could perhaps invite him to look over the many threads posted by people who have not succeeded in getting their flights and hotel costs refunded in the last year on the grounds the hotels and flights were available even though the cardholder was unable to use them. Travel insurance is what your son would need in these circumstances more than S75.

With S75, with a £500 limit technically the OP's son could buy 500 £100 items, so long as they paid £1 for each item on the card, they would get protection

Indeed so - good luck trying to do that though, especially if you're booking online.

Yes it was extreme but I was just pointing out it would not in any way limit his S75 coverage like you said - he can book as many things as he wants so long as he spends a token sum on the card

The travel websites I'm used to using wont do partial payment - they want the whole lot from one card. This is quite common, although I imagine over the phone or in person at a travel agent it's quite normal to part pay (although I've never done it).

Plenty of places will take deposits, particularly in covid times. That said, a £500 card wouldn't be much use on holiday I agree

WillPS

aris said:

Emmia said:

aris said:

If you have a low credit limit on a card, you can put it into a positive balance by transferring funds if you know you have a large purchase to make.

That's almost certainly against card T&Cs and is likely to get the card withdrawn. 

May depend on the card - i've certainly done it in the past.

I agree with Emmia - ignoring the T&Cs is highly inadvisable, particularly in the case of a young person with a limited credit portfolio and history.