First Credit Card

harieta

I'm thinking about getting my first credit card.
I did my credit profile in moneysupermarket.com
It showed me: good
I'm 29 y.o.
I'm with Barclays for 3 years now
I need credit card for some purchases abroad (where there are clearly stated they will NOT accept my visa debit card, for instance car hire)
I will not use it regularly
I will not use if I don't have to ( foreign shop or company requirement/policy)

Which elements of deal I should look at to choose the best deal?
Is it better if I go with my bank Barclays?
Please help

gt94sss2

Barclays are most likely to give you a credit card as you are an existing customer.

However, ideally for use abroad you should use:

- for debit card transactions and for taking money out of ATM's abroad a Nationwide debit card.

- for credit cards purchases abroad use a Nationwide credit card and/or a Post Office Credit Card.

This is because the Post Office and Nationwide don't charge any foreign exchange fees for using their cards abroad.

Almost everyone else adds (approx) 2.75% which they build into the exchange rate conversion.. some banks even add an additional 'per use abroad flat charge'

Regards
Sunil

harieta

Do other banks make it more complicated if I'm not their customer?
I like the Capital One offer

exel1966

They don't make it more complicated, but experience has shown they are less likely to offer a 'first timer' a card or one with a reasonable interest rate.

As mentioned above try Barclays first as they already have a relationship with you and are more likely to offer you something nearer your needs albeit with a small(ish) credit limit initially.

harieta

exel1966 wrote: »

They don't make it more complicated, but experience has shown they are less likely to offer a 'first timer' a card or one with a reasonable interest rate.

As mentioned above try Barclays first as they already have a relationship with you and are more likely to offer you something nearer your needs albeit with a small(ish) credit limit initially.

Is it better to apply online or go to the branch?

gt94sss2

harieta wrote: »

Do other banks make it more complicated if I'm not their customer?

Not necessarily.

However, companies who issue 0% balance transfer deals or for cash back credit cards usually like you to have held a 'normal' credit card before applying for their one.

That is not to say, they won't give you one but they are a lot more fussy so your chances of being rejected are higher than normal.. while with your own bank the chances of being accepted for a credit card are normally the highest.

Hence it can make sense to open/use a credit card with your own bank before applying for 'better offers'

Capital One run lots of different cards/offers, so i don't know which one you are interested in.. but for use abroad the ones I mentioned in my first post are best

Regards
Sunil

gt94sss2

harieta wrote: »

Is it better to apply online or go to the branch?

It doesn't normally make any difference - the credit card operations tend to be a separate division/operation within the bank

Regards
Sunil