CC with rewards when unemployed?

Zoomclub

I'm on benefits, and am trying to get a cc that will actually give me some rewards/cashback - Been refused by Amazon (Bank of Scotland), and also MBNA - can only assume because I'm not in employment.

LloydsTSB - my current a/c bank for over 10 yrs or so keep offering me a "guaranteed"/just fill the basic form in £3,500 credit limit Platinum card - which I'm not really that interested in having, 'cos there's no c/b or rewards.

They do now do a "Duo - Airmiles" card, which 1 of their staff tried to flog me/give me recently - assuring me that it wasn't just travel that you could use the airmiles for - He actually (rather secretively) showed me a 3-4 page list of other companies/products you could use the airmiles for.

When asked if I could get a copy of that list - to see the full potential benefits of having the card - He mysteriously said "I can't actually give you a copy - but here's a leaflet all about it"
The leaflet just gives the standard blurb about flights etc - no list of other possible benefits.

Does anyone know if any of the worthwhile cc's that offer c/b or rewards accept the lowly unemployed (not through choice)- with no debts or nasty surprises on their credit report - checked with Experian -
Or, is it simply that they have a blanket "No unemployed" policy - even though that is not stated.:mad:

Realise that all lenders have different criteria, and score differently - or so they all say - just seems to be alot of BS around the whole thing!

~Beanie~

I don't think there is a blanket 'No unemployed' policy, just that you won't have much of an income and therefore they can't see how you would repay them.

Lenders won't want to give a card to someone who could potentially run a debt and then claim that they can't afford to pay it back. I'm not suggesting that this is what you would do but plenty of people are slating 'irresponsible' lenders at the moment for giving them credit when they obviously don't have the means to repay!

CannyJock

Have had the Airmiles Duo card for a couple of years now, got about 2000 airmiles that I can't ever find a flight to spend on!

Rather than a cashback card, have you thought about a 0% purchase card instead? Need to be disciplined to actually save your money instead of spending it - idea is that you spend in a controlled manner while it's 0%, repaying the minimum by direct debit. At the same time you're saving your own money instead of spending it (Kaupthing Edge @ 6.5% is a good account, Cash ISA @ 6.5% is even better) and you clear the card off at the end of the 0% period - is called slow stoozing.

You know what they say about it being easier to get debt when you've got debt? Might be worthwhile taking the Airmiles Duo card, repaying it in full each month and building up your credit history that way. Airmiles nowhere near as good as cashback or 0% purchases IMO, but better than no rewards at all.