Average history length before mainstream CC

I went a long time without credit cards or loans so I had nothing on my credit file other than a joint mortgage (in good standing) and a joint current account (no overdraft but in good standing). I am in full-time employment with a reasonable income.

Eligibility checkers gave a low chance of most cards so I got a Vanquis card with £500 limit, within about 3 months it was at £1000 limit and after 9 months it was at £1500. At that point I opened a new current account (no overdraft) with Nationwide and was offered one of their credit cards. After that I was able to get pretty much any card I applied for. I don't use my credits cards that much as my wife has a card with decent cashback rates so we use that most of the time. I tend to spend a little on each card every month just to keep them active, I always pay in full every month. I have a couple of cards closed due to inactivity. I don't know if there is any secret or trick to it but obviously keeping accounts in good order is important.

If you have a decent income with sensible outgoings and no negative markers on your credit report it could be worth just trying for a mainstream card and see how it goes, if you get rejected you could probably still apply for a sub-prime and get accepted.

Mine was 10 months, but I suspect that if I hadn’t moved house it would of been sooner.

I started with a Cap 1 - £200 limit and Aqua £250 limit. Cap 1 is now £1200 and Aqua is £4000. Mainstream is with first direct.

Can be achieved quite quickly

After completing a DMP in June 2013:

• October 2014: Barclaycard Initial with £400 limit and now with £1,200 limit.
• September 2016: Barclaycard Hilton Honors with £2,000 limit.
• August 2017: Santander All in One with £3,900 limit
• June 2019: American Express Platinum Cashback Everyday with £5,000 limit

The Santander card has a £3 month fee and 0.5% cashback so it's been my main card to make sure the cashback exceeded the fee.

Now that I've got the Amex, that's become my main card as it's 5% cashback for three months, 0.5% after that (and 1% when more than £5,000 on the card) - and no fee! I'm going to contact Santander to convert the card into their Everyday card.

The Barclaycard Hilton Honors is my "second card", primarily for several subscriptions and stays at Hilton hotels.

I've stopped using the Barclaycard Initial (now Forward) card but will hold on to it.

All cards get paid off in full every month. I just wish it hadn't taken £50,000 of credit card debt (mainly frittered away on "stuff") to learn how to use credit cards properly!