The Lemon Fool

Good morning!

I hope it's okay for to post to this board with my queries.

Six and a half years ago I posted on the old board in a bit of a panic, confused and guilt stricken, the amazing posters gave me excellent advice and pointed me in the right direction. I found the courage to become bankrupt, all was well and still is, I've not had any issues with my finances since and those years have flown by.

I've a couple of questions regarding my future,
1 - I'm trying to build my credit up which has been reading on Experian as 997 in order to hopefully get a mortgage sometime soon. I've seen that getting a credit card and paying a small sum ie a food shop off every month could help. Are there any good ones out there? Barclay Card have started sending me applications so am tempted to go with them. Any tips or advice?

2 - In a year or two I am hoping to change my career field and would like to look into accountancy a bit more, I've done web searches on whether I'd still be employable but can't seem to find much information. Is this a crazy thing to consider due to my past? Would people doubt my integrity and view me as a risk? I didn't have any restrictions on my bankruptcy and all was discharged on time.

Thank you for taking the time to read, any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Ontheup wrote:Good morning!

I hope it's okay for to post to this board with my queries.

Six and a half years ago I posted on the old board in a bit of a panic, confused and guilt stricken, the amazing posters gave me excellent advice and pointed me in the right direction. I found the courage to become bankrupt, all was well and still is, I've not had any issues with my finances since and those years have flown by.

I've a couple of questions regarding my future,
1 - I'm trying to build my credit up which has been reading on Experian as 997 in order to hopefully get a mortgage sometime soon. I've seen that getting a credit card and paying a small sum ie a food shop off every month could help. Are there any good ones out there? Barclay Card have started sending me applications so am tempted to go with them. Any tips or advice?

2 - In a year or two I am hoping to change my career field and would like to look into accountancy a bit more, I've done web searches on whether I'd still be employable but can't seem to find much information. Is this a crazy thing to consider due to my past? Would people doubt my integrity and view me as a risk? I didn't have any restrictions on my bankruptcy and all was discharged on time.

Thank you for taking the time to read, any insight would be greatly appreciated.

1) any credit card will do - just make sure it is fee-less and you pay it every month

2) I think the whole point of bankruptcy now days is that you can leave it behind once discharged - but you may find you can't work for a bank.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt- ... ankruptcy/

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt- ... ankruptcy/

Mel

melonfool wrote:
1) any credit card will do - just make sure it is fee-less and you pay it every month

2) I think the whole point of bankruptcy now days is that you can leave it behind once discharged - but you may find you can't work for a bank.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt- ... ankruptcy/

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt- ... ankruptcy/

Mel

Thank you for replying to me.

I took the plunge and applied for a credit card and was accepted - hurrah! That felt like a big and scary step, I'd sworn off credit and haven't needed it in the last few years. I'm just going to treat it as a tool to help better my situation.

Thank you for the links, I'd perhaps been asking Google questions that were too specific!

TSB do a 1% cashback credit card

Barclaycard Cashback provides you with 2 linked cards (1 bill) an American Express card paying 1%, and a Visa card which only pays 0.5% but is more polite.

MikeyWorld wrote:TSB do a 1% cashback credit card

Barclaycard Cashback provides you with 2 linked cards (1 bill) an American Express card paying 1%, and a Visa card which only pays 0.5% but is more polite.

Polite?

Mel

Polite? - more widely accepted. Because American Express cards cost retailers a mint.

Haven't Barclays halved the cash back to 0.25/0.5%? Happened to me last year.

Gryff

gryffron wrote:Haven't Barclays halved the cash back to 0.25/0.5%? Happened to me last year.

I'm still on 1%/0.5%.

Scott.

I tend to use my TSB debit card now. Waft it at a terminal and you get 5% cashback.

Only really use my barclaycard to pay my council tax.

MikeyWorld wrote:I tend to use my TSB debit card now. Waft it at a terminal and you get 5% cashback.

Hmm, how on earth do they make any money out of that? Are the credits capped?

The only cards that have given me 5% or 6% back are specialised travel cards. My Hilton Hotels card gives me 6% but only on stays at Hilton. My Amex card gives me 5% of travel but only if I book through Amex which usually isn't a clever idea.

Otherwise the highest I've ever seen is 3%.

its 5% on the first £100 contactless, max £5 a month, so not good if you spend more than £100 a month. But is does offer 3% on the first £1500 in your account. http://www.tsb.co.uk/current-accounts/c ... s-account/

Lootman wrote:

MikeyWorld wrote:I tend to use my TSB debit card now. Waft it at a terminal and you get 5% cashback.

Hmm, how on earth do they make any money out of that? Are the credits capped?

The only cards that have given me 5% or 6% back are specialised travel cards. My Hilton Hotels card gives me 6% but only on stays at Hilton. My Amex card gives me 5% of travel but only if I book through Amex which usually isn't a clever idea.

Otherwise the highest I've ever seen is 3%.

Yes, it's only on £100pm and it's only on contactless which is automatically capped at a max of £30 per transaction and 3 transactions per day.

I must dig mine out and use it as I don't spend £100pm on contactless but do use it now and then and the cashback is a good rate. I opened the TSB account for the 5% interest in £2k in the current account, 5% contactless cashback (which I keep forgetting to use) and 5% on the regular saver. The last of these has now finished.

Mel