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Re: Thinking of applying for a Crap One credit card!
I did have to think very carefully about whether or not to get involved with credit again. I certainly didn't need to, as I had current accounts with debit cards, a Bank of Baroda saving account with a VISA card, and a Kalixa prepaid MasterCard. I could have completed any transactions I needed to complete for years without ever needing a credit card.
The negative side with Vanquis is the spam. The interest rate doesn't bother me, as I've no intention of ever paying interest. Possibly, once every couple of years, pay off less than the full balance just so they get something for having you as a customer. They try very hard and very aggressively to get you to take out idiotic insurance policies, and even to pay for a credit report on which they presumably get paid a commission.
That is only the telephone spam you have to endure before you sign up. You then get SMS spam every month telling you how much money you've got left to spend (as if you don't bloody know), although with the right cell phone that can be blocked. If you don't cave in to the insurance spam at the start (and you definitely shouldn't), you will also get occasional nuisance calls trying to get you to change your mind.
I use a Two Cell Phone Strategy. I have a cheap second cell phone that I use effectively as a dummy, giving the number to all those who insist on having a cell phone number when they shouldn't. No-one except a trusted contact would ever get my real, personal cell phone number.
Vanquis is a pain, but it can be kept within manageable proportions if you know what to expect in advance, and take the right steps to combat it. It is also a useful step on the rehabilitation ladder, as I'm sure my credit rating would be a lot lower without the green markers from a credit card over the past 15 months.
SH
Originally posted by julian
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The negative side with Vanquis is the spam. The interest rate doesn't bother me, as I've no intention of ever paying interest. Possibly, once every couple of years, pay off less than the full balance just so they get something for having you as a customer. They try very hard and very aggressively to get you to take out idiotic insurance policies, and even to pay for a credit report on which they presumably get paid a commission.
That is only the telephone spam you have to endure before you sign up. You then get SMS spam every month telling you how much money you've got left to spend (as if you don't bloody know), although with the right cell phone that can be blocked. If you don't cave in to the insurance spam at the start (and you definitely shouldn't), you will also get occasional nuisance calls trying to get you to change your mind.
I use a Two Cell Phone Strategy. I have a cheap second cell phone that I use effectively as a dummy, giving the number to all those who insist on having a cell phone number when they shouldn't. No-one except a trusted contact would ever get my real, personal cell phone number.
Vanquis is a pain, but it can be kept within manageable proportions if you know what to expect in advance, and take the right steps to combat it. It is also a useful step on the rehabilitation ladder, as I'm sure my credit rating would be a lot lower without the green markers from a credit card over the past 15 months.
SH
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