current bank account ?

I got one as soon as I came to the UK, but I had to give them a letter from my employer. I think in your case it would probably easier. Just make sure you're on the electoral Register if you can. Apparently it helps.

It was with Barclays. Though I left after a year for an online bank, but you might prefer to start with a brick and mortar bank.

i'll give them a call and see what they've to say ... where you in the country before / after sept 11? apparently this has had some effect on credit applications :(

I arrived in 1999, so yes, it might have changed. I'm not sure where you are from, but I sure was shocked at how difficult it was to get a simple current account.

yip .... as i'd guessed no can do they even said they couldn't give me a better card infact they would give me something worse

I started with an electron, but they gave me a Visa quickly afterwards and then a Delta.

Surely electron & delta are *both* "visa" debit cards, with electron being the "poor man's" equivalent of "solo".

Yes, when I said Visa, I meant a Visa Credit Card. And I received the Delta after my Credit Card for some reason.

With my bank I only have a solo but im not bothered, as I have a MC gold and amex too. ;)

amex too. ;)

I quite like the Delta, although I'm not using it as much as I used to. I'm not sure why they make it harder to get than the Electron since it's a debit card too.

amex too. ;)

The only trouble with "gold" cards is that *everyone* rich or poor now seems to have them! I do like the amex "blue" card however.

Carlos, I had the same problem when I came to this country 4 years ago. I was with Natwest and only had a solo card (which was pretty much useless in the town I live in, since I believe there were only 2-3 shops which accepted solo cards at the time). We had some intern students in the company I work, and they were given better cards than me (from Natwest) even though I earned more than them and was in a permanent position. I then switched bank - I moved to Smile, and got a decent card (Delta visa). Try another bank and see if it makes a difference.

Although I moved from Barclays to Smile and I am fairly happy with them, there is no guarantee that they will be more understanding. A colleague tried to open an account at smile and was declined although she had been living in the UK for longer than I had.

I don't :o(

Regards, Far

Ok you get the odd small trader who will only take mastercard or visa, but I still manage to use the card for 80% of spending by value, and they have an excellent online interface and the option to "switch off" paper bills so there is less c**p in your letterbox each month.

Oops - I meant I don't have a gold card. I can see the point of getting an Amex blue card but don't wish to cloutter up my wallet with even more cards than I have at the moment.

Regards, Far