Need a credit card for a bankrupt

Unfortunately the Visa Electron is the only card offered on my Abbey National account, so the only way to get a Switch or Delta would be to change banks, a process that is painful these days even for non-bankrupts (2) and difficult for bankrupts. The electron card can only be used for electronic payments, cashpoints and some over the phone stuff, and its 16 digit number is printed not embossed, so it cannot be used on the paper clunk-click type of manual machine.

When I got it 4 years ago only 50% of retailers took it, but now most do as they upgrade to chip and pin systems.

Not really true, many people (like me) pay off the full bill on their credit cards every month so pay no interest to the bank/issuer. The bank/issuer still makes quite sufficient money from the amount they charge to the retailer for accepting your card in payment.

Can they tell the difference between a Visa Credit card and a Visa Debit card?

I think that is more the issue than 'car hire forms won't accept anything except credit cards'. They won't accept *your* particular debit card.

I forgot to add the (1) - added to a later message. Basically, yes you can get credit over £250 as long as you inform the potential lender, and it is illegal not to tell them. In practice though, I think sanctions would only be used against the bankrupt if 's*it hits fan' and the borrowing is defaulted so someone gets upset enough to complain to your receiver. Not sure what penalties would be used as a punishment.

You are far too moralistic about bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy is inevitable in a capitalist economy. It is said that half of all businesses in a given year will fail within 18 months. Thousands go under every year. Every bank has an annual allowance for bad debt, it is just a fact of life.

Far from tightening the legislation, the Government wants to make it easier for people to get back into business after going bankrupt in order to encourage dynamism and risk-taking in the economy.

In the US many successful entrepreneurs have been bankrupt once or even twice before making it big, it is considered just part of the learning process.

With the UK currently loaded up with 1 trillion pounds in consumer debt I think people should be encouraged to go bankrupt when their debts get on top of them -- it might encourage the banks to adopt more sensible lending policies.

Yes, probably true.

However, I have finally had some success , I phoned the customer services desk for one of the online car hire brokers, who confirmed that none of them take Electron - BUT she found me a deal with Europcar who will take the deposit (some £350) in cash, so I'm sorted!

(Europcar being the only car hire co on their list to do this apparently).

I think when the charge is accepted the printout says what it is but a lot of people don't know simply by looking at their own card. My debit card has it in big letters though!

I think the statistics hide the reality. Most of those business don't exactly fail. Someone may lose their job and go freelance for a few months and then be offered another job. They would be included in your category of failures.

I think we should make more effort to distinguish between genuine business failures and crooks. Nobody really tries to penalise the crooks presently.

More sensible lending policies would seem to translate into only lending money to people who don't need it. Maybe that's a bit harsh but there could easily be an argument to say that people should save the money before investing it rather than get it from others. The world seems to be split up into savers, spenders and entrepreneurs pretty clearly, though.

Why can't you pay the rental in cash as well?