UK Credit Cards.....

your husband should be able to get a credit card through his bank, if he's had his account for a while.

your husband should be able to get a credit card through his bank, if he's had his account for a while.

We bank with the Bank of Scotland and have found them (at least our local branch) to be very very unhelpful.  We are thinking of switching to Royal Bank of Scotland.

I work for the RBS. 

Look into it... i think they are doing some sort of special promotion at the moment, whereby people moving their accounts from other banks are getting some sort of a cash bonus.

I've got one for you.  We were told by Bank of Scotland that we couldn't get a credit card or mortgage for THREE years!  We have actually been told by several places that we can't have credit unless we have had a credit history in the UK for three years.  My husband is from here, and had excellent credit before he moved to the US.  They wouldn't take it into consideration at all, even though they were able to pull it up.  That was this past September.   However,  we didn't give up, and we got our mortgage through another bank and were able to buy a house.  Although we still don't have a credit card. 

really??? how frustrating for you & your husband.

i was able to get a nat west bank account about 1 1/2 months after moving here.  got a debit card with that.  they a couple of months after that i got a natwest credit card.  now i have (3) UK credit cards.  the only one i had a proboem getting was IKEA card, but that was only 2 weeks after changing address.

how strange.

Wondered if anyone's UK spouse who has been living in America has had trouble getting things like a credit card and loan. My UK husband has lived in the US for 9 years. We've just moved here. Bank of Scotland told him not to bother even applying for a credit card or car loan until he officially starts work (fortunately happening next week). I'm just so surprised that they would give even him such a hard time when he's banked with them since he was 4 and is a UK citizen. What is this three year thing anyway?  I'm concerned that we'll be rejected when he applies, especially since I just read in the paper yesterday that 33 million people get rejected every year in the UK.    I'm also upset that they don't even consider my US credit score, when they use the same agencies, such as Experian.   Any advice??

Smootie:  We were exactly the same.  My husband who is from Scotland, has banked with the Bank of Scotland forever.  They said the same thing to him.  Try Capital Finace for a car loan, and maybe try opening up a second account at one of the banks that the other Yanks on the site have had success with.  We have been here since September of 2005, and have bought a car and a house through other lenders with great rates.     

I've got one for you.  We were told by Bank of Scotland that we couldn't get a credit card or mortgage for THREE years!  We have actually been told by several places that we can't have credit unless we have had a credit history in the UK for three years.  My husband is from here, and had excellent credit before he moved to the US.   

RBS/NatWest/UlsterBank will require you to show evidence of a UK address for the last 3 years.
That's why, even UK nationals who have been living abroad, might encounter this problem.