Newbie needing much help please

I hope some of you can help me out here.  I am just married and living in England.  I am having a lot of trouble getting a bank account, even being added onto my husband's account, because I do not have proof of address.  Well...how do I get my name added onto anything without a bank account? 

I need to start building credit here and need to apply for a credit card.  I have heard the easiest way to do that is to do it through your bank here in England.

Do any of you have any suggestions for me please? 

Get your name added to a utility bill and show them that....if they're still refusing to let your name be added to your husbands account then find another bank,seems a bit unusual that they won't let you on his if you can prove that you're married

They might give you what's called a Basic account.
No checking funtion to it and the atm card can only be used at the branch's atm's, but it's a start.
You might also write for some information from some government agency and go in with the reply letter.

You do need to be on a utility bill, your hubby just calls up and adds you to one.  This is what my hubby did, he also request a new statement with my name on it.  When it arrived we went to Barclays and I was added, plus opened my own account.

I used my NHS card to get added onto my husband's account. They seemed satisfied enough with that, my passport, and my marriage certificate.

Hi there, it's quite easy to get "proof of address."  Just sit down with your husband, call your utilities (gas, electric, water, telephone, etc.) and have them add your name to the account.  (They usually asked to speak to both my fiance and myself when we did this, as he was the account-holder.)  We also asked for confirmation letters that this was done, or else we'd have to wait until we received the next bill from them, and with so many of our utilities paid quarterly and/or by direct debit, we don't receive many bills in the mail.
You should also do the same thing with your local council, for the council tax bill, and do it as soon as you can.  I think that's one of the most widely accepted proofs of address here.
As soon as my name was on the council tax bill, I marched right into my local HSBC and opened a current account, and they offered me a credit card on the spot too (which, of course, I took).

You do need to be on a utility bill, your hubby just calls up and adds you to one.  This is what my hubby did, he also request a new statement with my name on it.  When it arrived we went to Barclays and I was added, plus opened my own account.

I thought the OP said she was having trouble being added to her husbands account

I thought the OP said she was having trouble being added to her husbands account

Bank account, she is having trouble getting added to.  You can simply read that.  So I suggested she get added to a UTILITY bill, so that she then can get added to her husbands Bank account.  It is good you are here to police the posts.

 

I hope some of you can help me out here.  I am just married and living in England.  I am having a lot of trouble getting a bank account, even being added onto my husband's account, because I do not have proof of address.  Well...how do I get my name added onto anything without a bank account? 

I need to start building credit here and need to apply for a credit card.  I have heard the easiest way to do that is to do it through your bank here in England.

Do any of you have any suggestions for me please? 

You can get added to a utility bill or as I did open a Sky account and they do not ask for your bank account details.  Good luck...

Bank account, she is having trouble getting added to.  You can simply read that.  So I suggested she get added to a UTILITY bill, so that she then can get added to her husbands Bank account.  It is good you are here to police the posts.

 

WTF are you on about? Go back and read your post and pry the stick from your ars* while you're at it.

WTF are you on about? Go back and read your post and pry the stick from your ars* while you're at it.

Reread, thanks for the advice.

ChickUSA, I totally know what you're on about.  I too have been having problems getting added to my husbands bank account.  Everything that I seemed to show them wasn't to the banks satisfaction and it was not until the bank manager of his local bank called to have a chat with him about his service did anything come about it.  I told the Bank Manager that my husband would not set up a meeting with her because we have had nothing but problems with her bank and that they won't add me to his account and that we were switching banks.  Only then did she offer to take the name addition into her hands, but I'm still waiting for confirmation on that    Meanwhile I have 4 paychecks in my handbag waiting to be cashed.... grrrrr

Thanks to all.  I will ask him to call the utility people and try to put me on that.   So, say, that works and then I get added to his bank account, how easy will it be for me to get a credit card?  I see some of you just got one very easily.  But how do they give you one without you having any credit here?  I mean I have great credit in the U.S. and have credit cards there, but if my credit doesn't transfer....

how easy will it be for me to get a credit card? I see some of you just got one very easily. But how do they give you one without you having any credit here? I mean I have great credit in the U.S. and have credit cards there, but if my credit doesn't transfer....

I guess since I went with such a large, multi-national bank, giving me £500 worth of credit per month wasn't much of a risk for them.

I know some people here have obtained a copy of their credit report from Experian in the US and included it with some UK credit applications.  I don't know how much influence that has on their decision whether or not to extend credit to you, but it probably can't hurt, especially if you get your credit report for free.

I was told you can't have a credit card here until you've been a resident for one year, however, my husband easily added me as an additional cardholder on his credit card

i got offered a debit card straight away.  i applied for a credit card through the same bank a few months later.  they would only give me a £500 limit.  over three years i've worked it up to £5,000.  slow and tedious process.