How To Get A Credit Card In Ireland With Bad Credit
Bad credit can happen to anyone, and once you've accepted your responsibilities for resolving it, you need a chance to start over and build better credit history. But how do you build good credit if nobody will give you credit?
You'll have to start small, and you may have to start with a secured credit card. Finding a card issuer who will issue an unsecured credit cardto someone with poor credit is well nigh impossible in Ireland. That means, you'll have to use a secured card for awhile. In other words, if you want a credit card with a €500 spending limit, you will have to have €500 on deposit with the lending institution for them to open an account for you. It also means that if you default on your card, you're out the €500.
But if you do your upmost to pay on time and in full, you can gradually start building up your credit again. There is no fixed answer for when a credit card issuer will let you switch to an unsecured card, but if you've been responsible for six months, it is worthwhile to ask. Your credit limit is likely to remain very low, but dealing with a low limit unsecured credit card will help you get an unsecured credit card with a higher limit eventually.
The days when anyone in any financial condition could easily get an unsecured loan or credit card are over. Credit is tighter than ever, so you have to prove to the issuers that you're good for the money. By using a secured credit card and establishing a history of paying responsibly and on time, your bad credit record will gradually improve.
Another option for things like online shopping is to get a prepaid credit card. Once it is "loaded up" with a certain amount of money, you are able to use it for online purchases and generally anywhere you can use credit cards. But beware: once you've drained the card of all its value, you can't do any more shopping until you load up your card with more money. This is a good tool for students traveling abroad for the first time, too, and is a good stop gap measure for those coming out of a bad financial situation trying to get back on their feet again financially.
