www.iva.co.uk

as in the description i am now the proud owner of a visa electron card,so from now on my 40 year old self and countless 16 year olds cannot shop at tescos online! maybe if my iva is approved i will be allowed a grown up bank card in five years or so!

At least you do have a card - mine is only a cashcard from Nationwide so I have to use a prepay if I want to do anything online or in shops.

Other than that it's cash all the way!

Hi Bandit, I have a full Visa from Smile bank which was applied for pre-IVA, never use it, only transfer money there when I need to write a cheque for daughters school. I choose to use my Natwest Solo card, I'm more than happy. Like you say it's not forever.

You're not missing anything by not shopping at Tesco online - when we used them they were useless!

My friend had a problem with Asda - when you place the order they reserve the amount, but rather than taking the payment from the reserved figure they put it through as a new payment when they are going to deliver.

The reserved amount will become available after 10 days, but until that time you cannot use the money. I don't know if all branches do this, but be warned!

When we lived in a first floor flat one Tesco delivery driver wouldn't bring the shopping up as it was 'against health and safety regulations' for him to carry it! Needless to say I had plenty to say about that!

I've just seen on Moneysavingexpert that Tesco now accept the Co-op Electron and upgraded Visa debit cards online.

That news must be hot off the press Skippy. Tesco were still not accepting our Co-op Cashminder electron card online last week. Hopefully they will upgrade their "pay at pumps" to include the card too, which they never have. Never made sense to us that you could use the card in-store and in their petrol station kiosks but not online or at the pump. You're right about Asda too - we used to have to call them after our shopping had been delivered to get them to remove the original earmark. Too much like hard work!!

creditors meeting is a week away,seems too long. funny thing is i have had no letters or calls from any creditors for days (exept barclaycard phone n0 ending 111!) thank the lord for caller id. they ring for ages. do calls and nasty letters stop near to a creditors meeting?

Good luck for your meeting Bandit....Barclaycard have been relentless with us and hubby has been passed on to the dreaded Mercers....still awaiting my date....hope yours all goes to plan.

I heard through the grape vine that the calls do diminish in the period up to the meeting. x

My calls from Mercers carried on up to and including the date of the meeting. Had none since though.

You do sometimes find that they tail off for a few days, but then they start again.

Won't be long now bandit, you've come this far so keep ignoring those calls or taking them whichever way you've decided to move forward with them. Once the IVA is accepted I took great pride in telling them I was protected by an IVA and although Mercers did continue to call my hubby lost his temper one day and shouted check the Insolvency register we're not on there for nothing and the calls stopped from that day to this, coincidence? maybe but won't be long for you.

COYS, I found this on the Moneysavingexpert forum, and it looks like some people have been able to do this since earlier in the month. I'm not sure if it's just cards that have been updated to Visa debit though.

Bandit, you're nearly there and I'm sure you'll be celebrating in a week's time x

I have been able to use my electron card at Asda online with no trouble at all. My gripe is I cant buy petrol at Asda as they only have pay at the pumps and they are the cheapest by a long shot around here and that the card I have from the Halifax is horrid!! A bright "look at me I am crap with money so need to have a nasty card" sort of a green!!

skippy are you saying eg spend £50 at asda online payment goes through within few days off card, but additional £50 not available on your bank balance,for a few weeks.

Yes, apparently that's what happens.