www.iva.co.uk

Hi I am very new just applying for an IVA and am absolutely petrified. Are you still allowed a debit card to do shopping. Or do you have to draw the cash out first? Would be grateful for any advice

Hi and welcome to the forum. Yes, you can have a debit card when in an IVA. If you haven't already applied for a basic account with a bank which isn't one of your creditors, I would do so now.

Good luck x

Thanks for answering my question Cath, is there any banks which you stand a better chance of acceptance with do you know?

Co-op bank isn't part of any of the big bank groups, they only have a link to Birmingham Midshires.

You can apply over the phone. Mine was accepted straight away. It's the cashminder account.

Thanks l am going to try to get an account

You should be fine, give them a ring now and let us know how you get on. x

Good luck with the Co-op, I'm sure you'll be fine x

good luck down but not out,you should be fine with the coop.thought you would be at the xmas party skippy,see youve got your reply to mail sorted.

hi, yes I got a coop account 2 n half years into my IVA so you should be ok applying , good luck

just remember when going for a coop account that smile is also the coop bank's online arm

Lloyds TSB are also very accommodating, You can apply online as I did and was accepted without any problems. Another thread I have read on here of someone applying on the telephone and again no problems setting up an account. They have a classic account which gives you a Visa Debit card and has no overdraft so it is ideal for use in an IVA. It is a free account, no monthly admin fees!!
You can use the online banking which has all the facilities you need, ie direct debits, standing orders and you can also link a savings account and tranfer between the 2 accounts. I use mine to pay in monies contingency fund.

The Co-op also get good reviews, the only reason I decided on Lloyds is because they are in my High Street if I need to pop in to the bank.

Links to Lloyds TSB are as follows:

Halifax
Bank of Scotland (not RBS)
Cheltenham & Gloucester
Clerical Medical
Scottish Widows

J.

Have Lloyds changed their basic account? When I had it I had a cash card which could only be used in a Lloyds cashpoint, which was absolutely pointless! It was a shame as, other than that, I was happy with the account.

Regarding the Co-op, you don't actually need a local branch as you can bank at the Post Office.

yes they have cash back ok only that you have to draw cash out at lloyds mc but can get cash back at supermarkets and comes with a £10 buffer

I can't understand why they do that. For me it would mean going into town every time I wanted money and that's not an option - I'm not paying to park so I can get my own cash!

I'm with Nationwide and although it is only a cashpoint card I can withdraw from any ATM and with no charges.