As regular readers may know, I am now out of my IVA!
However, I've hit my first hurdle in my plans.
Now I have some money,I want to travel, and applied for the Vanquis card to use when booking into a hotel (just wanted it for the deposit hotels abroad take when you check in)the hotel would be paid for before I arrive, and was turned down.
Has anyone travelled say to the USA without a credit card?
I would hate to get there, and find I couldn't book into a hotel all because I didn't have a card!
I'm wondering if things may have changed seeing as the economic situation over there is quite dire!
I've never personally travelled to the States so don't konw about the credit card.
I know Vanquis do decline some people and others are granted one so not sure on their criteria. What about a pre-paid card does anyone think this would help struggling get to America. x
IVA final payment left the bank on the 26th January 2013...looking forward to a debt free future.
If I remember rightly you need a credit card if you hire a car, and unless you go to a city, you really need one o get around. However it is a while since I've been there so things might have changed.
Capital One do a card for bad credit, try them.
The other thing is to wait until the IVA drops off your record before applying for one.
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk
Congrats on your completion, well done. Think it depends on what kind of hotel you stay in? If you book the hotel before hand, make sure to ask them if there is any problem with having no CC upon check in (no need to go into any detail), so long as it is paid up front they will probably only ask for a cash deposit on arrival for "incidentals", you can always haggle if it seems a bit steep, they will probably just welcome the custom to be honest and you get your money back when checking out so long as you have not used the deposit. Hope it works out any hows.
The hotel may be ok, it's car hire that could be a problem.
To be honest, I think I'd leave the states until I had a credit card.
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk
I think car hire may be a problem wherever you go. The car hire companies are usually the same ones.
Might be an idea to email them and see what they say.
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk
I can say that almost a certainty you will need a credit crad, I travelled often before my IVA and without a credit card I dont think you can survive and you will not be able to hire a card
Hi,
I've just travelled to Spain for a holiday which was booked pre-IVA. Although I initially booked a hire car on credit card several months before the holiday when I arrived at the airport I had already started my IVA application. I had already destroyed all my credit cards and was dreading being turned down by the hire car company. I told them that I no longer used credit cards and the company were fine. They just required my passport and return flight details and pre-payment for fuel. I had to return the car as empty of fuel as possible. I think if you use a company where you pre-pay for your fuel, you should be ok. I used a company called Gold Car and their cars were to the standard you would expect from Hertz, Avis or any of the big companies. It may be worth a try.
I work in Travel and can say from my experience and reading car hire terms and conditions, whislt you might get away with it in Europe (depending on the country and car hire company) it is unlikely you would manage without a credit card in the US [:(]
Only way would be to speak to Car Hire firm directly and double check - many would request large cash deposit or pre-auth a very large sum debited from your bank card.
You can also take out various types of excess waiver insurances (each coompany has a different name for this) which effectively means you pay a daily supplement but then the excess is reduced or removed and so the deposits come down a lot.
Good luck [:)]
"Hope is the feeling you have that the feeling you have isn't permanent." - Jean Kerr
IVA approved Aug 2008 - 6 year term - last payment made 6 Oct 2014. CC received 14 Nov 2014.
America is totally different to Europe. It is all geared towards a credit card.
You need to check with the hire company
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk
Lots of car hire firms won't accept pre-paid credit cards unless there is sufficient balance to auth and hold the whole deposit amount which could be anywhere up to £1500 or more for some cars depending on country and car type etc... if you read the excess rules they are some scary amounts quoted - not like home car insurance of a couple of hundred pounds I'm afraid.
The reason they take credit cards is that the credit card company will approve and honour the amount pre authorised to it and if that took you over your credit limit then so be it and you would end up with fees. Either that or if you didn't have enough available credit on the card it would be declined and you wouldn't be allowed to take the car - again depending on the card issuer.
Either way not good for us in IVA's if you need to hire a car - like Jan says best to check with the car hire company involved as only they will be able to say for sure what their policy is. Not ideal I know [:(]
"Hope is the feeling you have that the feeling you have isn't permanent." - Jean Kerr
IVA approved Aug 2008 - 6 year term - last payment made 6 Oct 2014. CC received 14 Nov 2014.