I've been in the UK since May, but I've been subletting apartments. I have a permanent job and I'm able to save 70% of my salary.

I have the bank account in Lloyds and they told me that I'm not eligible for a credit card (almost all my salary, I invest, so theoretically they see it as spendings).

I need a credit card mostly because I want to rent a car and optionally would be nice to have chargeback and some good cashback offers.

How can I get a credit card without a permanent address, taking into consideration my investments (most of the investments are ETFs)?

  • Did Lloyds actually say they didn't think you have enough spare income to get a credit card? – GS - Apologise to Monica Jan 13 '18 at 17:37
  • The guy told me that can't share details and according to the system, I'm not eligible. – qbait Jan 13 '18 at 17:41
  • You could try insisting on getting more details: ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/… – GS - Apologise to Monica Jan 13 '18 at 18:54
  • Are you on the electoral roll? Even though I guess you're not a UK citizen, you might be entitled to be on it as an EU or Commonwealth citizen. That can be quite an important part of a credit check. – GS - Apologise to Monica Jan 13 '18 at 18:55
  • No, I've been the UK resident only for the last 7 months. I've never taken any credit too. Was thinking that the check is mostly about income and expenses. Will check the electoral roll, thank you! – qbait Jan 13 '18 at 19:18

It's hard to get a credit card without being in the UK for over a year and moving around doesn't help. Your best bet would have been to bring a credit card from your home country to use for the first year or so. (I know hindsight and all...) If you are eligible (EU or Commonwealth citizen) make sure you go on the electoral roll everywhere you live, as this is usually what the banks look at, so that eventually you will get a credit card. The way to register has recently changed and might change again after Brexit. The most generic answer on how to register is to google your council's name and "electoral roll".

Having said this, try different banks/providers (Metrobank ?), sometimes it's the luck of the draw. Also look at fee-paying credit cards, at least for the beginning, being willing to splurge out for a gold card can make banks more lenient.

Edited to add: If you want to rent a car in the UK, you could try looking into membership of a car club (zipcar is currently by far the biggest). As this is based on membership, they usually don't require a credit card.


If you work legally in the U.K. then it shouldn’t be difficult to find a local bank which will issue a credit bank.

  • The thing is that I don't need a credit, I wanna credit card to rent a car. I spend 30% of my income and unfortunately, my bank decides that I'm not eligible. – qbait Jan 13 '18 at 16:10
  • If you work legally in the U.K. and have not problems with your judicial system, then banks aren’t right not to give you a credit card, because when you apply for a credit card, your income is the important eligibility requirement. – X Files Jan 13 '18 at 16:23
  • Very weird then, I don't have family and I earn over twice as much as the average British salary. – qbait Jan 13 '18 at 17:40
  • I'm betting the problem is your address screwing up your credit history, not the income/savings angle. – GS - Apologise to Monica Jan 13 '18 at 18:55
  • Working legally in the UK might not even get you a mobile phone contract.... – Marianne013 Jan 24 '18 at 15:40

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