Representative Example: If you spend £1,200 at a purchase interest rate of 29.64% (variable) your representative APR will be 29.6% APR (variable)
£1200
29.6 % APR
Representative ExampleRepresentative ExampleThis is an example of the Purchase APR, Representative APR and credit limit you could be offered by this provider. Remember, your personal offer may be different to this so make sure you read the details of any offer a credit card company makes you.: If you spend £1,200 at a purchase interest rate of 29.64% (variable) your representative APRRepresentative APRThe annualised rate of interest you will be charged on any balances that incur interest charges. The Representative APR is the rate that has to be offered to 51% of customers applying for a card. Remember, 0% interest offers don't incur interest charges. will be 29.6% APR (variable)
£1200
29.7 % APR
Representative ExampleRepresentative ExampleThis is an example of the Purchase APR, Representative APR and credit limit you could be offered by this provider. Remember, your personal offer may be different to this so make sure you read the details of any offer a credit card company makes you.: If you spend £1,200 at a purchase interest rate of 29.72% (variable) your representative APRRepresentative APRThe annualised rate of interest you will be charged on any balances that incur interest charges. The Representative APR is the rate that has to be offered to 51% of customers applying for a card. Remember, 0% interest offers don't incur interest charges. will be 29.7% APR (variable)
£1000
29.8 % APR
Representative ExampleRepresentative ExampleThis is an example of the Purchase APR, Representative APR and credit limit you could be offered by this provider. Remember, your personal offer may be different to this so make sure you read the details of any offer a credit card company makes you.: If you spend £1,000 at a purchase interest rate of 29.84% (variable) your representative APRRepresentative APRThe annualised rate of interest you will be charged on any balances that incur interest charges. The Representative APR is the rate that has to be offered to 51% of customers applying for a card. Remember, 0% interest offers don't incur interest charges. will be 29.8% APR (variable)
£1500
29.8 % APR
Representative ExampleRepresentative ExampleThis is an example of the Purchase APR, Representative APR and credit limit you could be offered by this provider. Remember, your personal offer may be different to this so make sure you read the details of any offer a credit card company makes you.: If you spend £1,200 at a purchase interest rate of 29.84% (variable) your representative APRRepresentative APRThe annualised rate of interest you will be charged on any balances that incur interest charges. The Representative APR is the rate that has to be offered to 51% of customers applying for a card. Remember, 0% interest offers don't incur interest charges. will be 29.8% APR (variable)
£1200
34.9 % APR
Representative ExampleRepresentative ExampleThis is an example of the Purchase APR, Representative APR and credit limit you could be offered by this provider. Remember, your personal offer may be different to this so make sure you read the details of any offer a credit card company makes you.: If you spend £1,200 at a purchase interest rate of 34.9% (variable) your representative APRRepresentative APRThe annualised rate of interest you will be charged on any balances that incur interest charges. The Representative APR is the rate that has to be offered to 51% of customers applying for a card. Remember, 0% interest offers don't incur interest charges. will be 34.9% APR (variable)
£1200
34.9 % APR
Representative ExampleRepresentative ExampleThis is an example of the Purchase APR, Representative APR and credit limit you could be offered by this provider. Remember, your personal offer may be different to this so make sure you read the details of any offer a credit card company makes you.: If you spend £1,200 at a purchase interest rate of 34.91% (variable) your representative APRRepresentative APRThe annualised rate of interest you will be charged on any balances that incur interest charges. The Representative APR is the rate that has to be offered to 51% of customers applying for a card. Remember, 0% interest offers don't incur interest charges. will be 34.9% APR (variable)
£1200
34.9 % APR
Representative ExampleRepresentative ExampleThis is an example of the Purchase APR, Representative APR and credit limit you could be offered by this provider. Remember, your personal offer may be different to this so make sure you read the details of any offer a credit card company makes you.: If you spend £1,200 at a purchase interest rate of 34.91% (variable) your representative APRRepresentative APRThe annualised rate of interest you will be charged on any balances that incur interest charges. The Representative APR is the rate that has to be offered to 51% of customers applying for a card. Remember, 0% interest offers don't incur interest charges. will be 34.9% APR (variable)
£1500
34.9 % APR
Representative ExampleRepresentative ExampleThis is an example of the Purchase APR, Representative APR and credit limit you could be offered by this provider. Remember, your personal offer may be different to this so make sure you read the details of any offer a credit card company makes you.: If you spend £1,200 at a purchase interest rate of 34.94% (variable) your representative APRRepresentative APRThe annualised rate of interest you will be charged on any balances that incur interest charges. The Representative APR is the rate that has to be offered to 51% of customers applying for a card. Remember, 0% interest offers don't incur interest charges. will be 34.9% APR (variable)
£1000
34.9 % APR
Representative ExampleRepresentative ExampleThis is an example of the Purchase APR, Representative APR and credit limit you could be offered by this provider. Remember, your personal offer may be different to this so make sure you read the details of any offer a credit card company makes you.: If you spend £1,000 at a purchase interest rate of 34.96% (variable) your representative APRRepresentative APRThe annualised rate of interest you will be charged on any balances that incur interest charges. The Representative APR is the rate that has to be offered to 51% of customers applying for a card. Remember, 0% interest offers don't incur interest charges. will be 34.9% APR (variable)
£1500
35.9 % APR
Representative ExampleRepresentative ExampleThis is an example of the Purchase APR, Representative APR and credit limit you could be offered by this provider. Remember, your personal offer may be different to this so make sure you read the details of any offer a credit card company makes you.: If you spend £1,200 at a purchase interest rate of 35.94% (variable) your representative APRRepresentative APRThe annualised rate of interest you will be charged on any balances that incur interest charges. The Representative APR is the rate that has to be offered to 51% of customers applying for a card. Remember, 0% interest offers don't incur interest charges. will be 35.9% APR (variable)
£1000
39.9 % APR
Representative ExampleRepresentative ExampleThis is an example of the Purchase APR, Representative APR and credit limit you could be offered by this provider. Remember, your personal offer may be different to this so make sure you read the details of any offer a credit card company makes you.: If you spend £1,000 at a purchase interest rate of 39.94% (variable) your representative APRRepresentative APRThe annualised rate of interest you will be charged on any balances that incur interest charges. The Representative APR is the rate that has to be offered to 51% of customers applying for a card. Remember, 0% interest offers don't incur interest charges. will be 39.9% APR (variable)
Poor credit credit cards are designed to help you if you have a bad, or non-existent, credit record. These cards accept people who would be rejected for a mainstream credit card. They are an excellent way of building up a good credit record if you get one, use it sensibly, and pay your balance off in full each month. However, they have very high interest rates – 29%APR – 35%APR typically – so NEVER spend more than you can afford to pay back.
If you’ve applied and been rejected for a credit card, read this before applying again.
Blindly reapplying for other cards can make the problem even worse as failed applications can damage your credit rating, making it even harder to obtain credit creating a vicious circle of rejection.
So, stop and assess why you’ve been turned down and then find the card most likely to accept you. Every card company has their own criteria for lending, so if one rejected you that doesn’t mean they all will.
Before you apply again, find out which cards match your profile using our advanced credit matching technology;, this clever service will tell you which credit cards you are most likely to be accepted for, without leaving a footprint on your credit record – so using it won’t affect your credit rating.
Don’t assume you’ll only get a “bad credit” card, you may be pleasantly surprised. But whatever result you get, use your new credit card to improve your credit rating.
Every lender has different acceptance criteria, so it’s hard to know which card to apply for. Enter a few details and our advanced credit matching technology shows you the cards you’re more likely to be approved for – and those that might reject you.
Acceptance still isn’t guaranteed, but by applying for cards that our advanced credit matching technology; recommends, you are over 250% more likely to be accepted than people not using the tool. Being rejected is not only a waste of time, it can damage your credit rating, so simply by using our advanced credit matching technology you are taking a step towards a better credit rating.
Bad credit credit cards are designed for people who have had credit problems in the past or have little history of borrowing at all. If you fall into either category you represent an above-average risk to the lender, so you pay for that risk with higher interest rates and fewer special offers. As these cards are expensive, with the exception of strict use of the odd 0% introductory offer, they’re not great for new borrowing. But, if used sensibly – that means paying the balance off in full each month - they can help you build up a good credit score.
You’re likely to fall into the poor credit category if you have...
Using a credit card the right way is one of the best means of improving your credit score and, over time, gaining access to better rates and products. Here’s how:
If our advanced credit matching technology suggests you don’t qualify for any bad credit credit cards, don’t despair. There are some alternatives which our advanced credit matching technology will automatically suggest:
Pre-paid cards offer some of the benefits of credit cards including, in some cases, the ability to build your credit rating. But you can never spend money you can’t afford as these cards have to be pre-loaded with cash. The drawback to them is that their fees can be expensive.
A secured card works like a normal credit card except that, if your application is accepted, you have to put down a security deposit before you receive your card. These cards are a last resort for anyone who can’t get a normal credit card. They do offer some of the benefits of a standard card including building credit history and access to some credit. When you close the account, provided you haven’t missed any payments and there is no outstanding balance, you should get your deposit back in full.
These cards are about building your credit rating. You need to show that you can play by the rules in order for this ‘good behaviour’ to end up on your credit file – you may even be offered an upgrade to a normal credit card.
Occasionally, for very short term borrowing, a pay-day loan can be an alternative if you haven’t already got a credit card – they’re expensive, even in the short term, and only compare favourably to unauthorised borrowing on an overdraft.
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2Our credit card comparison services (excluding the Granite Card, Luma Card and Fluid Card) are provided by Media Ingenuity Limited trading as TotallyMoney.com. Media Ingenuity Limited is an appointed representative of MI Money Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA FRN: 511936).