Granite Credit Card - www.granitecard.co.uk

I receive my statement, i contact Granite to pay the outstanding, im then told i will have to pay interest the following month, i said im paying this months statement why do i have to pay interest when i wont have any outstanding, they said "you have to have 2 clear months statements"

My card is now in pieces as i have never heard of anything like that with any other credit card company. The male said, "you will only be about £6.00 owing", i said, if its only £6 why dont you scrub it out!!

I got this card around two and a half years ago and I still use it. The APR is high (34.9%) but this is what you can expect if you have a low credit rating or no credit. The call centre is easy to go hold of someone and they have reasonable customer service. I make sure I pay at least more than the minimum payment, at least if its only a few pounds more and my credit limit has gone up over the years. from £150 then £550 and now its £1500. I have become a gold member which means I have a 0207 number to call instead of a 0845/0844 and my call gets answered quicker. I would have given 5 stars if they had lowered my APR when they upped my limit or made me gold. I would have used the card more but we can't have everything!

Reality check: Vanquish Bank is essentially a trailer-park-lender, that means they will advance to credit to individuals mainstream lenders would not allow anywhere near an unsecured line of credit.

BUT, once you have that in mind it represents an opportunity to potentially get your credit in order and get a little further up the credit food chain. Of course reading the reviews here its obvious that a lot of people who apply for one cannot manage the loose change in their pocket never mind a credit account.

However, if you make the effort and have the discipline to not repeat self destructive behavior all over again, 18 months with one of these and you might just be taken seriously by the bigger lenders. A word of warning, if you have credit outstanding already, especially payday loans they WILL turn you down flat so don't try to use it as another lifeline, it will cost you dear.

The key element here is that you stand a chance of getting credit where a smart person can get a 56 day interest free loan assuming they pay off the balance on the due day and keep their spending manageable. How much would a 56 day loan cost with Wonga? more than the loan amount probably.

Quick application, I paid over the minimum payment and got fast increases. Helpful on the phone with a good interactive service. I need a loan and the interest rate being offered is higher than the 34.9 apr with this card. Both myself and my wife have cards and are very happy with them.

We have to remember we were bankrupt only 18 months ago and no one else would touch us and I think the card company has been really good but I have over paid every month can't comment if you go behind.

Jd