Can anyone suggest why I might be refused a credit card, please?

[Flllightattendant]

I have been trying to get one and applied online for two different ones, but been refused and it is worrying me!

I have a great credit record to my own knowledge - I owe around 2k on my overdraft (authorised, paying off steadily with the same bank I've been with for 15 years. I also have a loan with £4k remaining to pay, also with this bank.

I have never defaulted on anything, I missed one monthly minimum payment (which I always tend to pay off straight away usually) with La Redoute at the time I had my baby last summer, which was only about £50, so can't imagine that would count against me?

I've never had a credit card but was looking to use it for everyday shopping whilst paying off overdraft, to minimise interest.

Am now feeling very paranoid...Is this possibly the credit crunch I've heard about, or need I be worried?

Or is it because I'm a single unemployed mum?

Thanks for any thoughts.

To become debt free I did exactly as Mosschops said, though this was a good few years ago. I did a spreadsheet of all my existing debts - CCs, car loans, loans etc -and the payments on each for each month until they were paid off. This was really scary but worthwhile as I could see at a glance what would be paid off when, and how long each had to run.

Then I wrote down a budget for each month for necessary spending on food, travel, rent etc, and any spare cash left over was divided by 4 and that was my spending money each week. Took a while to clear the debts but so worth it. Good luck in your endeavours

Thanks guys that really does help.

I know, Mossy I have been wondering exactly what has changed in me that I have not been told by the bank that I need to pay this off, like I was last time (scary phone call, taken in to talk to the man in a suit etc) but am still doing it. I still have my 4.5k limit but am not using it. I think it was realising that it was up to me, and that I needed to prove it to myself tht I could pay it off myself without any pressure from the bank, that was the trip switch. Otherwise it was just a cycle of blaming them for the fact I had accepted their generous offer of money that was not mine

I am not 100% sure that I would not fall into that mindset again, which is why the CC is probably a crpa idea now, but I am at least hjopeful that I have made a change inside my head, and would not allow it to happen again.
Time will tell..

mosschops, yes they get you to gvie them card details then you have to cancel it. I forgot the first month that's why I mentioned it

our problems have all come about since dc's were born. The old going from full to part-time work for me. Plus having to move as pur house was too small. Our extra mortgage payment is a struggle and the house we bought was in a worse state than we'd thought. BUT it's pretty much done now so i'm hopeing that once I sort things out this time we'll be ok. and if you look at our finiancial situation as a whole we are actually in a good position.

so you are allowed to cancel it before the first payment goes?
How much was first month, thats the kind of thing i would do

(sorry for hijack FA but would be interested to c if any old debts on there)

Strikes me that it is similar to my earlier battle with anorexia. That was about me taking responsibility and knowing 'this has to stop' too. I haven't gone back to that thank god.
Maybe there is a pattern here?

Oh no probs girls, happy to host a discussion wherever it leads!

mosschops, think it was £5.99. You get a month free, IIRC, so you can cancel before the first payment. I was too busy, or stupid , to remember!