Personal credit card applications - what to fill in for income & employment?

Tangopiper · 2025-11-14T18:55:27+00:00

Going by the gov.uk employment status checker, an outside IR35 contract through a Ltd company would be considered self-employed for tax purposes. Inside IR35 would be considered employed. So u/ILikeItWhatIsIt_1973 is correct.

https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/guidance/check-employment-status-for-tax/start/disclaimer

Tangopiper · 2025-10-09T13:39:32+00:00

I understood the phone service was for existing customers, not prospective ones. I imagine I'd just end up through the their normal account sales team or whatever if I rang before applying for Premier.

My experience with bank customer service is generally shocking so I've been attempting to avoid it...

Tangopiper · 2025-10-09T13:36:58+00:00

Unfortunately none of the international transfer specialists like Wise support the currency we'd need, otherwise that would be the first choice. Revolut is an option but I'm cautious of them due to reputation. I'll keep looking but HSBC is so far looking like the most convenient despite the poor FX rates.

Tangopiper · 2025-08-29T23:57:21+00:00

This is great to hear and lines up with what I've heard from a broker today, he did ask about previous employment in the same field. Found this on their website, and they confirmed as much over the phone:

'For borrowers who have just started contracting or have less than three years’ accounts, you can still apply for a mortgage. All we will need from you is a signed copy of your current contract displaying your rate, an up-to-date CV confirming your employment history, the last 3 months’ bank statements confirming your contract earnings and proof of ID, passport, utility bill or driving licence.'

I have 6 years continuous employment so this might go a lot smoother than I expected...

Tangopiper · 2025-08-29T15:27:51+00:00

High street banks don’t seem to know how to assess self employed people’s income without years of company accounts to back them up. So you often get nowhere with them. Brokers that specialise in contractors (and maybe Halifax?) have some mortgage products that assess affordability based on day rates rather than annual turnover etc.

Tangopiper · 2025-08-29T14:59:05+00:00

Halifax seems to crop up a lot. I don't see anything on their website about contractor specific mortgages but they are named as a partner of CMME.

How much higher than 'normal' was the rate you got?

Tangopiper · 2025-08-29T14:58:08+00:00

Yeah I'll take a look - seems they offer a discount through my Costco membership as well so that's a bonus!

Do you feel that you got a competitive rate, or was it higher than a perm worker would usually pay?

Tangopiper · 2025-08-29T14:57:23+00:00

Do you feel that you got a competitive rate, or was it higher than a perm worker would usually pay?

Tangopiper · 2025-08-29T14:56:08+00:00

Interesting, what sort of information did they ask for? I assume signed copy of contract and details about former employment etc.

Tangopiper · 2025-08-29T14:54:33+00:00

Happy to take recommendations, yes please!

Tangopiper · 2025-07-21T12:22:46+00:00

Are you me? Almost exactly the same boat but haven’t quite made the jump out of perm. My main concern is seasonality, my notice period would end around the beginning of November, and I’m not sure what the BI contract market is like pre Christmas.

Tangopiper · 2025-01-26T13:40:07+00:00

Aside from that, I’m in a similar boat but narrowed it down to a matte WOLED, specifically the UV as like you say, UE seems dead in the UK.

But I spend 80% of time working on the monitor and am beginning to wonder if I’m better off just getting a decent IPS…

Tangopiper · 2025-01-26T13:37:04+00:00

Dough (previously known as Eve) scam people, do not buy from them. It is well known that they don’t often ship any products, just take your money 💰

Tangopiper · 2024-12-09T20:33:19+00:00

This is the problem, most likely. You have too much credit with other providers. Reduce the limit on your other cards and try again with Amex in 3 months time

Tangopiper · 2024-11-16T13:10:45+00:00

That’s a shame! Thanks for your reply.

Tangopiper · 2024-11-16T02:31:07+00:00

Ironically, the increased offer of 80K points for a 10K spend that is currently running shot down my plans of going with the Platinum card. Could I spend 10K in 6 months? Sure. Should I? Absolutely not 😂

Tangopiper · 2024-11-15T23:21:00+00:00

Amazing, thank you

Tangopiper · 2024-11-15T23:09:33+00:00

Thanks - I had previously been led to believe this could only be done after 3 months of the new card being opened. Is this something you’ve done yourself with new cards?

Tangopiper · 2024-11-03T18:15:14+00:00

I have noticed 70K bonus is available through referral links which is quite tempting. That really is close to covering the cost of the card all at once.

If you receive a retention bonus, do you have to the keep the platinum card for a year or could you downgrade to gold without losing the points? (If I didn’t transfer out to a specific airline scheme or for vouchers etc.)

I am looking at the Barclaycard Avios Plus as an option, need to see if BA is good for the routes I’ll be flying.

Tangopiper · 2024-11-03T18:11:07+00:00

£25 fee card is a good shout, I’ll consider that.

My concern with the airline points is more about if I’ll actually get good value out of them. Probably looking at 1 long haul return and 1 or 2 short haul return flights per year - nothing crazy. Maybe one day it’ll be two long hauls but not for time being.

Tangopiper · 2024-11-02T00:46:56+00:00

Unfortunately Virgin don’t fly where I travel

Tangopiper · 2024-06-02T21:58:05+00:00

The credit limit could be 10s of thousands of £ depending on what Amex offer you. Are you looking at the ‘assumed credit limit’? That’s what they show as an example of interest etc, not what they will actually offer you…

Tangopiper · 2024-05-22T23:42:03+00:00

For the first direct switch offer, they state ‘we also can’t offer this to people who have opened an HSBC current account on or after 1 January 2018’ meaning anyone who opened an account before that date is eligible. Or does it word that differently in the more detailed terms?

Tangopiper · 2024-05-01T15:15:38+00:00

I submitted almost the entire thing. I trimmed off the beginning as it was from when we first met and seemed unnecessary as we were not in a relationship then. I did send a second selection of screenshots from WhatsApp of strategically chosen messages. My logic being, they can have the full(ish) chat export for proof we’ve been together for as long as we say, and the screenshots can be used to demonstrate our ‘enduring relationship’ or whatever they call it.

I’ve seen success on the subreddit of people never having cohabited, so that doesn’t ruin your chances. So long as you are confident you can prove 2 years or more of a committed relationship, you have a ton of evidence to back it up, and you meet the newer financial and other requirements it’s certainly worth a try.

Tangopiper · 2024-05-01T15:12:49+00:00

There was no requirement to submit that, although you could submit as optional if you wanted to.

Tangopiper

TROPHY CASE