The key with credit cards is to understand and appreciate that its not your money, and that whatever you spend you will have to repay, its your choice whether you decide to pay default charges and lengthy interest repayments on the debt.

Please find our suggested pros and cons of plastic:

Advantages

• Cheaper for short term borrowing: 
  Credit cards can be cheaper than a personal loan for short term borrowing – interest is only paid on the remaining debt, not the full loan amount.
• Greater flexibility:
  You only need to pay a minimum amount each month or you can pay up to the total outstanding amount.
• No redemption penalties:
  Paying off a loan early can result in redemption penalties.

• Interest free credit period:
  Typically, up to 56 days interest free credit can be obtained.
• Remote purchasing:
  Enables you to purchase products and services remotely via the internet or phone.
• Additional benefits:
  Many cards offer additional benefits such as additional insurance cover on purchases, cash back, air miles and discounts on holidays.

Disadvantages

• Expensive cash withdrawals:
  Withdrawing cash from a cashpoint can be very expensive with fee ranging from £1.50 to 2% of the amount withdrawn.
• Insufficient credit limit:
  You may not be able to obtain as much credit as you want, and because you credit rating is based upon a score of risk, it might take months before you have built up a high enough credit rating in order to get the credit limit you are after.
• Easier to get into debt:
  Particularly for students in between lectures, Credit cards can encourage the purchasing of goods and services you cannot really afford; supporting a ‘buy now, worry later’ mentality.

• Open to fraudulent use:
  Using a credit card, especially remotely, introduces an element of risk as the card details may fall into the wrong hands resulting in fraudulent purchases on the card. This is especially pertinent whilst at university.

You couldn’t make this story up, and while it would be a welcomed addition to typical Street Crime UK clip shows, it’s frustrating none the less, as I was left to try and sort it out. After all, I’m the one with a phone and a clear head!

As such I have included a helpful list of emergency contact numbers for lost/stolen bank, building societies and credit cards: If you discover any more, simply email them over.

Abbey (and Cahoot)
Lost and stolen cards (24 hour)
UK: 08459 724 724 option 3
Overseas: +44 (0) 161 951 6500

Allied Irish Bank
Lost or stolen ATM/credit cards
Ireland: 01668 5500
Overseas: +353 (0) 1 668 5500

Alliance & Leicester
Lost and stolen credit cards
UK: 0800 0688 638
Overseas: +44 (0) 1244 673 700

Current accounts – lost or stolen cards or cheque books
UK: 0500 31 32 33
Overseas: +44 (0) 151 928 4033

American Express
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 01273 696 933
Overseas: +44 (0)1273 696 933

Lost and stolen travellers cheques
UK: 0800 521 313
Overseas: +44 (0)1273 571 600

Bank of Ireland
Lost and stolen cards (24 hour)
Ireland: 1890 706 706
Overseas: +353 (0) 56 775 7007
Customer Service (24hour)
Ireland: 1890 251 251

Bank of Scotland
Lost or stolen credit cards:
UK: 0845 3000 344

Lost or stolen bank cards:
UK: 08457 20 30 99

Barclays Bank
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 0808 100 6667
Overseas: +44 (0)1904 544 666

Barclaycard
Lost and stolen credit cards
UK: 01604 230 230

Capital One
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 0800 952 5267
Overseas: +44 (0)115 993 8002

Citibank
Customer services
UK: 0800 00 55 00
Overseas: +44 (0) 207 500 5500

Clydesdale Bank
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 0845 606 0622

The Co-operative Bank
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 0845 600 6000
Overseas: +44 (0) 1695 53760

Diners Club
Customer service
UK: 0870 1900 011
Ireland: 0818 300 026

Egg
Lost or stolen cards
UK: 08451 233 233
Overseas: +44 (0)1332 395 919

First Active
Lost or stolen cards
UK: 0870 600 0459
Ireland: 1800 245399
Overseas: +44 (0) 131 549 8186

First Direct
Customer service
UK: 08456 100 100
Overseas: +44 (0) 113 234 5678

GE Capital
Consumer finance
UK: 0870 125 2515

Goldfish
Lost or stolen cards
UK: 0800 281 881
Overseas: +44 (0) 126 856 7402

Halifax
Lost or stolen cards
UK: 08457 20 30 99

HSBC
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 08456 007 010
Overseas: +44 (0) 1442 422 929

Lloyds TSB Bank
Card queries (24 hour)
UK: 0800 096 9779
Overseas: +44 (0) 1702 278 270

Marks & Spencer Money
&More credit card and chargecard
UK: 0845 900 0900
Overseas: +44 (0)1244 879 080

MasterCard
Emergency Contacts
United Kingdom: 0800 96 4767

MBNA Europe
Lost/stolen card
UK: 0800 062 062
Ireland: 1800 409 511
Overseas: +44 (0) 1244 672 111

Morgan Stanley
Lost or stolen
UK: 0800 02 88 990
Overseas: +44 (0)123 672 5678

National Irish Bank
Ireland: 1850 700221
Overseas: +00 353 1638 5000

Nationwide
Lost/stolen credit cards (24 hours)
UK: 08457 99 22 22
Overseas: +44 (0) 1268 567 213

Lost/Stolen cards (all cards except credit cards)
UK: 08457 30 20 10
Overseas: +44 (0) 1793 456 789

NatWest Bank
Card Loss Centre
UK: 0870 600 0459
Overseas: +44 (0) 142 370 0545

Northern Bank
UK: 08705 168654
Overseas: +44 (0) 113 288 1403

Royal Bank of Scotland
Lost/stolen credit cards
UK: 0126 829 8929

Lost/stolen bank cards
UK: 0870 513 3550
Overseas: +44 (0) 131 317 8899

Smile
Lost and stolen
UK: 0845 600 6000
Overseas: +44 (0)161 477 1927

Ulster Bank
Lost & Stolen cards
UK: 0870 600 0459
Ireland: 1800 245399
Overseas: +44 (0)131 549 8186

Visa
Lost cards
UK: 0800 89 1725

Woolwich
Open plan gold charge card
UK: 01604 230 230

Other open plan cards
UK: 0845 0700 360

Other Woolwich cards
UK: 0845 677 0009
Overseas: +44 (0) 1255 225 335
Yorkshire Bank 
UK: 08456 060 622
Overseas: +44 (0) 113 2881403

Thomas Cook
Travellers cheques
UK: 0800 622 101
Overseas: +44 (0) 1733 318 950

These telephone numbers are correct to the best of my knowledge. However, some telephone number may have changed since this page was last updated. If you are aware of any numbers on this page that are incorrect simply drop me an email at: info@clearstudentdebt.co.uk

Having travelled down from Newcastle to Brighton to visit my girlfriend I have tried it all…. So I hope my experiences put you in good stead for travelling in future.

The Mega Bus:
Offering a very much what you pay is what you get service, the Mega Bus is often full of students sprawled over the not so comfortable seats or worst still laying on the floor when the lengthy stretch from Leeds to London gets a bit too much. The Mega Bus is very much a bus, a ‘Double Decker’ with friendly drivers and hospital like neon strip lighting. One simply cannot deny that the price (singles from £1, plus 50p booking fee) is extraordinarily good value but that might be the only thing you love. Check out Megabus.co.uk for prices and time. Remember to book early to get the best fare.

GNER:
Great North East railways are just one provider offering travel outside of London, with single fares between Newcastle and London starting at just £8.50 each way. Book early and travel at off peak times to get the cheap deals. Its also worth checking out TheTrainline.com for web only details on nationwide train travel. The Megatrain has also just been lauched but as yet I havent had the chance to try it out. Offering cheap off peak rail travel on selected routes the mega train aims to do exactly what it does so sucessful with the bus.

Discounts:
Cut the cost of your rail travel by a third with a Young persons railcard. You have to be either under 26 or a full time mature student to qualify, but you can easily buy a railcard online or by any staff railway station for around £20. The savings on fares soon add up, check out youngpersons-railcard.co.uk for full details and to apply.

Driving:
Got a car:
When driving home, try to lift share and thus save on the amount of petrol you were going to spend. Or you could also plead with your parents that you want to come home but you can’t afford the petrol. When driving anywhere avoid motorway service station food, particularly on the A1 north and southbound. I have never found anything worth eating that is under £8.00, its absurd.

Renting a car:
The cost of Car and Van hire can soon mount up with one way surcharges, under 23 supplements, insurances waives and petrol deposits, but again try to share the cost of car hire with a number of people or if you do need to rent alone make sure you do your research into the best deal. Personally I would recommend Carrentals.co.uk and National rentals.

Budget carriers:
There are numerous low cost airlines including EasyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair as well as BA who also offer some fantastic fares around the UK. Sometimes this can be the most expensive option, but its certainly worth trying if all of your other avenues are exhausted.

The real cost of bank charges:
Surely the cost of an automated system that notes an account has exceed its overdraft and issues a letter cannot cost more than £1.50 so what about the other £28.50?….. that’ll be profit then.

Got you in a corner:
What is frustrating is the difficultly of closing or even transferring your account to another bank. Not only will this involve realigning all of your direct debits and standing orders for bills, rent and university but there is also the chance that you will also have to repay the outstanding overdraft you might have accumulated before you can close the account. This factor of course doesn’t consider the new account provider arranging a balance transfer of the existing overdraft.

Valued Customer:
As much as we perceive ourselves to be “valued” customers its best just to accept that the banks provide a service, and for this service they charge. Their business is about profit, and we are merely ‘cogs in a machine’.

Ok, can I stop being charged:
Prevention is always better than cure so if you always sail close to your overdraft or credit card limit then why not consider setting a £10 buffer so that you don’t get charged. But remember, don’t spend this buffer no matter how skint you get.

Also ensure that you keep a calendar or diary of exactly when any direct debits or standing orders are due so that you have sufficient time to manage your finances and meet your commitments.

So how do I get these charges back?:
Step 1 -

• Call or go into your branch and request a copy of your bank statements for the last 3 years or as far back as you can go.
• Once you have received your statements make a note of every charge you have accrued. Please note that charges do not include interest or commission of purchases abroad – we are merely interested in charges when you exceed your agreed credit limit or a direct debit goes unpaid due to insufficient funds in either you credit or debit account.

Step 2 -

• Call the bank and say something along the lines of: ”I would like to make a complaint regarding the unfair charges on my account totally £xxx, dated (insert dates here). I have been speaking to my uncle who is a lawyer who has advised me to pursue a case at the small claims court if you do not refund all or part of these charges”
• I was eventually awarded £40 of the original £80 that I had been charged in my second year of university, yet have heard numerous stories of banks giving in and refunding money as well as other not given in at all.

The key points to remember are:

• Be Confident: Know exactly what you are going to say, and how you are going to say it.
• Be Calm: Aggressiveness can so easily be seen as a weakness and the bank can easily terminate the call if you are being rude
• Don’t Swear: As above, but remember that the guy at the call centre doesn’t make the rules he/she only work by them.
• Cross Reference: Talk about other banks and the great service they provide, or that you will transfer your account to another bank if the charges are not abolished. You might even lie, saying that you ‘ were’ planning on getting a mortgage.
• Stand Your Ground: You are the customer, they provide the service – remind them of that.
• See You In Court: Don’t end the phone call until you have spoken to their supervisors, got the head office address and taken as many names as possible. Always argue that the easiest thing to do is to refund the charges and the problem will go away.

Getting nowhere?
Tried all that lot but they still aren’t budging? reel off the following:
“Surely you dont want a small claims court hanging over yourself, which I am sure you will not turn up for again so you will not only be liable for the repayment of the unfair charged to my account but also for the legal fees. Lets keep this simple – You agree to refund all or part of the charges made to my account and we can draw a line under this matter, and I will agree not to pursue this matter in court or contest future charges”

Still Getting Nowhere?
Perhaps the banks have found this feature! Don’t worry – all is not lost. Send then a letter detailing your complaint along with the dates that your account was charged and demand an explanation.

I am sure you wouldn’t be surprised that many providers available through the Internet are often deliberately designed to be transparent and easy to understand making online applications prompt and straightforward.

With many firms heavily investing in their e-operations it allows users to research the range of products and services, drawing comparisons and weighing up the benefits of particular providers, which would otherwise prove time consuming to cross compare offline.

From banks, energy suppliers and supermarkets users can reach a wide range of providers, and with this choice comes intense competition as firms fight for your custom. Why not use this to your advantage and make sure you get the best deals. Saving you both time and money, organising your banking, bill payments and even switching your gas or electricity supplier can be the right step to reducing your expenditure and saving your money. Ok so you cant get away from spending, but at least you can be more aware and wise with your spending.

Clear Student Debt features a wide range of reviews, features and adverts specifically tailored to students. No product or service recommended is displayed on our website unless it meets our strict standards.

Rest assure that we will continue to develop our feature sections covering key tips on clearing your student debt to coping with university, run by students – for students – Clear Student Debt is your resource.

The cheap rate of borrowing often encourages students to take a much larger student loan than they actually need, coupled of course with the standard student overdraft which starts at around £1000 – which might be spent on a holiday during their summer before university or simply spent on drinking and a red wig for the 80′s night during Freshers week.

As students strive to manage their money more efficiently, one can only praise the initiative of investing any surplus fund and for that matter student loans into high interest savings account.

Investing your money in Online bank ING will provide you with a return of 4.5% AER or Annual Equivalent Rate, and savings start at just £1…..

Get that money working for you!

The ease of online banking enables users to access their personal accounts in Internet cafes, at University, at home or even at their friends houses, however sometimes the more freely you access your online accounts can make you more prone to online fraud.

We have noted some simple measures that we hope you find useful in preventing fraud and protect your money… albeit a mix of overdrafts and student loans, so its not really your money is it!

Fraud protection.

Preventing your card from being stolen or misused is clearly preferable to the hassle and upset involved in dealing with your card being stolen or misused so ensure you:

Keep an eye on your card when using it in a shop or restaurant, especially overseas. If an embossing machine has been used, ask for carbon copies and destroy them.

Never discard transaction slips which display the card number, instead shred them.

Check your transaction slips at the time of purchase, raising any discrepancies with the retailer. This is especially important at restaurants.

Never write your card PIN number down or disclose it to anyone.

Ask the retailer to confirm the amount being debited from your card, including any delivery and booking fees, when using your card to pay for an order as you will probably not be able to argue the toss afterwards.

Check your credit card statement against the transaction slips you have accumulated through the month. If the transaction was not electronic, it is possible for mistakes to be made when your card is debited, such as transposing two digits.

If you plan on using your card to buy products and service over the Internet, consider getting a credit card that guarantees to refund you for any fraudulent use of the card that results from using your card over the Internet.

Do not buy products and services from websites that do not use a secure server to process credit card payments. A secured server is indicated by a small icon of a closed padlock begin displayed at the bottom of your browser or by the address https:// in the browser bar (look for the S).

Never offer your card details to ‘cold’ telephone or door to door callers, i.e. anyone contacting you out of blue, even if they claim to be from a reputable company.

When accessing your online accounts ensure that you successful ‘log out’ of any accounts and ensure that the computer has not ‘remembered your password’ by clicking ‘always ask for my password and username’

So that’s it. Simple tips for protecting yourself from online fraud.

If you would like to add comments or suggestions simply post a comment below and we will get back to you as soon as possible

1. Don’t do business on the doorstep :
Door to door callers be they from charities or utility suppliers often pray on students. Whether slightly hungover from the night at the student union, victims can often be confused about exactly what they are signing and what they should be looking for in the contract – as such, not fully aware what they are getting involved in.

Such door to door staff are usually paid by commission and not always offer the best deal, with their wages factored into the price they charge the user – you!.

What should you do:
Its simple, just say “no” and that you are happy with your existing providers/ or that you will donate money online.

2. Steer clear of high street plastic:
High street store cards are an extremely expensive method of borrowing, where users purchases goods on credit, with a typically monthly repayment period plus a rate of interest anywhere between 25-35%. Its often difficult to resist temptation, particularly when you want something new for a night out – but try hard to resist as you will no doubt still be paying for the item long after you have forgotten about the night out.

What should you do:
Look out for clothes exchanges, such as Lips or Laundrette in Brighton where you can trade in your old clothes for cash – which you could either you to buy new clothes or simply buy someone else’s unwanted items. Aside from the high sellers fees; Ebay still remains to be a useful resource for selling unwanted items, but beware if your items arent rare dont expect to make much.

3. Cash for Cheques:
Family members sent you some birthday money by cheque? My advice, stick it in the bank and forget about it until it clears. Cheque cashing companies that you find on the high street (ok, so usually down a backstreet in the cheap part of town) will usually offer a same day service where they can cash the cheques for your instantly, or even provide you with a payday loan or overdraft – but beware the level of commission charged is substantially high, where you will usually pay a minimum of 8% of the cheque value, sometimes higher, providing of course that you can successfully jump through all of their hopes in the form of strict security measures.

What should you do:
So 8% might not sound like a lot, some £8 per £100. But think what that could buy you, cinema tickets? Entry to a nightclub? Or even a nice lunch with friends? What if your cheque was to the value of £300, then you have just wished away £34…

If you are going to receive money from your family why not ask them to transfer it directly into your current account, allowing for ease of access. .

4. Selling your stuff and pawn shops:
No matter how skint you get, leading you to sell all of your worldly belongings try to do so via your friends at university, university message boards (including ours) or one of the many auction sites such as Ebay. Pawn shops such as Cash Converters, although often fast in dispensing cash for unwanted items will normally give you around a third of an items true value in recognition of your ‘hard up’ situation they really cant name the price… and unfortunately its never that high. With post Christmas must haves including Sony PSPs being bought for around £45.00 its little wonder such shops are so profitable.

Although one might naively assume that such establishment are frequented by criminals pushing student paraphernalia, pawn shops can be a great place to buy used good including bikes, DVDs and CDs. But if you are selling, don’t expect a good price.

What should you do:
Sell on Ebay; produce posters to place on message boards on university advertising your old books/ items for sale. Arrange to meet at the student union to ‘do the deal’. There are lots of selling your items, but make sure you get the most for your items and don’t be pushed around.

APR:
The APR is the amount of interest you will be charged each year, as a percentage of each pound you owe on your debt.

APR – The figures:
When searching for a credit card or loans, always ensure you review the APR as this is the interest you will pay. For example if you spend £100 on your card, and the rate of interest is 15.9% then in the first month you will be charged £1.33 interest, so your new balance will be £101.33, however the second month you will be charged £1.54 interest because the interest is compounded (i.e: you will be charged interest on your interest).

Charge Cards:
TThese are different from credit and store cards. With these e.g. American Express/Diners Club, you are expected to pay the whole balance each month.

Credit Cards and Store cards:
You will normally have a credit limit set by the bank or finance provider, allowing you to spend up to that amount. You will then be sent a monthly statement, with a minimum payment that you are expected to make, or if you can afford it you can choose to pay off the whole lot. If you choose to pay only the minimum payment, or just part of the balance, you’ll be charged a percentage of interest on the outstanding balance.

Credit Sale Agreement:
Sales agreements are common place in many of the highstreet electrical retailers. If you want to buy something the shop will arrange a loan with a finance company and you get the goods straight away. You will normally have to pay off the loan by monthly instalments back to the finance company.

Credit Scoring and Eligibility:
When applying for a loan, the lender will perform a full credit check on you with credit reference agencies as well as asking financial sensitive questions. If you are refused a personal loan it may be because you poor credit scoring, relating to all manner of issues including County Court Judgments registered against youself in the past, previously declined applications for credit, defaults on payments, arrears on a mortgage, any repossession of property or cancellation of a credit card by the credit card company.

Hire purchase, or HP:
Such agreements are commonplace for large purchases such as cars for example. The HP company will buy the goods on your behalf, to which they will retain ownership until the end of the agreement. HP agreements are popular due to the inability to save large amounts of money for cars for example, but it is worth bearing in mind that if you fall behind in your payments the HP company may be able to repossess the goods.

Interest free credit or buy now, pay later deals:
These allow you to pay for the goods in instalments, but at the cash price, or will let you defer payment for a period of time, such as 6 or 9 months. You will have an agreed payment due by dates, and if you fail to pay the outstanding balance by this date then you may be charged interest on the balance when the goods were supplied.

IVA or Individual Voluntary Agreement:
An IVA is a formal legally binding agreement between a person in debt and his or her creditors to pay off all or a percentage of the money owed, usually over a 3 – 5 year period (36-60 months). For further details, we have provided an IVA analysis here.

Late Payments:
Serial late payments on credit cards or loans can not only lead to legal action in extreme case but can also affect your credit rating. Missing one or two payments often won’t be noted on your credit reference files, but numerous late payments will adversely affected your rating, which might take months to rectify. Why not consider setting up a Direct Debit, which your card bank will be more than happier to set up in order to make the minimum payments on your card every month to ensure you don’t forget.

Loans Sharks:
When borrowing money, please be careful – unfortunately there are disreputable businesses out there who will lend you money, no questions asked, at an extortionate rate of interest. At ClearStudentDebt.co.uk, we only feature professional and reputable companies, considering fair practise and public opinion on the best loan and Credit Card providers.

Minimum Payment:
The minimum payment on credit card debt is calculated as a percentage of your current balance. The minimum payment drops as your balance is paid. However if you pay only the minimum repayment every month then you are only repaying the interest charges and not that of THE balance.

Payment Protection:
Many loan companies offer payment protection schemes at a future cost to the amount you are borrowing. These schemes can offer you peace of mind that in the event that you are unable to meet your required loan payments due to an accident, illness or redundancy, you loan payment will be covered.

Personal loans from a bank or building society:
One is normally expected to have a bank account before they can take out a personal loan. In these instances the institution will loan you the money and an agreed interest rate, and you will normally pay this of via monthly direct debit. Personal loans often carry a cheaper rate of interest.

Reward Cards:
Pay off the full balance every month? Then why not earn rewards from your credit card provider. There are numerous cards on the market that offer rewards including the American Express Nectar Card that offer Nectar points, which can be redeemed on gifts including high-street vouchers.

Travel Protection:
Under the Consumer Credit act purchasing travel products, including Flights & Holiday with your credit card, providing that the total cost is over £100 provides protection should the airline or tour operator go bust.

Unsecured loans vs. Secured loans:
A secured loan has the value of your property set against the amount borrowed. It is important to remember that your home is at risk if you fail to make payments on your mortgage or other loan secured on it. Unsecured loans are not secured on your property, but missing payments may have severe consequences and may make obtaining credit more difficult in the future.

There are a number of tried and tested methods of conserving or raising cash to cope with this lean period before the next instalment of the student loan arrives. Some of these require a little willpower and some reasonable financial organisation; others are simple stop-gap solutions that, whilst being relatively easy resolutions to a pain-in-the-arse of a situation, are only temporarily liberating and are likely to cause the boom-bust cycle to perpetuate.

The most logical method of ensuring an end of term cash-flow is unsurprisingly to save money from your loan the moment you receive it. The best way of doing this is to open a savings account alongside your student or current account. To do this with the least amount of hassle is to set up a savings account with the bank who manages your student account.

Although there are of course benefits in choosing a bank whose savings account offers a more attractive rate of interest, the amount of money you choose to save from your loan is unlikely to be large enough to glean any significant interest, particularly if it will remain in the account for a short period of only a few months.

If you choose to open a savings account with your bank, it is possible to monitor both your current and savings accounts online making money transfers quick and easy. The question of how much to save will vary according to the individual. Someone who has to travel from one side of the country to the other to get home at Christmas or Easter is likely to need a significant amount of cash set aside for the cost of the journey. I would recommend that you save a minimum of 20% of your loan (psychologically giving you a good incentive to make future savings), and then make a weekly transfer (by standing order) of 10% of your weekly income (allowance, part-time work, etc.). By the end of term this should yield a reasonably high cash saving.

There are of course easier and quicker ways of raising extra cash at the end of term. I would express caution here however, as these methods are short term and ones where you are effectively ‘borrowing’ money that isn’t yours to spend. None the less, if you are somewhat lacking in the discipline required to save then these should tide you over until the next student cheque arrives:

Extend your student overdraft:
Temporarily extending your level of student overdraft (usually by £200-250) is a fast and efficient way of generating some extra capital. Most banks have student friendly branches and these are generally the best places to go and grovel. Take your loan schedule notification letter with you and ask for the overdraft to be extended until a few days after your next loan instalment is due to arrive. Please note: you may be required to pay interest on the extra overdraft facility.

Get a Credit Card:
This really is something that should only be considered if you have exhausted all other options. If you have resisted the urge to get a credit card during your time thus far it would be a shame to bow to the pressure now. Banks are always keen for students to take up their credit card offers so getting one with your bank would not be a problem; however, I would always advise that you shop around for one offering a low APR.

Being a student you are classified high risk, so you may find that you pay a high level of APR. If you indulge in this method as a stop-gap, please ensure you repay the balance in full as soon as you receive your loan or you could find yourself paying unnecessary interest. Also, please remember you will always pay a relatively high charge for cash withdrawals so spending on the card should be kept to over-the-counter transactions as far as possible.