Traditionally there have been two groups of people who have always found it very difficult to get access to credit cards. These two groups are listed below:
People with no, or very little income
People with negative credit histories
These two groups would have found it next to impossible to get approved for credit cards in the past. However, nowadays it is becoming easier and easier to get your hands on a credit card and accordingly, these groups are finding it easier to get access to credit cards.
The reasons for this are that the competition in the UK credit card industry has increased dramatically in recent years. As more and more players have entered the market, it is now possible for almost anyone to get a credit card. Many credit card providers from the US have entered the UK credit card industry while at the same time, there are internet and other non traditional providers who are also all fighting for a share of the lucrative UK credit card market. As a result they are willing to lend to more and more people who in the past would have been regarded as simply too much of a credit risk.
What this means for students is that while in the...