Help For Students With Credit Card Debt

Nathan's story

He was already working a part time job, but Nathan still couldn’t pay his card bill and the extra shifts he’d picked up made him miss some important lectures.

With exams on the horizon, Nathan wanted to pull back his shifts and focus on his final term. But he knew that if he did that, he'd get further behind with his repayments.

Knowing he had to do something, Nathan decided to call Barclaycard and find a way to get through his exams without worrying too much about money. He knew things were getting out of hand because:

•  his portion of the rent was overdue and his housemates were angry
•  he’d borrowed money from a friend and couldn’t pay it back
•  he was up to his credit limit and incurring late payment fees

How Barclaycard helped

When he rang us, Nathan got through to one of our support team, Sandra.

• Sandra gave Nathan time to explain things in his own words and wasn't judgemental or demanding, as Nathan had feared
  
• Together they created a plan to get through his last term, making payments Nathan could afford for now and putting a longer term plan in place so he could catch up when he was out of university and in employment
  
• Sandra explained what information she needed for this, as well as how it would affect Nathan's credit score and what could be done to help
  
• She checked that Nathan knew he could access his Barclaycard account online or via the Barclaycard app to make debit card payments, change payment due dates and, when he could afford to, set up a Direct Debit
  
• She also advised that there is free help and advice available and that he should also check out the government website for information and services available to him. We’ve included links to organisations that offer independent help and advice in the ‘Other ways to get help’ section below

Having talked to Sandra and put a plan in place, Nathan felt like a weight had been lifted. With his debt being paid in manageable amounts, the letters stopped and now he could focus on getting good grades and setting up a job to go to after university.

Does your story sound like Nathan's?

Leaving university can be a daunting prospect at the best of times, so the last thing you want is to start out with financial troubles. And with coursework and exams on your mind, worrying about money can be a distraction you don’t need.

But it doesn’t have to be that way…

You're not alone - we're here to help

We know your debts aren't going to disappear on their own, but we really can help. If you get in touch, we'll ask you about your income and outgoings so you can feel confident you're only repaying what you can really afford. And your priority payments – Council Tax, rent/mortgage repayments and household bills – will always come first.

It's probably the last thing you want to do, but giving us a call won’t make anything worse. We won't spring any surprises on you; our advisers are here to listen, understand and agree a solution with you – not demand payments you can’t afford.

You can rest assured, we’ll ask your permission before we do anything and check how you feel about your other finances.

We'll try to provide you with help that’s clear, practical and easy to understand. Also, we'll advise you where to find free and independent help.