Virgin's 0% balance transfer deal not the best anymore

CompareTopCards.co.uk
Virgin credit card which had the longest 0% balance transfer deal on the market (16 months) is no longer the best balance transfer deal. We are sad to report that Virgin Money reduced the length of this introductory balance transfer deal to 14 months from 16 months. So with this change it is no longer our top recommendation for 0% balance transfers. Now its place is taken by not one but three credit cards. Either of these depending on your situation maybe the best choice.

• Barclaycard Platinum Card - 0% Balance Transfers for 15 months (2.9% fee), Typical APR 15.9%. This a still a great deal and can save you £994 in interest and charges on a £5K balance transfer over a period of 3 years.

• HSBC Credit Card - 0% Balance Transfers for 15 months (2.9% fee), Typical APR 16.9%. This also  a great deal and can save you £977 in interest and charges on a £5K balance transfer over a period of 3 years, but you need to be an existing HSBC banking customer.

• RBS Platinum Credit Card - 0% Balance Transfers for 15 months (2.9% fee), Typical APR 16.9%. This a still a great deal and can save you £977 in interest and charges on a £5K balance transfer over a period of 3 years, but you need to be an existing RBS current account customer.

To get approval of these cards you need to have at least good credit rating, household income over  £20K, a UK permanent residence and employment that can be verified.

To find out if these cards are the best balance transfer deals and to see how much you can save use our credit card savings calculator. If you have any questions or need help feel free to email us at questions@comparetopcards.co.uk.

I have poor credit and need a 0% balance transfer card

CompareTopCards.co.uk 
A question we often get from our users is how can they get a 0% interest credit card when they have poor credit history. Unfortunately the short answer is you can't. To be eligible for the 0% Balance Transfer cards you need to have good or excellent credit history.

Depending on the amount of balance you have, you should research the options below:

1) If you have over £5K in unpaid balances on more than 1 credit card then you could look at Debt Management Plan/ Debt Consolidation Program.

You can read/ research more about these options here
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ManagingDebt/PlanYourWayOutOfDebt/DG_10023185

2) If you have less than £5K in unpaid balances then the best option might be to get a personal loan (only at a lower interest rate than your credit card) and pay off the credit card. You probably will find the best rates with a credit union as most private loan providers have high rates for poor credit customers.

Sorry the answer is probably not what you want to hear, but we believe these are your options. If you can provide us with more details on your situation we can try to help you further. You can also email us any further questions privately at: questions@comparetopcards.co.uk