Jersey consumer council asks about credit card difficulties
- Published
The consumer council said it had been receiving more inquiries from islanders trying to get a credit card
A local survey is asking islanders if they have experienced difficulty getting a credit card in Jersey.
The Jersey Consumer Council (JCC) said it had become harder for islanders to get one in the past three years.
The JCC said it had raised the matter with the government, finance authorities and non-bank providers.
It said there could be a list of reasons for companies "pulling out" of the Channel Islands and no longer providing credit cards to islanders.
It said firms might no longer be accepting new applications, or "only offering existing customers a replacement card" because:
Jersey is not part of the United Kingdom
Providing the service is "no longer commercially viable"
The JCC said: "Credit card availability to Islanders, or the increasing lack of it, has been on our radar for two to three years.
"Locally, we are only aware that HSBC offers new applications to non-account holders if the applicant meets the appropriate requirements.
"Having received more inquiries from islanders during the last year, and many in the last month, it appears the situation is worsening so we're trying to find out how many applications or renewal requests have been refused."
It has asked islanders for their "experience and comments" regarding the availability of credit cards in its online survey, external.
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