[snap url="http://mbna.co.uk" alt="www.mbna.co.uk"]MBNA is part of the Bank of America. The company was founded as Maryland Bank N.A in 1982, and was originally a subsidiary of the Maryland National Bank. It was later acquired by the Bank of America and soon became the most widely used independent credit card issuer in the world. To find out about getting a credit card from MBNA if you live in the UK, you need to visit www.mbna.co.uk.
When you visit the MBNA website, you will see several options to choose from. As an existing user you can log in to view your credit card balance and previous purchases, but if you are at the website because you would like to have a new credit card, the best place to start is the “Choose a credit card” link. Once you click on this, a page will load showing you the current offers of credit cards available.
The choice of credit cards is related to services, clubs, organisations and charities. For example, if you are a football fan you might find you can get a credit card associated with your team if you support one of the big Premier League clubs like Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool. When you make a purchase with a football team credit card, you earn points; for example you get one point for each pound you spend. The points can later be redeemed for club merchandise like football shirts or scarves.
If you are a dog lover, you could opt for a RSPCA card. The RSPCA rescues and re-homes abandoned and cruelly treated animals, and relies on donations. Every time you buy something using your RSPCA card, MBNA will make a contribution to the RSPCA at no extra cost to you.
One handy feature of the www.mbna.co.uk website is you can compare up to four credit cards at a time. So if there are several you like the sound of, but don’t really know which one to choose, you just check the provided radio button next to the cards you like, and then click “Compare Now.” A window loads showing a side-by-side comparison of your selected cards which makes it much easier to see the benefits and drawbacks of each card.
Anyone can go to www.mbna.co.uk and apply for a credit card, but there are several factors that make it more likely that your application is accepted. Firstly, it helps if you have a good credit rating, and don’t have any bankruptcy petitions or County Court Judgments (CCJs) filed against you in the past five years. It also helps if you have a history of being able to manage credit, preferably for four years or more. This includes paying a mortgage, bank loans or existing credit card debts in a timely fashion.
You should additionally have lived at the same UK address for more than three years, although it is not an absolute requirement.
As well as making it easy to find and compare credit card offers, you can find a lot more helpful information at www.mbna.co.uk, including articles telling you how to choose the right credit card, how to understand credit, and very importantly, how to protect yourself against credit card fraud.