credit card needed

anas465 · Post by **anas465** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 1:20 am

Hi !

I have an visa electron and I want to have some credit card like visa or mastercard
What is the requirements to get such a card in Finland ?

I have a nordea account but I can eventually switch to any other bank if the requirements are less tough.

Thanks!

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Rip · Post by **Rip** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 4:34 am

How long have you been living in Finland and are you employed?

riku2 · Post by **riku2** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 8:27 am

how about a prepaid mastercard/visa. no requirements at all since you put money in and can only spend up to the limit of money you've deposited with them. does not even have to be with finnish bank although I would stick with one in euros to avoid exchange rate charges.

anas465 · Post by **anas465** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:22 am

thanks for yr answers!

@Rip: account opened 4 years ago: In Finland now since one year last time! and yep I employed

@riku2, prepaid mastercard: U mean I get it form the MC website or just ask my bank for it ?

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 11:12 am

If things have not changed in the last two years or so, the individual bank decides if you can get a normal Mastercard whereas the Visa card is decided by Luottokunta (irrespective of which bank you have). So if you have lived in Finland for say a year or so and have a steady income, your bank just might give you a Mastercard (a colleague of mine did just this and got the card). For the Visa card, the criteria are stricter I heard, and the bank can not bend the rules in the same way if they think you are a good customer despite a short credit history.

Your best bet is to go to your bank and ask if you can get a Mastercard and/or a Visa card and see what they say. I guess changing banks would affect your Mastercard chances but not your chance of getting a Visa card.

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 12:48 pm

interleukin wrote:If things have not changed in the last two years or so, the individual bank decides if you can get a normal Mastercard whereas the Visa card is decided by Luottokunta (irrespective of which bank you have). So if you have lived in Finland for say a year or so and have a steady income, your bank just might give you a Mastercard (a colleague of mine did just this and got the card). For the Visa card, the criteria are stricter I heard, and the bank can not bend the rules in the same way if they think you are a good customer despite a short credit history.

Things have changed, at least Nordea and AFAIK Sampo issues their own Visa cards.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 11:58 pm

anas465 wrote: @Rip: account opened 4 years ago: In Finland now since one year last time! and yep I employed

Four years would be enough, one year likely not. Too hard for me to say which applies here. Answer may vary from bank to bank. Unless somebody here can offer a recommendation start with your current bank There are also customer program tied Mastercards that do not require you to be otherwise a customer of the issuing bank such as Stockmann Mastercard (issued by Nordea) and K-Plussa Mastercard (issued by OP).

aniorek · Post by **aniorek** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 1:14 am

I got my Nordea MasterCard one year after moving to Finland.

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