An increasing number of consumers are struggling to get a credit card as providers continue to tighten their lending criteria in light of the credit crunch. Steve Willey looks at the how to maximise your chances of getting the card you want.

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If you’ve had problems getting credit or were offered a much higher rate of interest than you applied for, click reply to have your say.

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Well it's now the 28th so I digress to a matter which will be no surprise to you. My credit rating is 'excellent' so I have been rewarded with around six unsolicited credit card offers since the credit crunch really started to bite - you know "we're desperate let's see if we can entice the 'excellents' to run up debts". Can't be anything else because I got a special offer CC a couple of months back by simply going through MS and picking out the best one for me.

Now here's the 'fun' bit all but one made it obvious that they would accept me and it was just a matter of the initial limit. And the one, the last one I hear you ask. They just gave me a £500 limit and would then reassess upwards when they had the completed form. Who were they? Those lovely guys who own Egg, Citibank.

citibank need all the money they can get after making *** up after cockup and having to write of billions from the american financial markets,i got about 15 unsolicited e mails per week about bad credit credit cards so it seems any bank is targeting anyone they have never made money from before and who isnt a big risk just to make up the shortfall.

never touching credit cards again,would prefer to use a overdraft in a emergency and thats it.

if i ever get a loan again,it will be for something constructive like a car or home improvements.