Hi Clairebrum,

Yours is a very straightforward case; I was in that position not too long ago, though mine is a much more complicated situation. 'nough said.

You need to do the following:

1. Get on the electoral role. Depending on the time of year you fill the form in, it can take anywhere between 4 and 12 weeks for you to be appear on the register. Make sure you do not ask for your name to be listed for restricted use. Just a plain, good-old electoral role registration

2. Once on the registered, apply for a Capital 1 Card, giving your Coventry BS account as your bank account. You will get the card even though you have no history. They do say no on this card, contrary to common belief, although they only tend to a) refuse people with CIFAS and b) who already have had Capital 1 debt, which does not apply to you

3. Use it below the limit, and pay the balance less 25% regularly. I.e. for every £100 you spend, pay back £75. This will allow them to earn some money in interest on the unpaid balance, while at the same time showing that there is no large balance outstanding and payments arriving on time on the wretched reference agency files. Do this for a minimum of 3 months.

4. Opening a current account, with all the bells and whistles should and will be a breeze after that.

Another solution: once you have achieved (1) above, go to NatWest or Barclays with a letter of employment and your contract of employment. Both will open you a fully functional account, with Visa or Maestro instantly., provided you have no skeletons in the cupboard. The advantage of the route described above is that you are also building a credit record at the same time.

Hope this proves helpful. Good luck.

Entropy.