MBNA Credit card Debt - moving abroad

[GNEVE]

I have had an MBNA credit card for six years and never missed a payment.

 

I took out the card in the UK and currently owe £8400.

 

Despite losing my job when BHS went bust I have managed to continue with the monthly payments

but I have decided to return to Portugal and wondered if I default on further payments

would MBNA be able to collect the money using a debt collection agency.

 

Defaulting is not a prospect I am proud of but without an income, I cannot see any other option.

[Bazooka Boo]

Well, a DCA has absolutely ZERO powers anyway, so I wouldn't even worry about them!

 

When you say you're returning to Portugal, do you mean forever?

 

It might be better to inform MBNA that your circumstances have changed and you can no longer maintain the repayments at the current rate.

 

Therefore you need to offer a lower payment, but this is on YOUR terms, and YOU decide how much you can realistically and comfortably pay, if that be £1 a month, then that is what it has to be.

[GNEVE]

Thank you for your reply Bazooka.

 

I am returning permanently to Portugal

 

 

was told that the bank can apply to a Portuguese lawyer to collect the money through the courts

and can then appoint a credit collection agency i Portugal.

[dx100uk]

I doubt if they'd bother

and as its a civil debt

there not a lot they can do

any debt collectors are not bailiffs

dx

[unclebulgaria67]

I have had an MBNA credit card for six years and never missed a payment.

 

I took out the card in the UK and currently owe £8400.

 

Despite losing my job when BHS went bust I have managed to continue with the monthly payments

but I have decided to return to Portugal and wondered if I default on further payments

would MBNA be able to collect the money using a debt collection agency.

 

Defaulting is not a prospect I am proud of but without an income, I cannot see any other option.

 

Do you own any property in UK or Portugal ?

 

If so, you might want to be a little more careful and come back for more advice.

 

It is possible for UK debts to be enforced in Portugal and with a debt of £8400 plus the additional interest and fees that would be added, it would make it worth pursuing.

 

If you don't own any property assets and have no money to pay any creditors, it might be sensible to get advice about what debt relief solutions you are eligible for. You might be able to clear any debts you have and be able to have a fresh start back in Portugal.

[oleg]

I have been handling debts for several ppl in a similar situation, although not in EU, with an average value of over £10K.

.

The purchasers didn't even write to the overseas addresses but still to UK -probably meaning they didn't believe their goodbye letters. Statute bar dates came without a single court claim.

.

But a word of caution - PRA were not among the purchasers, they could be different.

[dx100uk]

the old AK group typically one of the easiest to ignore

[GNEVE]

Thank you all for your responses to my post.

 

 

I co-own a property with my sister in Portugal but own nothing in the UK.

 

 

One of the contributors has said that as it is a civil debt there is nothing a debt collection agency can do

but another person said they can collect a debt in Portugal???

 

 

Oleg said be cautious of PRA,

what is PRA.

 

 

I would be grateful for any further suggestions as I am worried that this could all prove to be very expensive

and I do not want to involve my family.

[dx100uk]

pra is simply the names of a powerless DCA in the UK>

 

DCA's are powerless in whatever EU country you are in .

 

there are scarestories

but we very rarely hear of anything actually happening

 

quite honestly id simply ignore them.

 

a DCA wherever they are cannot break doors down or take stuff

they are simply you or I doing a jobs

and are NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with any legal system or legal entity

[unclebulgaria67]

Thank you all for your responses to my post.

 

I co-own a property with my sister in Portugal but own nothing in the UK.

 

One of the contributors has said that as it is a civil debt there is nothing a debt collection agency can do

but another person said they can collect a debt in Portugal???

 

Oleg said be cautious of PRA,

what is PRA.

 

I would be grateful for any further suggestions as I am worried that this could all prove to be very expensive

and I do not want to involve my family.

 

Yes debts can be enforced in Portugal. Search for European Enforcement Orders. A debt owner can go to a Portugese court and attempt to enforce a debt.

 

BUT as dx points out, it is pretty unlikely they would try to enforce the debt in Portugal. If you contacted them, then it is more likely they will pursue you and given that you own part share in a house, this would be at risk.

 

I very much doubt MBNA would negotiate any reduced settlement of this debt

and if you contacted them now about your situation they might not be helpful.

 

 

I suspect they would just tell you to keep making the minimum payments required

and to contact them when you cannot afford to make payments.

 

 

If you only have enough money to help you return to Portugal and to help you settle back there,

you might decide to simply stop paying.

 

 

Then write to MBNA advising that due to a change of circumstances you can no longer make payments

and have decided to leave the UK. You don't have to give them your new address.