the home office will only accept payment via cheque.

This is true if you're posting it to them, they will accept cheque or postal order.

If you applied for it online, as with other documents like the driving license, road tax etc, you pay via debit/credit card via an online system.

As it turns out, large parts of the States still rely on cheques to pay rent. I challenge you to pay rent on an apartment in Boston without mailing a cheque...

If you live in a shiny new apartment tower in a major city, they will usually accept a electronic bank transfer for a nominal fee, or credit card payment for a whopping great fee (to cover the processing charges levied by the credit card processor).

The UK is somewhat ahead of the curve on this one, personal cheques started dying out a lot earlier there.

First I'm assuming you want to avoid payday load credit card - those are horrendous rates. For normal banks its usually very competitive. This an example of the rate from the bank i use

• 0% for up to 37 months from account opening on balance transfers within the first 90 days.
• 0% for 6 months from account opening on purchases.
• An initial 3% fee applies, we'll then refund 0.45% on balances transferred within the first 90 days.¥

You may receive a shorter balance transfer introductory period and different APR based on your individual circumstances. At least 51% of successful applicants will receive a representative rate of 18.9% APR (variable).

¥ Minimum £100 balance transfer. An initial 3% fee applies; we'll then refund 0.45% within 90 days, so the effective fee is 2.55%. The refund applies for balance transfers in the first 90 days from when we open your account, after which a 3% fee applies for each balance transfer.

Representative
18.9% APR
(variable)

Purchase rate
18.95% p.a.
(variable)

Based on borrowing
£1,200
over 12 months.

Credit limits and interest rates will vary based on your individual circumstances

I have only used credit cards in Japan, and since bank people don’t speak English and credit-card information is in advanced Japanese on their site and mail, there is no way I could have understood any of the rules etc.
Basically that boils down to: Pay everything each month and there are no extra charges, right?


By the way, PayPal allows linking to your bank account in America and not in Japan. How about in the UK? Linking means being able to withdraw from your bank account, not just transfer to it.


L. Spiro

Yeah pay your balance of in the first month and you don't get the interest charge. However not a lot of people in the UK use credit cards like this. Most people choose to use debit cards and really only use credit cards like a loan. A lot of places since 2008 are still offering 0% finance too so not much point risking getting stung with the credit card payments.

One thing to be wary of with cards is which cards you can use. Visa and MasterCard are fine but, if you have American Express you may want to get a new card because a lot of places won't accept them.

In the UK you can link Paypal to your bank account or card. Also a few stores even Paypal at point of sale. Last time I got my car serviced I paid the mechanic at the garage using paypal.

All shops now use touch and go cards so you don't even need to swipe. The London underground also accepts touch and go credit cards to enter too (you are charged instantly).

I don’t suppose anyone knows this, but just in case…

I know I will get whatever visa I need to be able to work there, since moving there by definition is because I was hired by a company.
But my fiancé wants to work as well, though not in a “skilled” trade, which means her ability to work depends on my status after we are married.
For that reason I need to know as soon in-advance as possible specifically what kind of visa I should expect going there as a senior game programmer.
One condition for her to be able to work is that her spouse (me) has “settled”: https://www.gov.uk/settle-in-the-uk
I would need to know what kind of visa I would have in order to know if I can even apply to settle, but from the test runs I did they all take 5 years anyway, which is out of the question.
Here is how she would apply: https://www.gov.uk/remain-in-uk-family

I’m guessing no one has gone through this, but I am throwing it out there just in case. I’d like to know this before I apply anywhere since it would be a waste of time if I get through the interview and then bring it up and they say there is no way.

L. Spiro

You should maybe visit uk embasy in Tokyo, at least for issues of your wife, since I suspect your native country is not Japan. Then also maybe you should visit embasy of your own native country in uk once you are in uk, and your wife should check Japan embasy once in uk.