I since created a paypal account and used that to buy membership.

Following what Harley posted last night (thanks for the information harley) I would confirm that it isn't all that difficult to get a paypal account, and also that you don't need a cheque book account or credit card to do so. Paypal accept debit cards too, and once you have a paypal account the process of buying membership is straight forward. So for any brits out there who would like membership yet have no credit card or cheque book but do have a debit card, it's worth considering paypal as one of your options.

Blaze