Time for a change (Barclaycard)

Name: killip

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Product:	Barclaycard
Date:	06/07/04 (950 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Handy for budgeting, Widely accepted

Disadvantages: Quite a high APR, Miserable Customer Services

Well well well it has been a long time since I've been on Dooyoo hasn't it? Good to see some of the old crew are still here (Hi Trampus!) and I hope the community is still going strong. Any road, Barclaycard.

I applied for the student Barclaycard because they said I could have £30 of Waterstone's vouchers to do so. I also got 15% off any Waterstones Vouchers I wished to purchase, which can also be used in HMV and is great at Christmas time! I was looking for my first credit card and out of the blue popped Barclaycard so I thought hell, why not?

The APR is uncompetitive and customer services are miserable, but this is the best card in my wallet, and not just because they've just written to me and told me they're going to send me a sparkly gold one either!

When I first got the card, I had a credit limit of £600 (the standard student Barclaycard limit). I also had, at the time, a Universa credit card with a £500 limit and Capital One with £400. In case you don't know, Capital One and Universa are cards designed for people with bad credit histories, and so their APRs are not far off 30%. Barclaycard is not that uncompetitive. My APR is 18.9% (I think). Now, I don't have a bad credit history. The only reason Universa and Capital One got my business is because I was a wet-behind-the-ears 18 year old with no credit history, so I thought that they would be the only people who would be willing to offer me a card. But don't worry, I never paid their exhorbiant interest; I paid them in full on time each and every month.

So why can Barclaycard give me a higher limit and a lower APR than the providors with cards designed for people like me? I think Barclaycard take a more sensible view of lending. My credit limit, by the way, has now risen to £1000 and I still pay it in full and on time each month.
1- I work for a bank. If I get any CCJs or other such things I'm out of a job.
2 - I've paid my bi
ll in full and on time each month. They want me to spread my payments, so that they make money (I'm sure they hate me). So they tempt me with more credit.

Neither my Capital One or Universa limit has risen. I've closed my Universa account, but my Capital One account remains open for more interest-avoidance (Read on).

To call Barclaycard, you dial an 0870 National Rate number. This I wouldn't mind, if I got straight through to an advisor to help me. But no, I have to listen to endless information that I neither need nor want and a hierachy of about six options, none of which exactly match my query. Then, when I do speak to someone, he passes me on to someone else, with not a "Please hold the line" or "Thank you for waiting" in earshot.

This probably wouldn't gripe me so much if I didn't work in customer services myself, and I understand that it's an awful job, but please Barclaycard be polite for a change! Capital One gives you a freephone number to call.

As I say the APR is quite high, but not so high as the subprime cards that are about. My card is a VISA, and you can have a MasterCard as well on the same account if you like, so it's accepted practically everywhere. And with a new-found charm now it's a nice gold colour :-)

Anyway, back from the digression! I did tell you I'd let you know how to avoid interest and spread your payments. I don't mean transferring to a new deal every six months; that's yesterday's news now. If I have a high bill, which I do this month as it has two holidays on it, I write two cheques. One from my bank account and one from my Capital One account. Capital One cheques, unlike most, are free to use and still give you the benefit of up to 45 days interest free (which is the sole reason I kept my card account open). When the time comes to pay, they both get posted; Barclaycard's paid in full and I only have half the bill to p
ay next month when Capital One send their request for payment in.

Barclaycard also has some other excellent benefits. Apart from 15% off Waterstone's vouchers, you also get 30 days' purchase protection (a kind of insurance against loss or damage) on all items you buy on your Barclaycard for over £50, the Barclaycard Price Promise, which means that if you buy an item for over £50 and find it cheaper elsewhere, you can just call them and they'll refund the difference, and free travel accident insurance when you book flights using your card. This benefits package, I feel, is unrivalled by any other credit card.

And don't forget, if you get a card with the new design, ladies, you'll start to look like Jennifer Anniston!

Sorry it's been a long time folks.

Have I lost my touch?

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