Use your Marbles!! (Marbles)

Member Name: aflynn

Product:	Marbles
Date:	24/05/02 (573 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good interest rates, low balance transfer rates

Disadvantages: resetting of internet password is slow!!

Well orginally Marbles was going to be the 'first' internet credit card but Egg got in first!

Marbles is issued by HFC (Household Finance Corporation) Bank PLC, a large American company.

Marbles has been around for about 3 years now and has some very attractive features.

It has an Interest Rate of 14.9% on purchases and you can get an introductory rate of 1.9% fixed for 6 months. This gives a blended interest rate of 13.4%.

At this point I better explain what blended interest means!!

Those chaps at Trading Standards decided in their wisdom that we were all being ripped off by credit card companies. We couldn't work out for ourselves that an APR of 0% fixed for 6 months would not go on for ever. So they have made the credit card companies introduce a blended interest rate. So if you have a 1.9% intro rate for 6 months and then 14.9% after you have to take the 1.9 from the 14.9 to get 13.4% interest charged for the whole year. It is supposed to be clearer!!!!

Ahem back to Marbles...........

If you take out cash using your credit card then the interest rate is higher 15.4% but this is way better than Goldfish for example, where the cash interest rate is 19.9%. You will also have to pay a cash handling fee of 1.75%. This applies to most credit cards.

There is no annual fee for Marbles. but if you don't use your card for 6 months they will add a fee of £10 to the account at the end of the next 6 months. So as long as you use the card once every 12 months you should be ok. (But if you're a woman that would never apply anyway lol!!!)

Unlike Egg you are sent a statement through the post every month and you can choose a statement day from 1st to 28th of each month. Minimum payment is 2% of the balance or £5.00 whichever is the least. If you repay the balance each month by the due date you will not get charged interest (unless you have a balance transfer on the ac
count or have taken out cash).

Unfortunately there are no loyalty schemes with Marbles although word on the street is that there may be one in the future.........

Marbles has a Safe Shopping Promise. If you use your card to make purchases on the Internet then you are covered if someone obtains your details and commits fraud.

Also you are covered for purchases made on line to when they are delivered to your door. So if anything gets damaged in transit you are covered up to a maximum of £500.

There are two ways to apply for the Marbles Credit Card:

By phone - 0870 606 1177 - this is the Customer Service Number - they will put you through to Applications.

Or online:

Go to www.marbles.com. Click on apply.

You will then be asked a series of questions - address, work details, salary etc. Its very easy to do and you usually get an immediate decision. Marbles is known for its high acceptance rate so if your credit history is dodgy then you might be ok.

Once you have been accepted they send acceptance forms through the post and you sign and send back. 7-14 days later you will receive your card, internet ID and password.

Don't forget to ring to 'activate' your card when it arrives or you might be embarressed when it is declined!!!

You can view your account online, view statements make payments, balance transfers etc. It is a very well laid out site and easy to use.

You will get your internet id - this never changes and is the Id for your account. You will also get an Internet password. This is what you need to access your account online and once you have inputted it you can change it to something you can remember!!. You also have to have an internet security number - this allows you to make changes online- change address, make payments etc. You choose this number yourself.

If you ever forget your details you have to ring Customer Servic
es and they will send a new password out to you. This is a bit long winded but is neccessary for security.

Customer Services are open 24 hours a day 365 days a year. They are very helpful and freindly, and can resolve most things in one phone call.

I really like this card, the important things - security, customer services, ease of the website are all very good.

Why don't you apply - you might like it too!!!


www.marbles.com

0870 606 1177


Thanks for reading

Mel

Summary: