Sentinel Card Protection - Is it worth it?

DAVEH_2 · 19 November 2008 at 12:36PM

Sentinal is like any form of insurance, a waste of money untill you need it. I've used it twice, once when I lost my wallet somewhere during a trip in S Wales. The relief to know the cards were cancelled was huge. 1 week later found my wallet but by then replacement cards were already arriving, so no big deal.

More so during a road trip across USA when some scally relived me of cash and stuff. it was replaced next day and we were able to carry on. Having to cancel cards etc when so far from home would have been a nightmare.

So it's a peace of mind thing Eh?
Cheap enough when it's needed, and not really that expensive if you register eveything.

moneymonkey wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

I signed up to Sentinel card protection 2 years ago and I've been paying the annual subscription every year since (now up to £20) without really thinking about it. I've never had to use any of the services offered by Sentinel but the reason that I keep it is because it extends credit card like cover to my debit card.

What do you all think about Sentinel, is it worth the money or have they just put existing cover into a nice package?

Thanks for any advice!

MDSDerby · 17 April 2010 at 2:16PM

I have lost my car keys twice over the years, and because I have Sentinel key fobs on all my key rings they have been returned to me both times. The last time I enquired from two car manufacturers what it would cost to replace my car keys, and the answer was £100 and £160. That is apart from the other keys that were on the ring. Do the maths yourself!

1fuzzylogic · 1 July 2010 at 6:12AM

I have been a customer for a very long time and have paid the renewal fee time & time again without questioning any increase. Probably used them 2-3 times over almost 20 years. However, my experience over the last two years at least, their so-called "customer care" has deteriorated so badly I had to cancel my subscription. Then, contrary to their correspondence, they did not issue a refund of incorrectly charged fees, in the end, I had to get the card issuer to step in to do so.

Should that be the behaviour of a company protecting your personal financial details ? I've taken to looking after my own details now. Bear in mind you're covered for most circumstances by your household and travel insurance policies.

IMHO, with the current staff regime and working pracitices, overlooked by inneffective management, don't bother with Sentinel.

There, I've had my rant. With most issues these days, only by voting with your feet will your sentiments be truly felt.

Cacran · 14 July 2010 at 4:17PM

I have just got my renewal for Sentinal. I have used them for a number of years. When I renew it it for 3 years. This time the cost is £70.It says it is now a gold cover which covers us for losing house keys. I am not sure whether it is worth continuing with them or not. They do help if you lose your passport of driving licence, apparently butI have never been unfortunate enough to have needed them, so don't know how much better it is to have the cover.

patrick78uk · 21 January 2011 at 1:59PM

I've been with Sentinel for 6 years!

It cost me £50 for 3 years subscription when I signed up in 2005. In 2008, they automatically upgraded me to Sentinel Gold and charged me for £70 for further 3 years subscription.

Now I am due for renewal, and they increase the cost to £85 by higher amount of compensation!!

I'm so fed up that they keep increasing the costs by upgrading me again and again! And I have never really used their services at all. The only services I used are updating my card details and address when moving home.

I think I'll terminate my subscription with Sentinel now.

emmb · 12 February 2011 at 11:26AM

I have been with Sentinel since at least 1993. I think they were Credit Card Sentinel then Barclays Sentinel and now Sentinel Gold.
Fees were about £12 yr then 15 then 18 and these days £39.95 year. Each time I'd accepted the increases like many other people - more out of habit. Even when it jumped from about £18 to £30+ in one go and became Sentinel Gold I assumed I had been bumped up a tier to an upgraded service without asking. This was not the case I found out last year when I finally got round to asking to be downgraded...the company is now called Sentinel Gold and there is one level of cover available. So I stuck with it again. As with all these companies they play on your insecurities and laziness.

This year I thought I'd look into it - found various forums all full of disgruntled customers. Some though had been offered £50 for 3 years after complaining and threatening to leave...so I thought I'd try that tactic...to no avail.

I was told that only some customers who are on old policies have an option to 'downgrade' to a service without all the benefits for £50 but that would be fazed out and because my policy was apparently 'sentinel gold plus 2010' (???news to me it just says sentinel gold on my docs) and it came through from Barclays under a merger thing that the downgrade was not available....So I was offered a reduction from £39.95 for 1 yr to £36.72 ....woopy doo! He said this was a vast reduction!! When I said how ludicrous it was to have different options for customers he did sympathise and said only thing he could offer was £89.95 for 3 years. Remember - some people are paying £50 for 3 years.

I think it's time to stop being lazy......get a dog tag printed with my tel number and put it on my keyring (thanks to the other forum member for that suggestion) and cancel the cover. Make sure copies of passports are made too.

After all, I know that if I'd received a leaflet through the post on it I would not take it up as a new customer due the cost but have been reluctant to let go of it as an existing customer.

It's always more scary to cancel something you've already been paying for because of the 'sods law' theory but at nearly £40 a year it's time to go. I've had it for nearly 20 years and never used it despite widely travelling etc. Haven't seen any suitable alternatives. Seems they've cornered the market. Bought time they had some competition. Meanwhile, I'll vote with my feet ..........( I think).

orrery · 13 April 2011 at 11:30AM

I have Sentinel Gold and have recently had cause to use their service for "one call to cancel all your cards and order new ones" as I thought that my wallet had been lifted from my pocket in a busy pub.

Out of about 8 cards, 3 banks claimed never to have had the cancellation. Of those that did, a further 2 didn't re-order cards.

I challenged Sentinel on this and they claimed that the cancellation and re-order faxes went out to all banks within 5 minutes of my call. Speaking to First Direct to relay this to them and ask why they didn't cancel the cards, they said that don't react to a fax and that you must phone.

From the display of complete incompetence I've witnessed from the banks in dealing with this, it looks to me likely that this is an issue with the banks and not with Sentinel - but who knows?

RoyBrock7898 · 8 July 2011 at 5:44PM

I lost my wallet when I set out on holiday. I rang them on my mobile from Barbados. When I lost the connection they immediately rang back. All cards were cancelled and ID Protection issued as well as my PDA with all my personal details had gone too.

Cards in the wallet were all immediately cancelled and I got the replacements by the time I got home. What they did not offer was to replace the lost holiday money or to get a new card to me. As it happens we were on a cruise ship so we did not need the money or a new card.

Would the money have been a loan or a benefit?

On Monday I realised I had mislaid two of the replacement cards - Sentinel cancelled them again and the new ones arrived Wednesday.

One thing I like about them - they don't call you an idiot

Biggles · 9 July 2011 at 7:03AM

Sentinel is free with an N&P Gold current a/c. Plus fee-free overseas withdrawals.

Sentinel Card Protection - Is it worth it?

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