Purple or Blue Debit card with Natwest Select A/C ?

RICK... wrote: »

I've been reading this thread out of curiosity and had no idea that the colour determines what sort of card you have.

I opened a current account with them around two years ago and have always had a blue card, but around 2 months ago I got a letter from them with a new purple card, which I wasn't expecting.

I have no idea why they sent it, as I never applied for a new one or reported mine lost? My blue card wasn't due to expire until mid 2013.

It begins 4751 30 - so does that mean it's an offline one? I couldn't use my old blue one at fuel pumps etc.

shadamehr wrote: »

Just to share my tale...

Been with NatWest for a number of years, along with the Coop Bank too as a "second bank account". Both accounts were Basic/Step/CashMinder Credit RESTRICTED accounts due to an ongoing IVA at that time.

Our IVA was completed successfully last August, so last month I decided to apply for a Lloyds TSB Account, as the Coop were useless, taking ages to deduct funds for items purchased, then blaming the Retailer for being slow to make the request to deduct, only for me to ring the retailers and find they had ALREADY received the money - it was Coop who were slow in actually deducting from my own account.

And I was successful in getting a Lloyds TSB Current account, including Cheque Book and Visa Debit Card.

The first thing I then did was go along to my local Asda Auto-mat Pay at Pump Petrol Station... and found that the Lloyds TSB Debit Card worked FINE. This being for the first time ever with me, as Asda are invariably always a lot cheaper for fuel in my area, but for the last five years I've been unable to use it on my limited NatWest Card.

So now having a "Full featured" account, I went along to NatWest with a view to closing my account. When I explained why, and what Lloyds had done, the Advisor said "let us see what we can do".

He correctly explained to me that a Credit RESTRICTED Select or Select Silver (as mine was) Account simply cannot be upgraded ever, but that a separate application for a new account is needed.

He banged my details into the magic "Computer Says Yes or No" Machine, and told me that computer was saying YES to a FULL CREDIT Account, and more importantly, to Full Authority Visa Debit Card (though now having read all these posts, I wonder if he really actually knew that, or whether this was a presumption on his part). But I was clear at every step of the way - my only interest, and indeed my only reason for being prepared to open the new account, was so that I could finally use my card at Pay at Pump, like my new Lloyds TSB Card now allows - so they couldn't have been made clearer what the rationale was for this.

So imagine my surprise when my new Debit Card arrives, after myself and my partner informing our various employers and part time jobs of our new Payroll Mandate Details, only to then find a BLUE NW Visa Debit Card arrives with the online only Card BIN number 4800 27 exactly the same as our existing limited account!

And, just like others on here, when ringing telephone banking, they were useless - they insisted there was only one type of card, and that ALL NatWest Cards bore this number scheme now, and that the card WOULD work at Pay at Pump etc therefore. Of course, with the PIN not yet having arrived, I was unable to put it to the absolute test.

So after our return from a week in Scotland to our PIN numbers, my partner and I went along to Asda Petrol Station, and found out for certain that the card DOES NOT work. Just as I knew it wouldn't.

I tested my Lloyds TSB one again, and it worked fine.

So I came home and rang Telephone Banking, who said "you need to go into Branch to have them fix this"... the same Branch we had already been to earlier that day to change the default PINS. Grrr...

We went along to the Branch, and for the avoidance of doubt, the Assistant got the full Branch Manager to come out and investigate.

He checked our account, and confirmed we were entitled to a Full Authority Card (his words, whatever this actually means on NatWest's systems that he can see). So he told the Assistant to re-order us replacement cards, but requesting "Full Authority" Cards.

This is where we are at now, but I have every reason to suspect that when the new cards arrive, they will be Blue not Purple once again, as having read all these posts, it seems the card you get on account opening, is the card the magic computer deems you entitled to, irrespective of what any Branch Manager says or thinks in store.

If so, then NatWest are going to be on the receiving end of one mighty complaint, as at every single stage, it has been clearly explained to NatWest WHY this application was made and agreed to, WHAT the sole purpose of it was for - "A Full Authority Card", and at every stage of this, NatWest have stated that it is showing that I AM entitled to a Full Authority Card that can be used at Pay at Pump etc.

My worry and belief now of course, being that they can't even SEE this themselves in Branch, as it is up to magic computer later, to decide WHICH card gets issued.

So either they have messed up in sending the wrong card, which is an error on their part...

OR, they have messed up entirely, and got me to go through all the hassle of opening up a whole new account (we were in Branch an hour and a half to do this), supplying all our employers with a new account number, and had us change all our DD's, all for absolutely NO REASON at all, as they were giving us completely WRONG information all along at every step of the way, and we are not actually entitled to a Purple Card at all, and everything we have done has been a complete and utter waste of considerable time, effort, and hassle.

When this is the end result, then it's well past time NatWest trained and properly informed their staff of what they can and can't do, and what they can and can't actually see etc.

So I await the replacement card arrival to confirm this or not, but my money is on a Blue one yet again, and NatWest having made a major boo-boo here.

I hope StClair is still around to offer his/her view, but I suspect it will be much like my own, and that NatWest have repeatedly sold us a completely false promise, and all the hassle that has gone with it... And my partner and I will yet again have to upset our employers with yet more new wage mandate details. The larger companies are ok with this, but the smaller ones we work for won't be too pleased, as this is a lot of hassle for small organisations to have to keep doing.

Grrrr...

EDIT JUST TO ADD:

For clarity when I keep referring to "Full Authority Cards" I am aware that a Blue Card CAN also sometimes actually be a "Full AUthority Card" as is Purple too (in all cases for Purple). The actual difference is Blue is ONLINE only (can be 'checked' there and then) whereas the Purple one is Offline, and thus can be used where a check cannot be made at the actual time, such as Pay and Pump, Planes, etc etc.

MY issue is that even BANK MANAGERS do not understand the distinction, and that when saying I want a Card that allows me to use it at Pay at Pump, they then say I am entitled to this, as they understand a "Full Authority Card" to mean it can be used at such places.

This is NOT what Full Authority seems to mean, and as a result, with all NatWest Staff and even Managers thinking that "Full Authority" means "Can be used anywhere including offline" when this is not what it means at all, then they are giving customers entirely WRONG information, which in turn means false hopes, and in my case, actual repeated false PROMISES!

Comes to something when the customers know more than NatWest Staff and Bank Managers, and we are having to train THEM. This is so very wrong....