Halifax clarity card

[RCMP]

Hi I applied for the Halifax clarity credit card after it was rec by Martin as one of the best credit card for travel. However despite being home owner, good credit rating and steady income I didn't get the advertised 12.9% apr but a much higher interest rate. Has anyone received the low apr? Also when I tried to call them the no they gave me was wrong, no answer after 5pm despite advertising opening til 10 pm. I had to spend 15 min trying to speak to the right person. Is this typical rubbish customer service from Halifax?

[YorkshireBoy]

Originally Posted by RCMP

Has anyone received the low apr?

As they say on their website, at least 51% of successful applicants will be offered the 12.9% APR rate.

Also when I tried to call them the no they gave me was wrong, no answer after 5pm despite advertising opening til 10 pm.

Have you let them know this, so that others will not suffer the inconvenience you have?

[RCMP]

Yes I have. I know they said that at least 51% received the low rate but I'm skeptical on how true this is after their poor dealings with me.

[rb10]

Originally Posted by RCMP

Yes I have. I know they said that at least 51% received the low rate but I'm skeptical on how true this is after their poor dealings with me.

It is 100% true.

Just because you didn't get the best rate doesn't mean that others don't have it either.

Run your account well for a few months and they may lower your rate. This is what they did for me (although I pay off in full so the interest rate is irrelevant to me).

[drwho2011]

Halifax called me in 2010 and offered me a £7,500 loan (for which I had no need) after declining they offered me the 12.9% rate on the Clarity card.

Had a £500 limit Vanquis @ 59% and £200 Capitalone @ 34% cards at the time and a clean credit file but had been rejected most major banks for a better CC.

From what I can see they base most their decisions on rate and limit based on their internal scoring, only thing I could see in my favor was how I ran my Halifax current account.

[plunt]

hmmmm i know i have this CC and i have a rate of about 17.9% but pay off in full so like other doesnt affect me. On a side note they keep auto upping my credit limit which is nice i suppose! Much rather they up the credit limit vs lower the rate. (unless this can damage me some how?)

[mickael28]

Hi guys, I didn't understand when you said that the interest rate doesn't affect you when you pay in full. I was reading the following and made me think that you need to pay that interest rate regardless of how you decide to pay (from the moment you withdraw for example until the moment you pay in full)?

"The Clarity credit card from Halifax has no foreign exchange fee anywhere in the world, so you can get the best rate possible. Plus it doesn't charge a fee for cash withdrawals, although you will be charged interest on them even if you repay in full."

[ManAtHome]

Yes, cash withdrawals are charged interest until you repay, but even if you're on their highest interest rate it's still cheaper than most other cards (even the Debit cards).

You can reduce the interest by making payments as soon as the charge appears on the card or as soon as you get back home (Clarity accepts faster payments).

If you withdraw £500-worth on day 1 of fortnight hols and pay it off when you get back home, would cost you £2.50 (ish) on their lowest rate, a fiver on their highest (and that's just for ATM cash, no interest charges if you use your card for shopping, restaurants etc providing you pay off in full).

For comparison, the Nationwide Flex Debit card which used to be the bee's knees would charge £11 (2% plus a quid), most other debit cards would be over £13 (2.5%+) and you need to have the money in the account in advance. See the main site for how much some of the 'cards from hell' would cost...

[mickael28]

I see, many thanks for the examples and explanation! Really clear now...

I was offered the highest rate and was not sure if it was a good deal compared to the others.

Out of curiosity, do you know what kind of information they take into account to decide which APR to assign to new customers? As the OP described, I don't have any kind of credit problem and was not offered the lowest APR either. I'd say that they just thought I'd be using the card a lot as I'll be travelling abroad quite often (visit friends, family, etc living in different countries) and they decided to assign me the highest rate, whereas maybe they assign the lowest APR to people with less chance to go abroad? Guessing here, but no idea why the OP or myself didn't get the lowest interest :S

[Elmgravy]

I found that for travelling abroad a Caxton debit card works best, you can get a us $ one or a euro (I have both) you can load it from a uk bank account from a computer anywhere in the world, and there are no charges at all to use to to withdraw cash - limited to 500 euros/day - or to purchase goods - unlimited - as long as you only use it in the appropriate country (ie if you use a euro one to withdraw pounds, then there's a charge).

[virgo17]

We also use the Caxton FX Euro card as we own property in Spain and make frequent trips.

The GBP:EUR rate is always about .03 down on the daily rate shown on http://www.xe.com/ but is still competitive. In our case we can usually offset this by checking the rates and loading the card at the optimum time, sometimes a week or two before travel.

We also have a Clarity Card and Nationwide Gold Visa for backup and commission free purchases at about the best rate available.

[planetf1]

I see reference to the lowest rate being 12.9%, but on Martins summary it mentions "Halifax Clarity: 2.9% for 16 months, NO FEE"

The only info I found (online) about the clarity card seems to refer to higher rates, although news from Feb mentions the 2.9%. The T&Cs also refer to a 3% fee on promotional balance transfers?

So is this low rate still available (subject to credit card scoring). How generous are their limits compared to say barclaycard/cap1/mbna)

I do not have any Halifax accounts

If it is available is there much difference between sorting it over the phone vs in person? (quicker to apply/sign for example)

How longer after receiving the card do you have to execute the promotional transfers?
How quick are their balance transfers - I notice many providers are now down to a few days, used to be weeks.

[The Enforcer]

Not sure where the 2.9% came from, either a limited offer or a typo. Their website says no fee on balance transfers, but there's no 0% period, unlike some other cards.

http://www.halifax.co.uk/creditcards.../clarity-card/

Hope this helps.

[2010]

The 2.9% must have been a typo.


As we treat all our customers and their applications on an individual basis, the APR and interest rates we offer are determined by the details customers supply, along with an independent verification of credit and repayment history.

Your personal APR will be from 12.9% APR variable to 21.9% APR variable, depending on individual circumstances.

51% of customers are offered our best rate of 12.9% APR representative (variable).


I`ve applied today and been accepted although I don`t know the rate yet.
It won`t really matter because I`ll pay it off in full each month anyway.

[HoneyAndLemon]

Not a typo, it's a limited time offer. Only available over the phone/in branch.