No more cheque guarantee cards at HSBC

love_the_messenger

I've been with HSBC about 10 months. I have a Plus account with cheque guarantee card. I've always handled my account well and HSBC have thrown more and more credit my way (increased OD, CC etc)

Today I got a letter saying they are fazing out the Maestro cards and replacing them with Visa Debit. I rang them up and was told my replacement Visa Debit was sent out today. They told me the new Visa Debit cards don't have a cheque guarantee on them. I was really annoyed because I do actually use my cheque guarantee card. I asked if he could override. He came back and said that it's a decision that has been made across the board and that NEW cards on HSBC accounts will no longer have a cheque guarantee facility.

I use shops and other things (small shops) who don't accept debit or credit cards but do accept a cheque with a guarantee card. This is really annoying and inconvenient!

Anyone else got any feedback on the new HSBC Visa Debit cards and the cheque guarantee issue?

I might switch banks.

DanDan123

The Plus cards (Visa) do have a cheque guarentee. (100)

Lokolo

Its only normal current accounts that don't. Account Advance do I think (which just requires £500 a month put in)

Actually, looking at it I don't think you do, maybe someone ele could clarify!

love_the_messenger

DanDan123 wrote: »

The Plus cards (Visa) do have a cheque guarentee. (100)

Well I've spoken to two different customer service staff today and they've sworn blind that they're fazing out cheque guarantee and that nobody is being issued with them anymore. I asked one of them to actually go and confirm this with his supervisor and he came back and said that the Visa Debit Cards they're issuing now don't have a chq grntee feature and that this, to quote him, is "a decision that's been made across the board because the numbers of people who use cheques has declined so steadily."

I pointed out that I've had a chq grntee card (Maestro) ever since I joined HSBC and that I've never misused it, never once bounced a cheque or incurred any sort of charge or even gone overdrawn within my limit. He told me not getting a chq grntee on the new card has nothing to do with my account conduct, credit scoring and that it's a "decision that's been made across the board."

Baldur

Lokolo wrote: »

Its only normal current accounts that don't. Account Advance do I think (which just requires £500 a month put in)

Actually, looking at it I don't think you do, maybe someone ele could clarify!

My recently-issued Advance account's VISA Debit Card doesn't but my Nationwide Flex A/C VISA Debit Card does (£100).

maninthestreet

I'm with First Direct and got the letter in the post about this change. It clearly states that you can "use your Visa Debit card to guarantee cheques up to £100"

PlutoinCapricorn

More and more shops and companies are refusing to accept cheques, which sooner or later will be phased out completely, becoming as rare as postal orders are now.

I believe that many cheque guarantee cards are not accepted as debit cards for services such as PayPal. For these reasons, existing cheque guarantee cards are being replaced with new style debit cards, and the latter only will be issued to new customers.

So it will be cash or a card only soon!

love_the_messenger

I just rang HSBC again and they told me I was given the wrong info the last time I called. The new Visa Debit card hasn't even been ordered yet and all they can say is that I will get it before 2010. Also, they say that it will indeed have a cheque guarantee facility on it when it does arrive.

Lokolo

ldavies wrote: »

Received my Visa card today and it does have a £100 guarantee facility

Show off. I don't get mine for another year and 4 months!

TheEffect

Lokolo wrote: »

Show off. I don't get mine for another year and 4 months!

Lol

Just ring up and say you've lost it and they'll send you a new one. That's what most of us have done.

Scousebird_2

love_the_messenger wrote: »

Well I've spoken to two different customer service staff today and they've sworn blind that they're fazing out cheque guarantee and that nobody is being issued with them anymore. I asked one of them to actually go and confirm this with his supervisor and he came back and said that the Visa Debit Cards they're issuing now don't have a chq grntee feature and that this, to quote him, is "a decision that's been made across the board because the numbers of people who use cheques has declined so steadily."

I pointed out that I've had a chq grntee card (Maestro) ever since I joined HSBC and that I've never misused it, never once bounced a cheque or incurred any sort of charge or even gone overdrawn within my limit. He told me not getting a chq grntee on the new card has nothing to do with my account conduct, credit scoring and that it's a "decision that's been made across the board."

Advisers are talking out of thier ar*e on this occasion-that's partly why I left the bank as I worked with some people incapable of reading internal circulars.

HSBC Plus customers will continue to have their £100 CG Cards issued-in fact my Visa Debit £100 Cheque Guarantee Card is sitting in my purse as we speak/type.

Panic over, the right hand often in the branches, does not talk to the left hand-they've maximised their profit margin on you by marketing the Plus account to you-the same level of service should be maintained. I am very suprised that the Plus Service Line got this wrong though-they are supposed to be Account Specialists! Tut!

Hope this saves you the hassle of switching xx