MSE News: Santander restricts Zero card online applications

Former_MSE_Guy

This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:

"The plastic is now only available online if you have a current account or mortgage with the bank ..."

Read the full story:


Santander restricts Zero card online applications

gjs1701

I have a A&L current account. I applied for their credit card online. Never received a response. When I chased them up, I was told I had been refused and would be getting a letter explaining why. Never received anything.
:mad::mad:

retired_adventurer

I have an Abbey Zero account and recently used it overseas. I needed to know the exchange rate which is not given on Zero statements and spoke to Paul in Personal Banking.
He said he could see the item on his screen, gave me the exchange rate used in the calculation and the figure I had been charged. When the item appeared later my £2,037 bill had risen to £2,057and my exhaustive checks at Santander have failed to establish the exchange rate used at the time of the transaction. To date Santander have given me 5 different exchange rates they say were used to calculate my bill.
This would easily be avoided if, like other banks, Santander gave the exchange rate for each transaction.
I am now wondering if the Zero card is as fee-free as it claims to be.

Barrybagain

I called into my local Santander (Coventry city centre) to apply for a Zero card on 11 March.

My appointment time came and went while staff members chatted and gossiped with visiting customers. About the time I was getting ready to walk out they finally got around to dealing with my enquiry.

I heard nothing more, got a Post Office pre-paid card instead and the holiday came and went.

When I got back there was a letter from Santander with details of my pin number, so I thought that at least I would get the card, even if too late.

Then I received a card, which turned out to be details of the bank account that they had opened for me and enclosed a Debit Card.

I left it a few days before I took it all back to the Bank and retained enough of my cool to be relatively polite in telling them what to do with the card and account.

To me it all had the stink of a 'come on'. The Zero card is a very aptly named product.

Needless to say, I will not consider doing business with them again and will advise any of my friends, even my enemies, not to do business with them either.