Texaco Card Application

Rudehamster

Hi Group (and Martin...*waves*),
A few months ago I moved my credit card debts to Barclaycard...and am currently enjoying their 0% offer until September. Since the move, I've built up another three thousand on the older cards (mainly for house improvements) - I currently have a good credit rating but would like to take the option of opening a Texaco card for the transfer of these balances, but before I do, I have a three teensy little questions before pressing the final button.
1) They offer three different sliding scales of annual charge / percentage rate and cashback: which is the best combination for someone that wants a balance transfer only?
2)When it comes to page that offers a 3.9% balance transfer, is it better to lay all my cards on the table during my internet application, or wait until they agree to give me a card?
3) On a trial run, after scribbling down suggested balance transfers and the ticking the boxes which refuse all the expensive options such as pleas to join card protection schemes and offers of second card for my ex-boyfriend or pet hamster, the screen flashed up that it was going to give an initial card limit of £500 (which won't even cover the smallest balance transfer). Are they always this mean....or are they relying on me coughing up cash for all the extras before they will give a workable credit limit?
Regards,
Andrew (Rudehamster..............~O'>)

Money_Man_Steve

Rudehamster wrote:

Hi Group (and Martin...*waves*),
A few months ago I moved my credit card debts to Barclaycard...and am currently enjoying their 0% offer until September. Since the move, I've built up another three thousand on the older cards (mainly for house improvements) - I currently have a good credit rating but would like to take the option of opening a Texaco card for the transfer of these balances, but before I do, I have a three teensy little questions before pressing the final button.
1) They offer three different sliding scales of annual charge / percentage rate and cashback: which is the best combination for someone that wants a balance transfer only?
2)When it comes to page that offers a 3.9% balance transfer, is it better to lay all my cards on the table during my internet application, or wait until they agree to give me a card?
3) On a trial run, after scribbling down suggested balance transfers and the ticking the boxes which refuse all the expensive options such as pleas to join card protection schemes and offers of second card for my ex-boyfriend or pet hamster, the screen flashed up that it was going to give an initial card limit of £500 (which won't even cover the smallest balance transfer). Are they always this mean....or are they relying on me coughing up cash for all the extras before they will give a workable credit limit?
Regards,
Andrew (Rudehamster..............~O'>)

The various options for this card don't really matter if you are just using it for a balance transfer - you still get the 3.9% rate for the life of any transfer whichever options you pick, provided that you make the transfer within six weeks of opening the account. The main thing to remember is not to select any kind of annual fee - there's little point in paying one when you don't have to! You can always change the card options at a later date anyway.

Got my partner to apply for a card recently (asked for a £1730 balance transfer on application) and was initially only given a £750 limit by Texaco. When we returned the signed credit agreement we also enclosed a letter requesting the credit limit be increased so that we could transfer the full balance from a NatWest card to Texaco - we enclosed an original statement from the NatWest card showing the balance we wanted to transfer. Texaco agreed to more than double the original £750 limit to £1850, so it's worth a try.

I got a £2k limit on my own Texaco card when I applied, but I didn't try and increase it as I didn't need space to transfer more than that at the time.

I've always found them pretty helpful on the phone so you could try calling them and requesting the credit limit be increased.

You say you applied on a 'trial run' - it is likely they'll treat your online application as a serious one, so my advice would be to follow that one through and open the account, otherwise each application could result in a search showing up on your credit file. I doubt they'd give you a higher limit if you applied afresh with the same figures anyway.

Even if it turns out that you can only get a small limit from them, it's better to have that than nothing!

Money Man Steve