Halifax Clarity Credit Card - Refused!!

Mikeyorks

solero wrote: »

I am disgusted. Obviously, as another poster has indicated, Halifax are 'cherry picking' and in my opinion issue cards to who they think will make them the best profit. .

Simply not the case. I abandoned my Egg (cashback) card as soon as Barclaycard bought them out and the Clarity card best fitted my profile.

Immediately accepted despite (I'm an existing customer) Halifax know they won't make money out of me. Both from current history of my current accounts (negligible balance most of the time and I move money in to meet DDs) and recent history of a CC I had with them (paid in full by DD monthly).

If you had other accounts with Halifax - you'll need to look at other reasons for decline.

ses6jwg

I don't understand why on earth people are taking getting refused so personally.

It's a computer making the decision. You don't fit the profile of the customer they want. As has been said Halifax are a business not a charity and they want customers who are going to keep balances on that card and generate lots of interest i.e. profit.

There are plenty of other alternatives out there. Man up and move on.

leboof

Just to add quickly without going into detail.... I too was refused for the Halifax, had to get a Post Office CC Card. Incidentally, my wife and I have what I would expect almost identical credit ratings and spending habits, but she got the card!

solero

ses6jwg wrote: »

You don't fit the profile of the customer they want

Completely untrue.

After posting here I decided I would pursue this further. I filled in an online complaint form late last night stating the facts as I see them.

This morning before 9.00am I received a phone call from a very pleasant lady at Halifax. She intimated that the online application was denying cards to a number of people who should be accepted. She advised me that I was accepted with an APR of 12.9% and have been given a credit limit equal to any other card I have ever owned. She is also sending me a cheque for £10 as compensation for my trouble.

So to the original poster, Google for Halifax Complaints and have a go at sending your point of view to them.

ladym_

skipper9 wrote: »

Thanks Tixy and zx81, I do have two other cards but the charges for using them abroad, plus the ATM charges overseas, make it an undesirable option. So I will keep looking and hope I don't have to revert to carrying a load of cash.

@skipper9 its likely because it would have been your 3rd credit card would be the reason you would have been declined. Do you have high limits on other 2 cards? Unsecured credit checks will take into account assumption you having spent full limits on both cards Vs your guaranteed pension. If you're not a customer they can't take into account Savings over the years. Property ownership does not count towards Unsecured credit, no one sells/repo home because of defaulted plastic (similar decision likely with Saga they also want less cc exposure & to be seen as a "responsible lender").

If you're a frequent traveler and wish to try re-apply later (wait 6mths) and do the following... 1. get rid of one of the credit cards (store cards too), 2. reduce limit if you have a level you'd never need 3. establish a relationship with Halifax (I thought everyone had a savings a/c with Halifax)

From experience the card saves you about £4.50 in every £100 for purchases Vs the debit card & £6 for cash Vs other credit cards but I guess its worth depends on your fee free expenditure so it might not be worth the upset. All the best

skipper9

HoneyAndLemon wrote: »

If you applied online, I suggest you appeal it. The online application system can be very...cold?harsh? It will only 'like' certain answers/people. It still uses the 'old' halifax systems, before they integrated with lloyds. The lloyds system which is used over the phone/in branch is a lot more people friendly.

Appeal.

I applied by 'phone and actually spoke to a real live person, quite an accomplishment these days. I am not going to go through the hassle of appealing, as my credit limit (so I was told) would only be £500 if I was successful. Not much good for a months stay in the Antipodes.:)

skipper9

Mikeyorks, as I said in my initial post, the reason for not being accepted was purely that my income is too low.

OllyM

Have you tried the Saga credit card suggested earlier in the thread?

jennifernil

My pension income is only just over £50 per week, but I do have another £2000+ in bank interest income annually.

As an existing Halifax customer (main current account + others + about £40k in savings) I applied for the Clarity Card and was accepted immediately, albeit with a fairly low credit limit of £1500, but sufficient for my needs.

We have a card each, and other Halifax accounts, so get the £5 each if we spend £300 in a month on our cards....not difficult if you use them for all spending.

OH has most of our income, so he has £7600 credit limit on his, so more than enough for anything!

We have used them extensively abroad.....the main reason for getting them as we spend 3 months abroad each year. We use them for cash withdrawals and it woks out very reasonably.