Barclaycard Pre-Application Check Experiment

matttye

I don't understand how you've reached your conclusion. All you've shown is that you were probably one of the 'one in ten people' (10%) who doesn't get accepted when they have a 90% chance.

Barclays will just laugh at your e-mail.

Back to the drawing board...

jen245

Their pre app checker has always said I wasnt eligible for any of their cards, I thought sod it, made an application for the 22 months 0% balance transfer card in November last year, and was accepted instantly with a 2.5k credit limit.

Gentoo365

It does not mean that YOU have a 90% chance of being accepted. It means that 90% of the applicants who are told there is a 90% chance are accepted.

There is a conceptual difference.

I am not sure of the reason you were rejected. However in reality your chances were 0%, but they did not know that yet. They could only base it on the information they had.

As an example. If I had two pieces of paper, one with 'yes' written on it, and one with 'no' and I gave them to two people without looking who got which paper, I would be able to tell both of them that there is a 50% chance of them having 'yes'. However one has 100% the other 0%. I just don't know who yet.

I am guessing that you knew that you were likely to get rejected. So you feel the system is flawed. However Barclaycard would know the full stats, i.e. how many are accepted. As long as the stats show 90% acceptance then their system is working.

Whether it does or not I can only guess.

meh.

_Andy_

"P.S Before anyone says I have wrecked my credit score," - can't see anyone here saying that - one application is going to make FA difference

JakeGreen

The Barclaycard platinum simplicity says that it's 'best suited for'....

You have a history of managing credit commitments well i.e. have existing credit and at least 4 years of experience managing credit cards, loans, overdraft or mortgage

You have always made payments on time

Don't already have a Barclaycard

Have a regular income of more than £20,000 pa

Excluding a mortgage, your debt on credit cards or store cards is less than 10% of your income

Are aged 21 or over


Basically you have to be squeaky clean.

From your signature you say that you already have a Barclaycard with a £1200 limit. Maybe that's why you got rejected for the card. The pre-application probably didn't pick this up.

suzi-q_2

I applied for a Barclaycard Initial to help create some credit history as what i have just now is limited. I was unemployed for a number of years during which time I never took out anything on credit. Now I am in full-time, permanent, employment, earning £20k a year. I bank with Barclays, and I have no defaults or missed payments. I have a contract mobile phone, a Vanquis Credit Card with a very small balance (approx 10% of the credit limit), and one other credit account which I am paying over 12 months to avoid paying interest. My credit scores are good with all three credit reference agencies (I check regularly) and I have been on the electoral role at my present address for 11 years. I would say that, taking all the above information into account, I was suited to their "Initial" card as they advertise it for people who want to build their credit history. I too, did the pre-application checker, and told my chances were 90%+, and I also had a live chat to one of their advisors online to make extra certain I would be accepted as I was trying to avoid an unecessary footprint on my reports. You will have probably have guessed by now that i was refused! The reasons? They didn't have any proof of my income. They NEVER asked for proof - I could easily have provided this. I bank with Barclays for goodness sake and my salary is paid into my account each month. I complained, and got a phone call from a very unhelpful advisor. Result? I have changed banks! Their pre-application checker is worth diddly-squat, and I would say that they are falsely advertising this card.

Rant over!

Felix_Schalyz

suzi-q wrote: »

I applied for a Barclaycard Initial to help create some credit history as what i have just now is limited. I was unemployed for a number of years during which time I never took out anything on credit. Now I am in full-time, permanent, employment, earning £20k a year. I bank with Barclays, and I have no defaults or missed payments. I have a contract mobile phone, a Vanquis Credit Card with a very small balance (approx 10% of the credit limit), and one other credit account which I am paying over 12 months to avoid paying interest. My credit scores are good with all three credit reference agencies (I check regularly) and I have been on the electoral role at my present address for 11 years. I would say that, taking all the above information into account, I was suited to their "Initial" card as they advertise it for people who want to build their credit history. I too, did the pre-application checker, and told my chances were 90%+, and I also had a live chat to one of their advisors online to make extra certain I would be accepted as I was trying to avoid an unecessary footprint on my reports. You will have probably have guessed by now that i was refused! The reasons? They didn't have any proof of my income. They NEVER asked for proof - I could easily have provided this. I bank with Barclays for goodness sake and my salary is paid into my account each month. I complained, and got a phone call from a very unhelpful advisor. Result? I have changed banks! Their pre-application checker is worth diddly-squat, and I would say that they are falsely advertising this card.

Rant over!

I can't get over the fact that you check your scores from all 3 credit reference agencies regularly especially as they are profit making meaningless scores that has no bearing whatsoever of your actual credit status.

So you changed banks because you failed their credit scoring very clever of you especially when you failed to even get a Barclaycard initial then the chances of you moving to another bank and getting one of their cards is Zero.

_Andy_

"Result? I have changed banks! " - that'll show em!

Jules2012

Even having no adverse credit history, low ratio of credit usage to availability and high ration of income to debt is still no guarantee to be accepted.

Sometimes lenders just wants a certain type of customer.

suzi-q_2

Thanks a lot for the sarcasm!

I changed banks because I do not have a Barclays branch anywhere near me so, as I work, it is impossible to get to the bank to pay cheques in! I had been contemplating this for a while, and the fact they refused me a card just helped me make up my mind.

I got another current account with no problems whatsoever, and have no intention of applying for a credit card with them. I only wanted the barclaycard initial to build a credit history, as it has a lowere interest rate than the vanquis card that I currently have.

I have a limited credit history because of long term unemployment, when I never took anything on credit, and NOT because I had defaults or late payments.

My point is why advertise a card for this purpose, then refuse my application, especially when the online advisor told me to apply as I passed their qualifying criteria.

I now have an unecessary check on my credit report which I was trying to avoid, by using their pre-application checker and by speaking to their advisor BEFORE applying.

Helpful feedback would have been appreciated, not your sarcastic comments!