Anyone experiencing problems paying Aqua Card?

inmypocketnottheirs

Just about to pay my first statement and encountering problems and I just wondered if anyone else is experiencing problems.

Firstly I sent a trial payment of £1 by Faster Payments from my Halifax account yesterday. Nothing showing on my Aqua card today.

Secondly, trying to pay the full outstanding balance today online on the Aqua site and after I enter the amount of the payment, instead of being directed to the World Pay site I am being returned to the statement page.

I sense a conspiracy to create a late payment charge and interest. Am I the only one suffering these problems?:mad:

Gromitt

It can take 3 days for a FPS payment to appear on your account, but your "Available funds" will change within hours usually, or next working day at the latest. This is what I check. I just subtract the amount from my credit limit and pay that.

Paying on-line will not work if your browser has a popup blocker, and takes much longer than a FPS payment.

lisyloo

Nothing showing on my Aqua card today.

It's pretty slow to see the transaction but the available credit should be updated quickly.

I am being returned to the statement page.

Took me ages to work this out (and I work in IT) but it's a popup and your brower is blocking it. Look for something at the top of the page where you can allow popups for that site.

I sense a conspiracy to create a late payment charge and interest.

No, just takes time to update and a popup blocker.
FPs work great - check your available balance to see.

daffodil

which bank is the Aqua card belonging to and which financial group?

Gromitt

daffodil wrote: »

which bank is the Aqua card belonging to and which financial group?

SAV Credit Limited, which is used under licence by Progressive Credit Limited, taking assignment from Bank of Scotland March this year.

dominiquereynolds

When I phoned to activate card I gave them bank detals to set up direct debit details to clear the full amount every month. Payment worked :-)

inmypocketnottheirs

Just to clarify logged on to Aqua card today (29th) and the Faster Payment I sent on 27th is showing today but dated 27th.

Now I know that it takes 2 days for FP to show own the account I can live with that.

lisyloo

Now I know that it takes 2 days for FP to show

Yes but it's only show.
Your available credit will change much more quickly. It may not show up instantaneously but will within minutes/hours, so the money is available to spend straight away even thought the transaction doesn't show.

GrumpyLawman

I pplied for Aqua card 4 weeks before a trip because of MSE recommendations for travel and 3% cash back. Now I wonder why I bothered. In my opinion, they could be up there with the most rude or incompetent outfits.

They sent me the same forms to be signed 3 times. On calling them to ask why I was assured that this was an error and original forms would suffice and the card would arrive before travel.
Rang 10 days before travel and assured everything ok.
No card 2 days before travel and on calling they said it won’t arrive on time despite previous assurances and on complaining the excuse was that it takes 6 weeks to process an applic! Luckily just opened Norwich Bank account so trip was not affected.
Started using the card on return and was very conscious of the T&Cs about no rewards and £12 fee if you go over the £500 limit. But wasn't too worried since they said a)that a text alert will be sent when nearing the limit b) I had set up a direct debit and c)because I thought that in these days of Chip and Pin, a transaction wouldn’t be authorised if going over the limit.

Being naturally paranoid and since I normally spend more than £500, I rang up to say whether I can pay some money in now- No you can't, if you did, it would be returned!! I didn’t believe this so I rang up a couple of days later only to be told that yes I can set up weekly standing orders.

I then got the" near the limit text" and rang up yet again and paid off almost all the balance but leaving £10 so that the auto direct debit would still kick in on payment date. I was categorically assured that the DD would not be removed.
A week later after the payment date, I now got a "you are over the limit by £17" text. Called them and said this would be impossible because I had made a cash payment previoiusly and the remainder would have been paid by the DD which should still be in place. After much argument, I paid off the £17 and their response was that there was a DD but it must be a problem with my bank.
I also asked them how I could go over the limit if authorisations for using the card are electronic and I was set to receive nearing the limit texts from them. Response- not all transactions are electronically authorised (hogwash- the very transaction which would have taken me over the limit was for DVLA and they don't allow payment without the CC company say so).Aqua also said that not all transactions generate nearing the limit texts and they don’t always send reminder texts! So I asked them if I am to keep track of my spending, then I must suffer the inconvenience of keeping a running total and not rely on the texts? Yes was their response!!

My bank confirmed the existence of a DD but nothing had been taken by Aqua. Armed with this, I rang them and got through after the usual 20 minute wait. The response to this was that yes the DD exists but it takes up to 6 weeks to kick in and yes there would be a £12 charge! I managed to get hold of the supervisor who admitted that they could not see how the DD did not work and that they would not making a charge this time. I paid yet again the outstanding balance but I am now too scared (or disorganised) to use the card in case of future mix ups.


Moral of the story: This card is probably good for those who are trying to repair their credit or only need a modest credit limit. It’s probably OK for occasional foreign use (but I would go with Norwich and Peterborough’s current Account).
The cynic in me says that the reason why Aqua may be offering such a high reward rate at the same time as a low credit limit is that they can recoup any reward paid out by hitting the customer with successive over the limit £12 charges and relying on the clause that any cashback is contingent only on not going over the credit limit over a 12 month period. Probably an impossible task given my experience).

So, if you got this card for rewards or for overseas use, this card makes more trouble than sense. Any rewards- in any case modest because of the very low credit limit (£500) which you get at the end of the year anyway will be eaten away by the time wasted raging and phoning to rectify their mistakes.
The only reward I can get from this lot is the satisfaction I would get by taking Aqua to court for every incorrect £12 charge they make using Small Claims (yes I am a very sad man and have too much time on my hands).


OK. Am I being too harsh on Aqua? I’d love to hear some good news stories.

BTW Does anyone know whether you can actually make payments in advance or have a weekly standing order for this or other credit card?

aleph_0

GrumpyLawman: On some points, I'm not really sure. Certainly, aqua being slow with the application is annoying, you're not being harsh there. 'Loading' a credit card with money usually isn't allowed (ok, some cards tolerate it, lets not start this debate), but paying off the card before a statement date is (although then, you still have to pay at least the minimum balance).

On the over-limit problems, I suspect your account must have reached £517, by spending before the payment had gone through (I think the Debit Card payments take a few working days to process). Maybe they didn't make the clearance times clear enough, I don't know, but similarly I would only consider spending more once I knew the payment had cleared.

As to the direct debit, the amount to be taken is usually printed on your statement (was it?), and until you get that, you should continue to pay as normal. If the direct debit wasn't fully set up by your statement day, then they wouldn't have taken payment.

I don't see your experience as a reason to suggest the aqua card isn't worth it, but it does suggest that once you had made a payment to get yourself clear of the limit, it would have been a good idea to check that it has cleared and your balance was now close to £0 again, before making another purchase.

The other things I would note: - if you pay by bank transfer, it is usually reflected in your available credit and balance quicker, - you can use the online servicing to check these things, - letting more charges rack up and then going to the small claims court sounds like a rather risky strategy

lisyloo

I’d love to hear some good news stories.

I have a £1600 credit limit.
I'm up to about £70 cashback.
They stopped me going over my credit limit so saved me from a charge and forfeiting cashback (a retailer with no stock put a reservation on my card without my knowledge).
Website is pants but otherwise pretty good for me.