Using your Vanquis card ...

carousels

I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced any...problems when using their Vanquis card? And by 'problems' I mean shop assistants and hotel clerks reacting in a really snobby way when you take out your Vanquis card.

I got my Vanquis card when I was a student. It was the only card I could get accepted for since I had virtually no credit score at all. Anyway, that was four years ago and I still use it. ( If you use it correctly, you don't have to pay the high interest rates. Not all the horror stories about Vanquis are true! ) I've heard somewhere that it's best to hang on to your oldest credit card since it proves to lenders that you're loyal, ect. It's kinda like keeping the same bank account and/or home address for years.

Anyway, I was staying at the Hilton and the hotel clerk was laying the charm on thick but when I took out my Vanquis card to pay, he gave me this really dirty look and his personality changed completely. He went from being overly helpful to behaving as though he couldn't get rid of me fast enough! He wouldn't even touch my card properly. He held it with the tips of his fingers as though it was contaminated. I've noticed this happening ( though not as nearly to the same extent ) at some ( high end? ) shops too, like Radleys, DNKY and Karen Millen.

As a result, I always feel a bit paranoid using my Vanquis card at places with snotty sales assistants.

Just wondered if anyone else has had any similar experiences?

Anthony_Fritts

I did not really get it. If you were one of my consumer, I would like to get paid after providing my services to you. I do not really care weather you pay me in cash or with any of the cards. Why should my behave will be changed based on your card? Whatever card you use, you are still a honorable consumer of my service.

MrShazzyMan

That's typical of Hilton Hotel employees to do that. I've never had this problem even when I used to have a Vanquis for 2 months then closed it once I got accepted for a barclaycard initial visa card. Seems like Hilton Hotel employees have their ego too far shoved up back rear ends thinking that all their customers use credit cards that are AMEX or from a reputable credit card company. Sad to hear this happened to you.

lifebeginstoday

If your stopping at the Hilton and shopping in high end stores, surely a cashback or loyalty card (Barclaycard Hilton Honours) would be a much better card to have.

If its four years since you applied for a sub-prime card it must be time to go the prime rout maybe with HSBC your own bank;)

sharpy2010

Money paid with a Vanquis card is as good as money paid by cash, amex, dollars, yen, barclaycard, groats, or anything else considered cash.

I've never experienced any difference once I've got my Vanquis card out, most sales assistants don't even look at the card, they just shove it in their machine and I put my pin in and pay.

kururunfa

I was recently accepted for a Vanquis card, but I don't use it in shops - I pay for stuff online with it then pay that amount off the card from my normal bank account. I don't trust myself to keep track of amounts in shops, yet, so leave the card at home.

I have a Citibank debit card, and I have encountered snobbery with even that. Once, a shop assistant in a mobile phone store looked at the card and said "What an odd choice of bank! Normally we only see polish illegal immigrants using that!" (Seriously, that's what he said).

I guess there are snobs everywhere.

Enfieldian

Seeing as I am the one who has control of my card throughout the whole transaction and the one who puts it in the terminal, I would be surprised if they could even tell or care who it was issued by, as long as it goes through....

guesswho2000

It's their problem if they have an unjustified issue with your method of payment!

I couldn't care less about what a sales assistant thinks of the contents of my wallet, I've at times carried private banking debit cards along with sub prime credit cards, they all have their uses, and it's none of their business what those uses are!

Take the Aqua reward card, for example. A lot of perfectly prime cardholders have been applying because of the 3% cashback!

Maestro.

That's a shame, although given the shops listed I am not totally surprised you got that kind of reception. I suppose you'd get a similar reaction if you tried to use an AmEx, or a posh Visa/MasterCard down the local corner shop!

I have not had any trouble using my Vanquis card so far, I am now lucky enough to have a more prime card now because of it. I still intend to keep the Vanquis card open, mostly because of sentimental value!

Next time someone gives you "the look" you should ask them, "do you want me to pay or not"?

reclusive46

Maestro. wrote: »

I suppose you'd get a similar reaction if you tried to use an AmEx, or a posh Visa/MasterCard down the local corner shop!

Haha, that only seems to happen at a till at my local Sainsburys that has a dodgie chip and pin machine at one particular till (Amex simply won't work with with it, Chip error just comes up. Been like it for years and all the other machines in the whole shop work with Amex) and they have to swipe it through instead but its more of look of frustration :P

Oh and even better from someone in a local shop "Oh, What part of America are you from?"

rartherinv

I am paranoid about it as well and when i presented my first vanquis card I used to feel(/imagine) everyone's eyes burning the card so my newest vanquis card has the VANQUIS logo covered up by the original sticker saying "Call 08717704770 to activate your card" (the sticker arrives just below the vanquis logo but i peeled it off and stuck it over it!), so to till people it's just a normal, new-looking visa card, and i've never had any weird looks. luckily these days you normally just need to stick it in a card reader yourself which cuts out the chances of a snooty middleman