We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

Is there a way to stop going over limit

Hi,

I was wondering whether any CC's have a facility to block a payment/purchase if that purchase would take you over your credit card limit? I want to put a voluntary block if possible.

I am particularly interested to know about Barclaycard, Lloyds and Virgin.

Thanks!
«1

Comments

  • HappyMJ
    HappyMJ Posts: 21,115 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    matt1234 wrote: »
    Hi,

    I was wondering whether any CC's have a facility to block a payment/purchase if that purchase would take you over your credit card limit? I want to put a voluntary block if possible.

    I am particularly interested to know about Barclaycard, Lloyds and Virgin.

    Thanks!
    No...as not all transactions are referred for approval. A £5 purchase at McDonald's for instance will be automatically approved if the credit card is valid. To not go over your limit you need to keep a close eye on it. Register for online banking and check your balance every day taking into account any unposted transactions. Get a bigger credit limit and stay well under the new limit.
    :footie:
    :p Regular savers earn 6% interest (HSBC, First Direct, M&S) :p Loans cost 2.9% per year (Nationwide) = FREE money. :p
  • matt1234 wrote: »
    Hi,

    I was wondering whether any CC's have a facility to block a payment/purchase if that purchase would take you over your credit card limit? I want to put a voluntary block if possible.

    I am particularly interested to know about Barclaycard, Lloyds and Virgin.

    Thanks!

    No cards have that feature, but you do. Much better to be in control yourself than let someone else be in control. It's called responsibility and money management.
    In today's modern age there is absolutely no excuse for exceeding your limits as all it takes is a phone call/logon etc to check before spending.
    If you can't trust yourself not to go over then you shouldn't have credit cards ;)

    Harsh ? I think not, just sensible.
  • yes... stop spending on the card
    I am a Mortgage Adviser
    You should note that this site doesn't check my status as a Mortgage Adviser, so you need to take my word for it. This signature is here as I follow MSE's Mortgage Adviser Code of Conduct. Any posts on here are for information and discussion purposes only and shouldn't be seen as financial advice.
  • planteria
    planteria Posts: 5,322 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    it certainly can't be blocked.

    but you can manage it yourself without too much hassle. and a healthy limit makes it easy. i have been spending on drinks and small parcel postage this week, with a £29.5k limit.
    :beer:
  • Herbalus
    Herbalus Posts: 2,634 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    matt1234 wrote: »
    I was wondering whether any CC's have a facility to block a payment/purchase if that purchase would take you over your credit card limit? I want to put a voluntary block if possible.

    Well, contrary to these lovely folks above, if I tried to buy a BMW with the £500 limit on my Aqua card.....

    There is no voluntary block you can put on the card though. They will block the card if you do serious damage (like the BMW example), but with a lot of smaller purchases they don't check with the card companies and just process the payment.

    Plus a card company will like you to go over your limit to get £12 off you.
  • daggles21
    daggles21 Posts: 14 Forumite
    Herbalus wrote: »
    Well, contrary to these lovely folks above, if I tried to buy a BMW with the £500 limit on my Aqua card.....

    There is no voluntary block you can put on the card though. They will block the card if you do serious damage (like the BMW example), but with a lot of smaller purchases they don't check with the card companies and just process the payment.

    Plus a card company will like you to go over your limit to get £12 off you.

    I think its a bit harsh to say they will do it to get £12 fee from you...

    As I understand it, it all depends on the retailer/merchant. They will have a limit where their system will ask the CC company if there is available funds on the card.

    Example - A shop has a floor limit of £50. You have £30 credit on your card but you buy goods worth £45. As this is under the £50 limit the shop will not check with the CC company and assume the card holder knows their limit.

    I think....
  • HappyMJ
    HappyMJ Posts: 21,115 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Herbalus wrote: »
    Well, contrary to these lovely folks above, if I tried to buy a BMW with the £500 limit on my Aqua card.....

    There is no voluntary block you can put on the card though. They will block the card if you do serious damage (like the BMW example), but with a lot of smaller purchases they don't check with the card companies and just process the payment.

    Plus a card company will like you to go over your limit to get £12 off you.
    I can guarantee that purchase would be referred. If the card is already over limit the card will be blocked and no further purchases will be allowed but you could get a few transactions in before the bank updates the database so several transactions will go through. It's supposed to speed up transactions when you are at the till to not refer transactions. Haven't you ever noticed some transactions immediately say APPROVED within milliseconds and some take about 10 seconds to come back and say APPROVED.
    :footie:
    :p Regular savers earn 6% interest (HSBC, First Direct, M&S) :p Loans cost 2.9% per year (Nationwide) = FREE money. :p
  • Herbalus
    Herbalus Posts: 2,634 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    daggles21 wrote: »
    I think its a bit harsh to say they will do it to get £12 fee from you...

    I didn't mean they allow it for the express purpose of getting money off you (though some will believe that). I meant they will not complain if you do it and will like that they get the fee.
  • GwylimT
    GwylimT Posts: 6,530 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    When you reach the limit, stop spending! If you don't keep track of your spending if you have a smart phone you can check your balance on the go, if need be do this before each use of your credit card.
  • daggles21
    daggles21 Posts: 14 Forumite
    Herbalus wrote: »
    I didn't mean they allow it for the express purpose of getting money off you (though some will believe that). I meant they will not complain if you do it and will like that they get the fee.

    Apologies, I mis-read your meaning
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 348.9K Banking & Borrowing
  • 252.4K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 452.7K Spending & Discounts
  • 241.8K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 618.3K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176K Life & Family
  • 254.8K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.