MSE News: Aqua axes 3% cashback credit card – should you ditch and switch?

mike_pl

just a quick one..
Anybody know how will they pay the cashback if I don't want a new deal with them?
and do I have to close the account any way or will it be closed for me as the deal ends??

lisyloo

cheque
(personally I've put a £100 balance on mine to be cleared by the cashback so I don't have to wait for a cheque)

it will be closed for you

Peter_Kendrick

My wife and I received the new contract forms and sent them both back in one envelope before Christmas. On 23 January her card worked. I dove 10 miles to Sainsbury's did a shop and my card was declined. What a waste of time and money. Rang Aqua and was told they had not received my form. Couldn't believe it as they had received my wife's in the same envelope. Told they would send me a new form to complete. Nearly a week later I still have not received it. Told that if we sent two forms back in the same envelope one would have been burned! Also told they have had no one to pick up their mail since the 23rd! Unbelievable!!!

Fingerbobs

lisyloo wrote: »

(personally I've put a £100 balance on mine to be cleared by the cashback so I don't have to wait for a cheque)

Ditto! Carefully spent exactly £3333.34 and left £100 balance on the card so I didn't have to faff about with a cheque!

aleph_0

My statement date was yesterday. Thought they might have used that opportunity to close my account, send me my final statement and generate the cheque.

No, that would be sensible.

(I know, I could have left the account £100 in debit, but I don't trust them to report facts to the Credit Agencies if they fail at promptly adding cashback)

mikebeaches

Well, we opted to keep our cards and although we sent off the application within days of receiving it, didn't hear further.

We planned to be in the Canaries 18-25 January, and so telephoned the company beforehand - and yes, everything would be OK.

And indeed it was. Settled a hotel bill in Euro on 24 January, no problem.

Just waiting to see how we did on our total cashback when our next statement arrives. Like others, our previous one said 'zero', but again a telephone call query secured advice that many/most had gone on the blink and the cashback statements would all come right the following month - we'll see.

Gromitt

Just had a company complaining that the CPA on my card "No longer appears to function" which has made them really confused as apparently it's never happened before. I told them the card expired on the 22nd January and they tell me "That shouldn't make any difference. Even if you have a new card or cancel the account, the transaction should go through.". Since they don't appear to be understanding what I'm trying to tell them I'll let them just keep trying.

lisyloo

if they fail at promptly adding cashback

I'm going to monitor it so not too concerned.

Since they don't appear to be understanding what I'm trying to tell them

Well I think you're wrong and they are allowed to charge to collect from defunct accounts. Otherwise people could get out of their contractual obligations simply by cancelling cards.

However Aqua do seem to behave differently to other card companies as any other would put it through.

Gromitt

lisyloo wrote: »

Well I think you're wrong and they are allowed to charge to collect from defunct accounts. Otherwise people could get out of their contractual obligations simply by cancelling cards.

I never said they were not or should not be allowed. I was trying to offer them an alternative means of payment as I knew the payment wouldn't go through, but they seem insistent that the payment should go through and just keep trying. So in the end I just gave up and left them to it.

Izadora

The first I knew about it was when I got a text from Aqua on 16th Jan. I called them and advised that I hadn't received the forms which were apparently sent in November and they said they'd send replacements, which would be with me in 3 working days. Despite having called again I still haven't received the forms and was told "The deadline's been extended as there's a bit of a backlog"
Hmmm, maybe I should just apply for a Capital One card, although I'm worried about doing that as I originally got Aqua to try to improve my credit rating (the £100 cashback a year was just an added bonus) and don't want to wreck it again by having failed CC applications...