Nationwide blocked my card - is this normal?

patwa_2

Hi, I'd like to know if this is normal. I've had a Nationwide Visa Classic Credit Card for just over a year and have always paid on time. However, this month I will be about a week late due to accidentally not clicking the second 'Confirm' button when sending a payment to the card from another online bank.

Today I got a call from Nationwide saying my card had been blocked and asking me to pay the minimum payment. Is this normal? I would have thought it in Nationwide's interest to leave things be and let the customer build up charges, especially for something as little as this (I was £100 in areers.

Anyway I paid the minimum payment by debit card and my card will be unblocked tomorrow, but this has never happened with Natwest where I've missed payments a couple of times over the last two years. The block might really mess thngs up as I had used the card earlier today to do some shopping online in preparation for going on holiday soon.

Thanks.

H.

Bokkens

patwa wrote: »

Today I got a call from Nationwide saying my card had been blocked and asking me to pay the minimum payment. especially for something as little as this (I was £100 in areers.

but this has never happened with Natwest where I've missed payments a couple of times over the last two years.
H.

I would say there is your answer,having missed payments the banks are keeping you on a tight lead.
I would start reading up on Martin's articles about credit rating,it looks like your may need some work on it to get the trust back from the banks try and manage your account and DD a little more closely.
You could try and phone the bank and say it was a slip of the finger and see if the withdrawal the interest charges .(if there are any).
I would speak with your bank face to face and see where they can help you with your running of the account so as to avoid these mishaps in the future and build up a good relationship with your bank.
Good luck.

patwa_2

Thanks. However I'm still rather surprised that a) it's a different bank and b) it's a 'first offence'.

Oh well, lesson learned to double check confirmation screens in future.

Is it normal for banks to do credit searches randomly (how else would they know about the handling of a different card)? I thought they had to tell you when they did a search, otherwise anyone could do a search on your file at any time (who had your details) and mess it up with many many searches.

H.

MABLE

Totally your own fault. You could easily set up a dd for the min payment and then you do not have to worry. Perhaps you do not trust the direct debit system but on the face of it Nationwide have little trust in you.

knowledgeman

there really are some idiots out there

They forget to pay and then blame the bank:rolleyes:

jonesMUFCforever

It looks like the OP had hoped he would have been charged outrageous amounts by Nationwide then he could come back on here and complain how unfair they were!

knowledgeman

ejones999 wrote: »

It looks like the OP had hoped he would have been charged outrageous amounts by Nationwide then he could come back on here and complain how unfair they were!

The irony really,

they moan when banks charge them for being thick
and they moan when the banks stop them from doing it
:rolleyes:

Bokkens

Okay come on cut a little slack here and concentrate on the job in hand helping others that need it.Patwa has made a start by asking for some help.
The searches on your credit file from within the banking system do not degrade your credit rating no matter how many searches are completed.
if you apply for a phone they can search your credit file,if you apply for a mortgage or a car,new furniture they can search your credit file this is not normally in the topic of conversation between you and the sofa selling guy.
The searches are not done randomly they are done against your name and address they are looking for defaults ,failure to pay for items or credit you have had,they also look at the regularity of " paying off" of credit termed "Settled"
If you have had a lot of credit and all of it has been settled over say several years you will have a good credit rating .
I think it wouldn't hurt for you to have a read through some of Martin's articles on credit scores and credit ratings the more you understand what is going on the easier you will find it to avoid these problems and keep your credit score in the black.
Good luck.