MBNA blocked my card and asked me to pay a fee for fast replacement

michael1234

Hi

I got a fairly cryptic letter from MBNA on around July 20 informing me that my card would be blocked on July 28 and that a new card and pin would be issued after that date. The letter mentioned something to do with security but provided very little detail.

Anyway, when I rang up today (3 days after the block) to find out when my new card would arrive I was told a week from now unless I paid £35 to get it sooner !

I wonder if I have any kind of claim over them for stopping my card like this. I'm annoyed because I want to buy a holiday on my card which I can't do now or could do on my debit card but then I wouldn't get any additional protection.

I don't understand why they couldn't have sent me the new card before stopping the old and certainly can't understand why they offered £35 for a faster service.

Any thoughts or advice gratefully received.

Thanks.

[Deleted User]

No - you have no claim over them. They stopped it because they had security concerns. They could remove it altogether if they wanted.

bigadaj

Get another credit card. There's an argument for having two if not three cards with each one form a different issue, either visa, MasterCard or Amex.

Anthorn

Re. the OP. Most likely the PIN has been wrongly entered or they think the card has been stolen and fraudulently used. So wait a week for the new card and get it for free. The card is a privilege and not a right so not a lot of luck claiming anything.

lisyloo

As other have said it's a privilege not a right.
You need to have a spare card.

Not very good service though.

Robin9

Have you a second card you can use ?

michael1234

Thanks for the replies.

I think if they thought the card had been stolen or fraudulently used, then I would imagine they would block it immediately - not send me a letter in the post containing a date in the future when it would be blocked. I'm assuming it was one of the retailers I used that was compromised in some way.

Of course MBNA can cancel the contract at any moment as can I but they haven't done that - they just left me without the facility for a considerable period.

Finally, thanks for the advice about having a backup card. Thankfully I do, but I'm just annoyed MBNA can treat their customers this way although from what I've heard so far, you think it is quite reasonable and I should just accept it.

jonesMUFCforever

michael1234 wrote: »

Hi

I got a fairly cryptic letter from MBNA on around July 20 informing me that my card would be blocked on July 28 and that a new card and pin would be issued after that date. The letter mentioned something to do with security but provided very little detail.

Anyway, when I rang up today (3 days after the block) to find out when my new card would arrive I was told a week from now unless I paid £35 to get it sooner !

I wonder if I have any kind of claim over them for stopping my card like this. I'm annoyed because I want to buy a holiday on my card which I can't do now or could do on my debit card but then I wouldn't get any additional protection.

I don't understand why they couldn't have sent me the new card before stopping the old and certainly can't understand why they offered £35 for a faster service.

Any thoughts or advice gratefully received.

Thanks.

Are you sure this letter is genuine?
If they suspected fraud on your account would they have not blocked the account immediately - not in a week's time?
Have you checked independently that your card is blocked - ie send them a secure message online.

reclusive46

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

Are you sure this letter is genuine?
If they suspected fraud on your account would they have not blocked the account immediately - not in a week's time?
Have you checked independently that your card is blocked - ie send them a secure message online.

From experience, many issuers aren't too concerned if a card is comprimised through a large data breach. It'll usually take weeks for a comprimised card to be used, with many never used.

chattychappy

Anthorn wrote: »

Re. the OP. Most likely the PIN has been wrongly entered or they think the card has been stolen and fraudulently used. So wait a week for the new card and get it for free. The card is a privilege and not a right so not a lot of luck claiming anything.

Agree with this, except for the "privilege" remark. It is simply a commercial bargain between two parties. It suits both sides that a user has a CC, albeit in this case one party has decided that the other will be without a card for a short time.

I don't regard it as a "privilege" when M&S permit me to buy something from their shop and I see obtaining a credit facility in the same way.

meer53

Standard delivery time for cards is 5-7 working days so i don't think they're being unreasonable in asking you to pay to get it faster.