Advice Please applying for Credit Card

Dollymixturey

I applied to pay by instalments for an iphone via the Apple website, the financing company is Barclaycard. I'd been instore and was warned that credit applications are often queried for further information. I applied online and at the end of the application it asked for the last 4 digits of my current account (i had already given my full account number) none of the options matched so I checked 'none of the above'. My application was immediately declined. I spoke to Barclays and realised that it was probably because I held more than one current account , one of which I haven't used for a long time. The advisor said not to worry to reapply and find the old account details and have them to hand incase it asked again. I queried about this affecting my credit file and she said it wouldn't unduly matter as it was a search by the same provider. I applied again and my application was provisionally accepted as 'pending'. I rang them and spoke to the underwriting team he said he needed to access my Experian file which had a password attached. I had no clue that it had or what this was but knew it was possible as I had signed up to an Experian free trial some years back. So at his repeated insistence to supply a password he took my plausible guess and said an email would come through. It did and it was a rejection presumably because the password I gave was wrong.

I have now had to contact Experian which was a whole other rigmarole and have now reset my password with them. To be honest I was only applying with Barclays because I thought it was the easiest and quickest option (although more expensive) but after all the messing about I am now considering if to just apply for a credit card with an interest free period, but I'm worried now that another application for credit in such a short space of time will go against any decision by a credit card company to accept me. What do you MSE members think?

thanks for your help

concernedSaver

I applied again and my application was provisionally accepted as 'pending'. I rang them and spoke to the underwriting team he said he needed to access my Experian file which had a password attached

This sounds really dodgy. They definitely have access to their CRA of choice, there's no reason on Earth to ask for your CreditExpert account.

glentoran99

I don't understand this part


"I rang them and spoke to the underwriting team he said he needed to access my Experian file which had a password attached. I had no clue that it had or what this was but knew it was possible as I had signed up to an Experian free trial some years back"


You would not be supplying anyone a password to check your credit file, Being a member of Experian is irrelevant to a credit application

Dollymixturey

glentoran99 wrote: »

I don't understand this part

You would not be supplying anyone a password to check your credit file, Being a member of Experian is irrelevant to a credit application

this is exactly what my husband has said, but the number I called is definitely the Barclays finance contact that Apple supplied and I was put through to the underwriting department. Its all very strange, even more reason not to go ahead with any further applications with them. Never known all the messing about. Thanks for your replies

Dollymixturey

concernedSaver wrote: »

This sounds really dodgy. They definitely have access to their CRA of choice, there's no reason on Earth to ask for your CreditExpert account.

yep it does sound 'dodgy' but that's what the guy from Barclays underwriting said, 'your Experian account has a password on it and we need to access your file!" ?? ? never been asked for this before

DCFC79

Very odd indeed, get a credit card for 0% purchases and use that.

Experian_company_representative

Hi Dollymixturey.

From what you have said it sounds like you have had a password request added to your Experian credit report in the past.

This is a statement added to your report, in the same way as a "notice of correction", which explains that you believe that you are at risk of fraud, and that any companies searching your report should ask for a password before proceeding with an application.

When a company searches your credit report they will see the password request and should then ask for the password to confirm that the application they are processing is genuine.

This is usually offered if a person has been a victim of fraud or believes they are at risk of fraud, and is not the same as the password you would use to log in to the CreditExpert service.

If you contact our customer service team they can check that this is the password that Barclays are referring to, and let you know how to remove it should you wish to take it off your report.

Our contact details are available here.

Kind Regards
Neil