Recommendation for replacement Credit Card (Santander)

vipa316

Hi all,

My Santander 123 credit card is due to expire soon and I am looking for a replacement credit card. This card still provides a small amount of cashback, mainly due to the travel and petrol costs I incur and it would appear I am looking for a similar cashback card.

Key points:
- This is currently my only credit card, but I would like to keep track of all spending on a new credit card
- I have no need to use a balance transfer facility
- I will be looking to pay off the balance in full each month, this will not be an issue
- Monthly spending will be between £400-£700 on current card, planned spending will follow a similar pattern
- Ability to use the card abroad would be an advantage but it is not a key requirement
- Easy mobile banking to check charges (I have found the Santander and Nationwide apps to be great)

I have main current accounts with Santander, Nationwide and Natwest (barely used).

Having a look on these sites:
Santander - All in One CC - 0.5% cashback and no foreign transaction fees but £3 monthly fee
Nationwide - The Select Credit card - same as above but not monthly fee
Natwest - Similar to the two above, £24 annual fee as I do not hold a NW Reward Current Account. Also I am not particularly fond of the NW banking app.

Other info from the site.
Amex platinum, not spending enough for baulky intro cashback
Aqua - credit limit is maxed at £1.2k, I have a much higher credit limit with Santander and would prefer the option to have a high limit if required later
Amazon - 0.5% interest and 0.75% on amazon, I do use them frequently and there is also a £10 giftcard. Not sure if they have an app, but it doesn't look like there is a set credit limit. No annual fee.

Can anybody recommend a card to use based on the info provided, or any other cards that may be worth looking into? I can provide more info if needed.
Just looking at the options available, it seems that the Nationwide card maybe the way forward.

Finally, I use a debit card for online shopping, would it make sense to use a credit card for my online shopping? This would increase my monthly spending to at least £700/month but again I would have no problems paying off whatever my monthly charges are

Many thanks!

EachPenny

Hi, I'm in a similar position to you regarding the 123 card, although I can't really offer an opinion in which card you should get (though the fee-free Nationwide one makes more sense than the Santander offer).

However, you might want to have a look at this thread I started which other posters have added useful tips about the process for closing down the 123 card avoiding paying interest and making sure you get the final cashback payment....

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5649972

bigadaj

vipa316 wrote: »

Hi all,

My Santander 123 credit card is due to expire soon and I am looking for a replacement credit card. This card still provides a small amount of cashback, mainly due to the travel and petrol costs I incur and it would appear I am looking for a similar cashback card.

Key points:
- This is currently my only credit card, but I would like to keep track of all spending on a new credit card
- I have no need to use a balance transfer facility
- I will be looking to pay off the balance in full each month, this will not be an issue
- Monthly spending will be between £400-£700 on current card, planned spending will follow a similar pattern
- Ability to use the card abroad would be an advantage but it is not a key requirement
- Easy mobile banking to check charges (I have found the Santander and Nationwide apps to be great)

I have main current accounts with Santander, Nationwide and Natwest (barely used).

Having a look on these sites:
Santander - All in One CC - 0.5% cashback and no foreign transaction fees but £3 monthly fee
Nationwide - The Select Credit card - same as above but not monthly fee
Natwest - Similar to the two above, £24 annual fee as I do not hold a NW Reward Current Account. Also I am not particularly fond of the NW banking app.

Other info from the site.
Amex platinum, not spending enough for baulky intro cashback
Aqua - credit limit is maxed at £1.2k, I have a much higher credit limit with Santander and would prefer the option to have a high limit if required later
Amazon - 0.5% interest and 0.75% on amazon, I do use them frequently and there is also a £10 giftcard. Not sure if they have an app, but it doesn't look like there is a set credit limit. No annual fee.

Can anybody recommend a card to use based on the info provided, or any other cards that may be worth looking into? I can provide more info if needed.
Just looking at the options available, it seems that the Nationwide card maybe the way forward.

Finally, I use a debit card for online shopping, would it make sense to use a credit card for my online shopping? This would increase my monthly spending to at least £700/month but again I would have no problems paying off whatever my monthly charges are

Many thanks!

Amex everyday platinum is the obvious answer, assuming where you use it will be accepted.

Nationwide select as teh obvious alternative where a ex isn't accepted and also free for overseas purchases.

Tsb classic plus credit card is currently giving1% cashback so slightly above nationwide, also a MasterCard so a different network.

I've recently cancelled an Amex after a year, and may well apply again later this year, nothing touches it for percentage cashback apart from the contactless debit TSB card which I also use.

I also have a Halifax clarity for overseas spend and it's the only card I've found, potentially apart from Amex, that actually gives good one off cashback deals at individual merchants which often gets me £5-10 per month.

planteria

Amex Cashback is the obvious choice imo. they changed the terms on many of us recently, but it's still a great account to have.. you can generate cashback, receive excelled customer service, and there are very few places which don't accept it in my experience.

planteria

and yes, i would certainly convert online spending to your creditcard: for cashback, for cashflow, for increased protection.

vipa316

Thank you for the responses, I have looked into both Amex options and was leaning towards the Platinum Cashback Everyday Card. However I am due to pay a siblings uni tuition fee which is £9,250 and that would then mean it would probably be better to go with the Platinum Cashback card with the £25 fee as I would be then spending greatly above the £10,000 limit to then receive 1.25%. I would probably need to pay a lump sum to clear the balance before the end of the payment month and then make a second payment if the credit limit wasn't high enough.

I have checked my usual spending stores/online sites and they all accept Amex so this appears to be fine as well, and you can also activate the contactless feature, and it makes sense to consolidate all spending from a single card to manage everything.

It would be great if you could make any mortgage overpayments using the card, but I think this would be blocked somewhere. My provider cannot be reached on a Sunday so I will try and give them a call tomorrow to find out for sure.

vipa316

Santander have informed me that my 0% period will be ending this month, but the card itself won't expire until 2019. The interest will be calculated at 15.9% on all transactions from July 2017.

I am planning on phoning Santander on 19th June to make a payment to clear my balances to £0, and then to not use this card again. This is my only credit card and I have decided to apply for an Amex Platinum credit card in late June/early July, as this will enable me to make my payments to ensure I receive the full £125 cashback for the first 3 months on spending.

Considering there is a £3 monthly fee associated (£72 to be paid until the card actually expires) with the 123 CC card, would it be best to cancel the 123 CC once I make my final payment or keep it to one side as this is my only credit card?
I am not sure if this would affect my credit rating at all, but having checked my eligibility, I have a 95% chance of being accepted for the Amex card.

Edit - I have just read the chain on the thread below.
Would it be useful to block the account so it cannot be used but there will also be no monthly fee? I am just wondering whether this will then affect my credit limit for when I apply for my Amex card.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5649972