Santander rejected application

Lindiloo64

SANTANDER CREDIT CARD APPLICATION REJECTED

My husband and I applied for a Santander Zero credit card, but our application was rejected. Santander claimed that it was due to the credit reference received from Experian, but when we checked Experian we had the highest possible score. We have had a joint current account with Santander for 4 years, I also have a sole current account plus savings account, and we used to have a joint credit card up to a couple of years ago (we stopped it because of the monthly fee). Despite a string of e-mails, Santander still refuses a) to reconsider the application and give us the credit card and b) more importantly, to tell us why they have refused our application. I really don't want their credit card now, but I want to know why we were refused. Any suggestions as to what our next steps would be? Thanks!

BorisThomson

You don't fit their criteria. They don't have to tell you what that criteria is as it is commercially sensitive.

You credit score is a number made up by the reference agencies. It doesn't mean anything.

stehouk

And........ we start again, some will agree most won't.......it's wrong, why some on here defend their practices i don't know.

IanManc

Lindiloo64 wrote: »

SANTANDER CREDIT CARD APPLICATION REJECTED

Santander still refuses a) to reconsider the application and give us the credit card and b) more importantly, to tell us why they have refused our application. I really don't want their credit card now, but I want to know why we were refused. Any suggestions as to what our next steps would be? Thanks!

Santander doesn't have to reconsider your application, and doesn't have to tell you why they refused your application.

My suggestion is that your next step should be to stop sending them emails.

SnowTiger

stehouk wrote: »

And........ we start again, some will agree most won't.......it's wrong, why some on here defend their practices i don't know.

If lenders gave specific reasons for rejecting applications there would be threads here, and websites all over the internet, collating the information.

This would lead to commercially sensitive information being placed in the public domain and, I suspect, many applicants massaging their applications to meet the criteria.

Lindiloo64

Thanks for everyone for your responses - what you have said makes sense. It is just so annoying when they enjoy a lot of business through us and we want to give them more! They probably don't like the fact that we pay our current credit card off in full each month, so they won't make any money out of us. My next two steps are - 1) stop sending them emails and 2) look to see where else I can take our business ....

Herbalus

It's unlikely to be that you paid the cards in full each month. Most people tend to do that!

It could be a number of commercial reasons, such as they only want to offer Zero cards to people who are likely to take out mortgages for example, or who have a certain level of income compared to their outgoings. I just made that up, but you get the general idea.

msallen

Lindiloo64 wrote: »

.... and 2) look to see where else I can take our business ....

Don't get a strop on and cut your nose off to spite your face. Do the same as Santander are doing and apply criteria rather than emotion to where you do your business. There's no reason all your financial products have to be with one bank. Mix and match them to your best advantage.

[Deleted User]

How did you both manage to apply for one card when a credit card can only have one main account holder?

Additional card holders are not financially linked to the account.

You say you already have a credit card with them? What is the limit? You income? Other credit?

Who's credit file did you check? Yours? Your husbands?
Whose name was the application made under?

As others have said ignore the score since it's made up.

sovsov1357

Sorry to hear you had a rejected application...some good advice to take on this thread...

SnowTiger

Herbalus wrote: »

It's unlikely to be that you paid the cards in full each month. Most people tend to do that!

Apparently, the majority of card holders (56%) pay their balance(s) in full every month. They also account for 80% of credit card spend.

According to The UK Cards Association:

Around 80% of credit card spending is attributable to full payers, who in turn account for around 56% of the credit card holding population. While credit card spending increased by £3.9 billion during the year, borrowings increased by £3.2 billion. This gap highlights the fact that most spending was driven by full payers using their cards as a means of payment rather than for borrowing.

The document also contains a few other interesting statistics.