Paid wrong credit card

mariahussain

Hi would appreciate some advice.
I currently have a large balance transfer on my virgin credit card and somehow before I was due to leave for a long weekend break. I ended up paying my Halifax credit card instead. My virgin payment is always due at the beginning of the month and my Halifax towards the middle.
I made a mistake and ended up paying the wrong card. I had a text message saying payment not received when I realised my error I paid straightaway.
I tried explaining to virgin that I made an error and ended up paying wrong card and even sent them proof of my due date on the Halifax card and my bank statement when I paid the Halifax card. However, they are not accepting my mistake and have removed the promotional period from my account which would mean I would end up paying over £200 interest each month.
I don’t think I would be eligible for other cards as I am cautious applying for more credit cards due to the negative impact it may have on my credit score.
I know I made a mistake and I completely accept that but the intention was there to pay my virgin card and it was just unfortunate that I paid Halifax. Virgin are saying they can’t do anything unless it was a banking error, I made a human error. Is there anything I can do?

Terry_Towelling

You can try grovelling again. If that doesn't work, you could try negotiating - perhaps accept the late payment charge. If that doesn't work, offer the late payment charge and the interest for that month.

Beyond that, another BT card might be the answer but it sounds like the balance is very large and getting a credit limit large enough to accommodate it might be problematic.

Why would you worry about your credit score? - only you see it. Your options are limited anyway. If your negotiations fail you are going to (presumably) struggle (I note you have a few other debts too). Would you rather struggle than at least try to get something sorted?

One other option might be a loan. Loan rates (from reputable sources) are often lower than credit card rates, so that might help a bit. However, you should only consider doing this if you are 100% committed to not running up more debt on your card and that you will be able to afford the loan repayments.

With a loan, there is also the possibility (in the future) that you may be able to obtain a money transfer card and transfer it back to some 0% deal - albeit you will probably have to pay a MT fee.

One final suggestion is to always pay your cards by direct debit - that way you don't have to worry about making mistakes. Best of luck with the negotiation.

AnotherJoe

mariahussain wrote: »

I don’t think I would be eligible for other cards as I am cautious applying for more credit cards due to the negative impact it may have on my credit score.

That doesnt make any sense in two respects.
1. Why does you being cautious applying for cards affect the chances you'll get one?

2. Who cares about your credit score?

Nullboris

i THINK PEOPLE WATCH aMERICAN SHOWS where all they ever do is fret about their credit rating and whether they have damaged it...

£200 interest per month sounds like a very burdensome amount.
With your l;ender , quote back to them how loyal you have been (2years ? how in the past you have ALWAYS paid on time ? , and this was a one-off mistake ? , then gently insert the words "ombudsman" and "predatory practices" into the conversation ....