query re pre-approval and also, household bills

caroline1973lefty

I just did soft searches on Amex and Santander websites for their credit cards & got “pre-approved” (& for a decent limit, £4K) on Santander and “9 out of 10” likelihood of acceptance on Amex.
does this actually mean I would definitely get them?
ive got one blemish on my credit record (3 year old default).
also, can you put all household bills on a credit card? On Amex? I’m looking to get a cash back card, essentially. 

[Deleted User]

No, it's not a definite acceptance, but a good chance.

You can use the card with suppliers who accept Amex.  It's accepted less than MasterCard or Visa.

wiseonesomeofthetime

Remember also, that with certain Amex cards, for example the Platinum Everyday card, there is a minimum annual spend of £3,000 requirement, before they will pay you any cashback accrued during the year.

I have recently earned just over £100 cashback with their 5% promo offer, however, will need to spend a further £1,000 on the card, @ 0.5% cashback, in order to receive it on card anniversary.

I was aware of that at the time when I took out the card as I read the T&Cs, so not an issue for me.

The standard Platinum Cashback card carries a £25 annual fee, however, its associated 5% promo allows that rate on the first £2,500 spent during the first three months, i.e. up to £125 cashback.

I applied for mine through TopCashback and got an additional cashback reward, albeit I had to chase for it. If you are with them or Quidco, check out their offerings to, but only for the card you intend to apply for anyway. The cashback on those sites is never guaranteed.

Also bear in mind that the cashback with Amex is only earned on the whole GBP of a transaction. This was clarified for me this week when I challenged why a £2,000 card spend had not accrued £100 cashback. Example I was provided in chat was a £2.98 purchase would only earn cashback on the £2 as the third whole pound had no been achieved. Missed that when researching, however, no biggy for me. 

Good luck.

MallyGirl

caroline1973lefty said:

I just did soft searches on Amex and Santander websites for their credit cards & got “pre-approved” (& for a decent limit, £4K) on Santander and “9 out of 10” likelihood of acceptance on Amex.
does this actually mean I would definitely get them?
ive got one blemish on my credit record (3 year old default).
also, can you put all household bills on a credit card? On Amex? I’m looking to get a cash back card, essentially. 

I don't think you will be able to put all your bills on a credit card, even less likely with Amex. Some you can pay by cc but you would make more cashback with a Santander 123 lite.

nick74

Some utility providers will allow you to pay by credit card, however the majority only seem to accept Visa or Mastercard. I've not yet found any who take Amex. 

Bear in mind though that you could potentially save more by choosing cheaper tariffs which require payment by monthly direct debit than you could by paying a standard quarterly tariff just because the latter might allow payment by cashback credit card.