Which credit card for good customer service?

egyptiancotton

The thought of having two cards (Amex and non-Amex) did cross my mind, although would having a lot of credit be a bad thing?

cymruchris

lloydyyy said:

The thought of having two cards (Amex and non-Amex) did cross my mind, although would having a lot of credit be a bad thing?

There’s not going to be a huge impact on your history from having two new cards to having one new card.

if you were adding 17 current accounts, and applying for 12 credit cards and a couple of loans - that’d be a another story. 

Check your eligibility on your shortlisted cards - and then try your favourite choice of card first - and I’d that all goes through - then you can try for the second. (There’s a small chance you’d be declined on the second having just applied for the first - but really depends on your history and file - you could always leave applying for the second card a few months) 

blue.peter

lloydyyy said:

The thought of having two cards (Amex and non-Amex) did cross my mind, although would having a lot of credit be a bad thing?

No. It'd mean that your credit utilisation (credit limit:usage ratio) would be lower. This is generally reckoned to be a Good Thing.

jbrassy

Fingerbobs said:

B&Q doesn't accept Amex. Screwfix doesn't accept Amex. Wickes only accepts it for in-store purchases. None of those are small shops or pubs. 

This is a very pedantic response.

First of all, I didn't say Amex is accepted in all major stores, but I would say most of them. It is accepted in all the supermarkets, petrol stations, TFL and other train operators, Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, and eBay. If they don't accept Amex, one can often use PayPal on their website. I manage to put at least 90% of my spending on my Amex, especially since it is accepted by all the supermarkets and TFL.

Second, with Screwfix and Wickes you can use click and collect on their website and pay with PayPal which means you can use Amex (I have used Amex / PayPal with both of these retailers). Yes - in B&Q you have to use a Mastercard or Visa - well done you found one! 

If you want to know who does and doesn't accept it, the following websites are quite useful:
https://www.whoacceptsamex.co.uk/ 
https://thepointsguy.co.uk/news/busting-nobody-accepts-amex-myth/

blue.peter

jbrassy said:

Second, with Screwfix and Wickes you can use click and collect on their website and pay with PayPal which means you can use Amex (I have used Amex / PayPal with both of these retailers). Yes - in B&Q you have to use a Mastercard or Visa - well done you found one!

Actually, B&Q accepts PayPal on its web site, too. I had some stuff delivered by them last summer, and paid for it by AmEx via PayPal. I can't remember whether this method is good for click and collect as well, or just for deliveries. (And I can't check, because their web site is down for maintenance as I write this.)

Sandtree

In London at least increasingly small shops and even market stalls accept AmEx because they are using things like iZettle or Square to take card payments that all include AmEx as standard. 

B&Q is the only store that we frequent that doesnt take it that I can think of... for Screwfix I always use click and collect so can go the PayPal route (doesnt seem much point buying in store since its still from a catalogue but easier to search online). All the local pubs (indeps and brewery) and cafes take it without problem.

Years ago AmEx slashed their fees and then later obviously part of the rate was capped by legislation. Use initially increased significantly when Lloyd's merchant services added it to their services and then again with the FinTechs including it with their devices. 

Whilst Visa Premier, Visa Infinity etc are much rarer here than in other countries its "surprising" you dont see merchant complain about the higher fees associated with taking them or corporate cards etc... Infinity fees certainly would easily rival AmEx's

Having used iZettle as a merchant I dont think they differentiate between card type in the fee they charge... clearly they've enough margin in the fees to allow a simpler mechanism for most merchants.

MattMattMattUK

lloydyyy said:

I'm looking to take out a credit card to build up my credit history. I don't have any aversion to a particular card because of cashback, interest-free spending, etc. I'd like a card backed up by good customer service, in case anything goes wrong with a purchase that I need support with - i.e. Section 75. Any suggestions?

Pick the card with cashback. I have had credit cards for 20 years, I use them for most purchases, I can count on one hand the number of times I have had to deal with their customer service departments, pick the one that offers the cash benefit, do not base it on a hypothetical scenario that you will likely never need. 

Also with regard to S75, companies have to follow specific procedures and they are heavily regulated, your S75 process is likely to be very similar regardless of which card provider you choose.

Sandtree

PS. as to the original question... I have to say that I would struggle to answer really because I can go years between needing to contact Customer Service. Apply online, get stuff through the post and set up online access. New card arrives circa 22 months later with instructions on how to activate online... rinse and repeat. 

I do contact AmEx with moderate frequency but its for their concierge or travel services rather than account management (the only exception being a small spate of fraud on a secondary card which was resolved painlessly). They are known to be much better than Barclaycard but I've held 2 cards for over a decade with them and cannot say anything bad about them (or good) as I've not had a need to speak to them once in all that time.