When you close a Barclaycard credit card, “you can never have one again”

Yorkshire_Pud

As above this is what Barclays online chat service have told me after weeks of interrupted ‘chats’.

I closed a barclaycard last November. All paid off no missed payments or problems.

I applied for a new barclaycard recently and was turned down. Reason was because I ‘already had a barclaycard’! But it was closed last year.

So is this really the truth that you can only have one barclaycard in your lifetime!? Then that’s it for …..ever….?

Seems ridiculous and wrong but I don’t  know.

ThisnotThat

Sounds like a load of old nonsense.

Perhaps they have a cooling-off period after closing the account before you can open a new one (6 months to a year perhaps?) but refusing to ever do business with someone again because they closed down an account?  Yeah, I don't think so.

Sandtree

Their company their rules... have no idea if it is an official Barclays stance and even if it is today doesnt mean it was yesterday or will still be tomorrow. Ultimately a company can pick and choose its customers as long as it isnt doing so on a protected characteristic (race, gender, sexual orientation etc). Business strategy an change fairly often as companies react to external conditions.

I'd certainly expect it to be more common to have a period of not wanting customers coming back and getting introductory offers again, whilst you can deal with that in the T&Cs you'll still get a host of complaints from people trying to game the system but not reading the terms. It could be easier to just decline than argue and risk FOS fees. 

Ultimately if you've applied and they've said no there isnt anything you can do.

Thrugelmir

Yorkshire_Pud said:

Seems ridiculous and wrong but I don’t  know.

Why did you close the account only to change your mind?  What's so important about having a Barclaycard account rather than another provider? 

Sometimes customer services operatives say things to kill the conversation. As they don't actually know the reason behind the policy. Why should they. 

Yorkshire_Pud

Old account closed as at end of 0% balance transfer period, all paid off and believed have to wait six months before applying again. Did so for another 0% balance transfer card and turned down said already have a barclaycard. Which I don’t. 

Of course real reason may be they didn’t make any profit out of me as I paid on time and paid off fully within interest free period then closed the account.
Mind you after I realised their monthly minimum payments are 3.25% of balance I don’t care too much.
Apart from I wanted to get to the bottom of why they turned me down as I was invited to do, and have got nowhere.

Gerry1

I closed a Barclays Platinum card because the period of fee-free usage abroad had ended.  I applied for the Barclays Rewards card which is about as good as it gets (no annual fee and no charges abroad, even when withdrawing cash from ATMs) and 0.25% cashback on purchases everywhere.  However, the online application always rejected me without any explanation.  Eventually after various broken promises (e.g. that it took three months to close down the old card) they eventually admitted that you have to wait six months.

Can't really see the logic in that, because if I'm profitable now then I was when I first applied.

But at least you haven't been singled out, seems they're equally stupid towards everyone.

mrmajika

I've known a good few credit cards and current accounts that don't let you apply again for a period of time after closing an account; typically 6 or 12 months. It's unlikely to be a lifetime barring.

zagfles

Well I've got 2 Barclaycards so it's rubbish that you can't successfully apply for a Barclaycard if you've already got one!

Yorkshire_Pud

Barclays chat feature soaks up masses of time waiting around for responses or logging back in a few hours later to find nothing has happened or even two weeks later! Then a very quick answer that after closing a barclaycard “you can never have one again”. When I replied, “ever?”, he confirmed yes and asked is there anything else I can help you with.

Shambolic and interspersed with long periods of sorry chat isn’t available right now, probably blocking me.

fred246

I once had an 'Access' card that I closed and it suddenly opened itself again and tried to charge an annual fee. So when I close a credit card I keep the closure letter. When I want another 0% card I check MSE for the longest periods and then check my letters to see which provider I haven't used for a while. You just end up with a 'merry go round'. I used to earn a six figure salary and would normally have about £50K on 0% while the money was saved in interest earning savings accounts. Quite a money spinner over the years. Not now with low savings rates and I can't borrow as much on my pension.

sleepyjones

I've had 2 Barclaycards over my lifetime, so it's not true that you can't get two ... but I suspect I got the second because it was around 10 years after the first so they might not have still had a record of the 1st card (which was defaulted and closed by them).

Barclaycard have been doing the covid limit reductions, so it might just be that they're really tightening down on their lending at the moment.