Halifax Credit Cards - Changes to Cash transaction types

GalacticaActual

I have today received my Halifax Credit Card statement which highlights changes to cash transaction types from next month:

Changes to Cash transaction types

From 15th October 2021, certain cash-like transactions will be treated as Cash transactions instead of Card purchases:

+ Sending money orders or wire transfers (other than balance transfers or money transfers).

+ Buying coins, bank notes or digital currency.

+ Paying government or court fines, enforcement penalties, fees or costs.

+ Online trading such as share dealing or investments.

+ Purchasing or topping up electronic money, payment cards, mobile wallets or account dashboard services.

Things to be aware of:

These will be charged interest at the cash rate which is worked out daily.

We may charge you a cash fee for making them.

You'll no longer earn cashback on these if you do now.

See your statement Summary Box for fees and charges applicable to your account.

y3sitsm3

Other than fines I'm more surprised that these weren't already treated as cash transactions.

molerat

Obviously didn't read the T&C mailing that was sent out a couple of months ago !

Hermit

The treatment of government or court fines, enforcement penalties, fees or costs as cash transaction is completely unfair as it opens the door to so many grey areas for CC companies to benefit from such as legitimate costs for Government (Central & Local Government?) services - registering a vehicle, buying & registering a limited company, land registration, Subject Data access, etc.  Also, cash transactions affect your credit score as I discovered  - I paid a driving fine and found my credit score went down  by 50+ points.  Payer beware.

eskbanker

Hermit said:

The treatment of government or court fines, enforcement penalties, fees or costs as cash transaction is completely unfair as it opens the door to so many grey areas for CC companies to benefit from such as legitimate costs for Government (Central & Local Government?) services - registering a vehicle, buying & registering a limited company, land registration, Subject Data access, etc.  Also, cash transactions affect your credit score as I discovered  - I paid a driving fine and found my credit score went down  by 50+ points.  Payer beware.

If Halifax have specified "government or court fines, enforcement penalties, fees or costs", which presumably means fees and costs associated with enforcement of fines and penalties, rather than charges in other areas, then this would suggest the use of a dedicated merchant category code for such payments, which will allow distinction between these and the other areas you include, so one doesn't imply the other....

CliveOfIndia

Hermit said:

The treatment of government or court fines, enforcement penalties, fees or costs as cash transaction is completely unfair as it opens the door to so many grey areas for CC companies to benefit from such as legitimate costs for Government (Central & Local Government?) services - registering a vehicle, buying & registering a limited company, land registration, Subject Data access, etc.  Also, cash transactions affect your credit score as I discovered  - I paid a driving fine and found my credit score went down  by 50+ points.  Payer beware.

I'm not sure why you felt the need to resurrect a two-year-old thread to make your point, but these "new" cash-like transactions introduced by Halifax are pretty much standard across the majority of mainstream cards anyway.

Oh, and don't worry about any changes to your credit score - it's nothing more than a marketing gimmick used by the CRAs, and plays no part in any lending decisions.

Chrysalis

Paying government or court fines, enforcement penalties, fees or costs - This seems somewhat dodgy to me, these are clearly payments to an entity, not a shuffling of money around.

Purchasing or topping up electronic money, payment cards, mobile wallets or account dashboard services - Looks cant be used with things like google pay, curve, apple pay, paypal etc. now without counting as a cash transaction?

WillPS

CliveOfIndia said:

Hermit said:

The treatment of government or court fines, enforcement penalties, fees or costs as cash transaction is completely unfair as it opens the door to so many grey areas for CC companies to benefit from such as legitimate costs for Government (Central & Local Government?) services - registering a vehicle, buying & registering a limited company, land registration, Subject Data access, etc.  Also, cash transactions affect your credit score as I discovered  - I paid a driving fine and found my credit score went down  by 50+ points.  Payer beware.

I'm not sure why you felt the need to resurrect a two-year-old thread to make your point, but these "new" cash-like transactions introduced by Halifax are pretty much standard across the majority of mainstream cards anyway.

What's your source for that please? Only LBG as far as I'm aware have this blanket 'anything government is treated as cash' policy.

Fingerbobs

WillPS said:

CliveOfIndia said:

Hermit said:

The treatment of government or court fines, enforcement penalties, fees or costs as cash transaction is completely unfair as it opens the door to so many grey areas for CC companies to benefit from such as legitimate costs for Government (Central & Local Government?) services - registering a vehicle, buying & registering a limited company, land registration, Subject Data access, etc.  Also, cash transactions affect your credit score as I discovered  - I paid a driving fine and found my credit score went down  by 50+ points.  Payer beware.

I'm not sure why you felt the need to resurrect a two-year-old thread to make your point, but these "new" cash-like transactions introduced by Halifax are pretty much standard across the majority of mainstream cards anyway.

What's your source for that please? Only LBG as far as I'm aware have this blanket 'anything government is treated as cash' policy.

Does this policy extend to deposits into NS&I via Curve Fronted? 

retiredbanker1

Halifax has a cashback scheme and quite often I get offers for that retailer where I purchase top ups for gas and electricity. If you purchase any 'goods' such as sweets or a newspaper and that goes through the till first then ask for the top ups I find cashback works.

WillPS

Fingerbobs said:

WillPS said:

CliveOfIndia said:

Hermit said:

The treatment of government or court fines, enforcement penalties, fees or costs as cash transaction is completely unfair as it opens the door to so many grey areas for CC companies to benefit from such as legitimate costs for Government (Central & Local Government?) services - registering a vehicle, buying & registering a limited company, land registration, Subject Data access, etc.  Also, cash transactions affect your credit score as I discovered  - I paid a driving fine and found my credit score went down  by 50+ points.  Payer beware.

I'm not sure why you felt the need to resurrect a two-year-old thread to make your point, but these "new" cash-like transactions introduced by Halifax are pretty much standard across the majority of mainstream cards anyway.

What's your source for that please? Only LBG as far as I'm aware have this blanket 'anything government is treated as cash' policy.

Does this policy extend to deposits into NS&I via Curve Fronted? 

No idea, but of all the providers to try it with I wouldn't do it with LBG for this reason.

There was reports elsewhere on these of a museum's entrance fee being treated as cash by LBG!