Virgin Money purchase/BT promotional rates

Brie

Nothing the matter with credit cards and nothing the matter with 0% BTs and the rest as long as you keep on top of it all.

I have a very simple spreadsheet that I update a couple of times a month that has both mine and the OH's cards on it showing amounts used for purchases (cleared monthly) and any BTs so that I can keep ahead of when any of them end and do a transfer if there's not other funds available to pay off.  And occasionally there'll be good promo that will allow me to swing some money on to our flexi mortgage.  All good fun!

FCA must allow cards to be unclear as M&S is as they have been like this ever since we got the card to do a large furniture purchase from them about 15 years back and they had a 0% on purchases for 2 years.  I grumble at them every couple of years about their lack of clarity but they don't seem bothered.

AliceBanned

Brie said:

Nothing the matter with credit cards and nothing the matter with 0% BTs and the rest as long as you keep on top of it all.

I have a very simple spreadsheet that I update a couple of times a month that has both mine and the OH's cards on it showing amounts used for purchases (cleared monthly) and any BTs so that I can keep ahead of when any of them end and do a transfer if there's not other funds available to pay off.  And occasionally there'll be good promo that will allow me to swing some money on to our flexi mortgage.  All good fun!

FCA must allow cards to be unclear as M&S is as they have been like this ever since we got the card to do a large furniture purchase from them about 15 years back and they had a 0% on purchases for 2 years.  I grumble at them every couple of years about their lack of clarity but they don't seem bothered.

I used to have an M&S card as part of an offer - I think a current account, but didn't like it much and closed it down later on, taking the new account offer and vouchers. I wasn't impressed either. 

I love spreadsheets so must teach myself to use them properly. I've paid quite a lot out on renovating my flat and haven't kept track so need to set up a spreadsheet. When I come to sell it in a couple of years I don't want to lose the amount I've spent on it (if possible!).

I agree, I like having credit cards and couldn't wait to get them again after the mortgage came through. Probably the next day I applied ;-). It was agony having to get to zero balances whilst paying all those fees and the conveyancer was going nuts over possible money laundering (by my parents in their 80s yeah who have lived at the same address for 50 years) if I tried to bring in even the tiniest bit of financial help from them. In the end in order to protect them (they would have had to do anti-money laundering checks in person during first lockdown) I managed to get a new mortgage sorted through a broker, but at 3.9%!!!! So am trying to overpay a bit too.

I haven't actually been on MSE since well before then as I've been trying to get back to normality after such a stressful experience! So it's been fun having these cards and getting on with my renovation, but I need to use them responsibly and now is time to pay them down a bit.  . 

I just saw that Sainsbury's now have a no-fee card but I can't go for that as they don't allow people to have two of their cards. So I might try the Tesco with 1.19% fee on BT. I can use the Sainsbury's or my Halifax one if not, to repay the Virgin £1600, but if I can avoid a fee all the better. 

AliceBanned

Ok just now I was accepted for the Tesco card 1.19% fee and put some of the balance from the Virgin onto it. At the end of Jan I will be able to pay the rest so that £1600 balance will be gone.

AliceBanned

Credit Karma wasn't showing that card but MSE Credit Club did.  . 

It's good to be back on the Forum too.