Halifax Clarity vs Nationwide Member Credit card

TwiceNightly

Hi all,

I know this has been asked before but I can't see anything specific or recent about it so I thought I would ask.

What is the current thinking on which of these Credit Cards is better to keep for holidays (+ occasional spending to keep it active)? I have another credit card for day to day spending and also have a Halifax and Nationwide account for holidays and want to get rid of one.

Which one is better to keep? I originally had a feeling that the Nationwide card would be worse and blocked more when abroad but searching 'X' these days seems to have them both level pegging.

If it helps, my main account and CC is with Lloyds and I've had the Halifax and Nationwide accounts for the same amount of time.

Thanks for any opinions.

[Deleted User]

There isn't alot in it unless you're planning to use ATMs. 

I've found Visa to have slightly better forex rates and slightly better acceptance when travelling outside Europe/North America.

[Deleted User]

I use the Halifax Clarity card for ATM withdrawals (clearing the balance immediately) as one obtains the spot rate for the currency exchange - no loading and a big saving. You would, of course, be subject to any charges levied by the atm provider as with other cards. 

username

Keep both, unless there is any particular reason why you wish to close one or the other down?

Always good to have fee-free spending abroad, and also you'll have the benefit of having two separate card networks (and banks) for redundancy.

grumbler

[Deleted User] said:

There isn't alot in it unless you're planning to use ATMs.

Or Money Transfers, not just ATMs. 

This is essential for stoozing (taking advantage of cheap Balance Transfers offered by other CCs). If you have Clarity, you don't need a balance on another card. You just transfer money from Clarity you your current account (no fees), then the balance from Clarity to another CC with a good BT offer.

WillPS

grumbler said:

[Deleted User] said:

There isn't alot in it unless you're planning to use ATMs.

Or Money Transfers, not just ATMs. 

This is essential for stoozing (taking advantage of cheap Balance Transfers offered by other CCs). If you have Clarity, you don't need a balance on another card. You just transfer money from Clarity you your current account (no fees), then the balance from Clarity to another CC with a good BT offer.

I can't believe this isn't something Halifax would raise an eyebrow at if the account was ever manually reviewed...

grumbler

People have been doing this for decades without any reported problems. What's wrong with borrowing cash for few days and then paying it back one way or another?

Clarity is possibly the most known 'mule' card in stoozing community.

WillPS

grumbler said:

People have been doing this for decades without any reported problems. What's wrong with borrowing cash for few days and then paying it back one way or another?

Clarity is possibly the most known 'mule' card in stoozing community.

I will happily take your word for it. It feels very 'outside intended purpose' but then so too I suppose is opening 3 Reward accounts and getting £5 in each for depositing £500 in a building society every month...

TwiceNightly

I had a query on both cards last night so I used the in-app chat to try and get an answer and that may have decided it for me!

Nationwide
Got through to a live agent immediately. As security was already done as I was messaging from within the app they looked up and answered my query straight away.

Halifax
My first response took 9 hours and that response was a security question, even though I had messaged from within the app. I responded with the security answer 3 hours ago and am still waiting.

Based on this experience I might go with Nationwide. That means I have a Mastercard for everyday UK spending from Lloyds and a Visa for holidays from Nationwide.
I was worried about Nationwide blocking my card when I’m abroad but it seems like it would be quicker to talk to them and get it sorted if that happens than Halifax anyway.

[Deleted User]

grumbler said:

[Deleted User] said:

There isn't alot in it unless you're planning to use ATMs.

Or Money Transfers, not just ATMs. 

This is essential for stoozing (taking advantage of cheap Balance Transfers offered by other CCs). If you have Clarity, you don't need a balance on another card. You just transfer money from Clarity you your current account (no fees), then the balance from Clarity to another CC with a good BT offer.

The OP doesn't say they're looking to transfer funds or 'stooze' plus I wouldn't say that's an activity for a fair chunk of people (myself included)  

grumbler

[Deleted User] said:

grumbler said:

[Deleted User] said:

There isn't alot in it unless you're planning to use ATMs.

Or Money Transfers, not just ATMs. 

This is essential for stoozing (taking advantage of cheap Balance Transfers offered by other CCs). If you have Clarity, you don't need a balance on another card. You just transfer money from Clarity you your current account (no fees), then the balance from Clarity to another CC with a good BT offer.

The OP doesn't say they're looking to transfer funds or 'stooze' plus I wouldn't say that's an activity for a fair chunk of people (myself included)  

Neither does it say about withdrawing cash. Money Transfers exist not only for stoozers. There are many things that can't be paid for by a CC - that's where MT can be very helpful - especially if combined with a good BT offer.