Halifax Clarity Card Issues

Fermion

Interesting problem with my Halifax Clarity Card.

I use my card solely for overseas travel or advance hotel bookings abroad.

I wanted to use this to advance book hotels in South Africa for Feb/Mar 2025 but my card expires at the end of Jan 2025.

I called Halifax to get a new card with an extended expiry date but it appears you can't do that until the card is within 90 days of expiry. At first one agent told me to report the card as lost/stolen but that didn't work as the new card when it arrived  had the same expiry date.

So the bottom line is that I have had to ditch Halifax Clarity Card and get a new Barclaycard Visa!

Some corporate procedures are crazy

SiliconChip

I don't see what problem you're having. If you want to book and pay for the hotels now then the transactions will go through and be processed long before the card expires. If you're using the card to make reservations but not pay until you arrive then it should still work, as long as you don't cancel the card before you go or Halifax decide to end their relationship with you. Have you actually tried to make the bookings?

born_again

Fermion said:

Interesting problem with my Halifax Clarity Card.

I use my card solely for overseas travel or advance hotel bookings abroad.

I wanted to use this to advance book hotels in South Africa for Feb/Mar 2025 but my card expires at the end of Jan 2025.

I called Halifax to get a new card with an extended expiry date but it appears you can't do that until the card is within 90 days of expiry. At first one agent told me to report the card as lost/stolen but that didn't work as the new card when it arrived  had the same expiry date.

So the bottom line is that I have had to ditch Halifax Clarity Card and get a new Barclaycard Visa!

Some corporate procedures are crazy

It's actually Visa/Mastercard that set the card renewal procedure.

Shame the 1st Halifax rep did not check their procedure on this. Debit card, it would have been correct.

Fermion

SiliconChip said:

I don't see what problem you're having. If you want to book and pay for the hotels now then the transactions will go through and be processed long before the card expires. If you're using the card to make reservations but not pay until you arrive then it should still work, as long as you don't cancel the card before you go or Halifax decide to end their relationship with you. Have you actually tried to make the bookings?

I generally book through booking.com which lets you book and cancel right up to 48 hours before the visit. Using Booking.com you reserve with your credit card but the money isn't actually taken from your card until 48 hours before the trip. In this case Booking.com wouldn't accept my card payment because the card would have expired before the actual payment date.

hugheskevi

I had exactly the same problem when I went on a long trip (16 months). My Halifax Clarity card would expire during that trip, so I needed a new one.

I was given the same incorrect guidance as the OP about reporting card stolen, with the same outcome as the OP.

As I recall, Halifax then closed the credit card account and opened a new one to resolve the issue by having new cards issued. It did all seem a rather unnecessary amount of phaff.

NoodleDoodleMan

If you report a card stolen - is the one sent not a straightforward replacement with a different 16 digit number but retaining the original validity date ?

Fermion

NoodleDoodleMan said:

If you report a card stolen - is the one sent not a straightforward replacement with a different 16 digit number but retaining the original validity date ?

correct different number but same expiry date

polyphonic99

Fermion said:

Interesting problem with my Halifax Clarity Card.

I use my card solely for overseas travel or advance hotel bookings abroad.

I wanted to use this to advance book hotels in South Africa for Feb/Mar 2025 but my card expires at the end of Jan 2025.

I called Halifax to get a new card with an extended expiry date but it appears you can't do that until the card is within 90 days of expiry. At first one agent told me to report the card as lost/stolen but that didn't work as the new card when it arrived  had the same expiry date.

So the bottom line is that I have had to ditch Halifax Clarity Card and get a new Barclaycard Visa!

Some corporate procedures are crazy

Thanks for your detailed posts, they are very informative. I am in exactly the same position. 

I will shortly be away from the UK for an extended period, and my current Halifax Clarity Card is due to expire halfway through the trip. It would seem obvious that it should be replacemed before I go with a date that does not expire while I am away. I don't want a new card deliverd to my home in the UK while I'm away, that just sits on my doormat, don't Banks consider that might be a security  risk?

I first read your post a few weeks ago, and I am hoping that the 90 day rule that you mention is correct, for me, 1st March (tomorrow) takes me within the 90 day period, so I'll call Halifax and see if they can replace my card with a new one with a new expiry date. Otherwise, I'll  find some other bank to provide a credit card that wont expire half way through my trip abroad.

This new travel thing, where people go to foreign parts, maybe one day Credit Card suppliers might sort it out.

jimi_man

I have exactly the same problem. I’m away in June and it expires in May. However I’ve had no problem using it to book accommodation in June and it has gone through with no issue whether I’ve paid up front now or whether it has just been used as a guarantee with the bill to be paid at the time. 

NoodleDoodleMan

In my experience credit cards about to reach their final month are replaced with the newer card several weeks (around 4) before the expiry date - therefore effecting a seamless transfer in practice.

The newer version works fine immediately the card is validated with the bank, even where the older one is still within its lifespan.

polyphonic99

Possible solution for the expiry date issue when you are going to be out of the UK

polyphonic99 said:

Fermion said:

Interesting problem with my Halifax Clarity Card.

I use my card solely for overseas travel or advance hotel bookings abroad.

I wanted to use this to advance book hotels in South Africa for Feb/Mar 2025 but my card expires at the end of Jan 2025.

I called Halifax to get a new card with an extended expiry date but it appears you can't do that until the card is within 90 days of expiry. At first one agent told me to report the card as lost/stolen but that didn't work as the new card when it arrived  had the same expiry date.

So the bottom line is that I have had to ditch Halifax Clarity Card and get a new Barclaycard Visa!

Some corporate procedures are crazy

Thanks for your detailed posts, they are very informative. I am in exactly the same position. 

I will shortly be away from the UK for an extended period, and my current Halifax Clarity Card is due to expire halfway through the trip. It would seem obvious that it should be replacemed before I go with a date that does not expire while I am away. I don't want a new card deliverd to my home in the UK while I'm away, that just sits on my doormat, don't Banks consider that might be a security  risk?

I first read your post a few weeks ago, and I am hoping that the 90 day rule that you mention is correct, for me, 1st March (tomorrow) takes me within the 90 day period, so I'll call Halifax and see if they can replace my card with a new one with a new expiry date. Otherwise, I'll  find some other bank to provide a credit card that wont expire half way through my trip abroad.

This new travel thing, where people go to foreign parts, maybe one day Credit Card suppliers might sort it out.

I have some updates on the above. On 2 March 25. I spoke to Halifax Chat on the App, and they confirmed the 90 day situation would generate a new expiry date. I then applied to get a replacemnet Halifax Clarity Card, when I was within the 90 day period when a new expiry date is supposed to be assigned. The card arrived the next day. Great, I thought, but the expiry sate was still as it was before, the end of May 2025. I went to my local Halifax Bank to seek some - clarity! 

The bank branches  mainly deal with accounts and other products, and not Credit Cards so they recoommeded I phone the specialised Credit Card team, which was useful, so I did.

I related the probblem to the Credit Card team service rep. The first thing I was told was that the 90 day period referred to is the Visa Debit card, NOT the Clarity Credit Card which is a Mastercard. The Clarity Credit Card can only have a new expiry date if it is replaced within a 30 DAY period of the current expiry date. I was told the 90 day period is a popular misconception and is not correct, apparently in other parts of Halifax Bank, this forum and the general public this misconception is rife!

We then discussed options to get around this: Apple Pay and Google Pay were suggested, they aren't apropriate for where I am going, I need a card. We discussed canceling my current CCC and getting a new CCC, but once you cancel a credit card there is a delay before you can apply for a new one. I don't know what the delay period is, but it was decided it was a non-starter for my timeframe. They offered to post the replacement Clarity Card to where I was goin gto be abroad, but th epostal service there is pretty poor and it would take at least 4 weeks.

But, finally the CSR came up with the idea of a second credit card on my existing account. They didn't know if that were possible but set up an online video appointement with one of their Credit Card specialist, Julie to take me through it. I had a pre-appointment phone call just to explain the details of the situation, and so she could prep for the apointment and do a little research. I basically had to go though a financial review and then go though a pre-approval check, which I passed. I was then taken through the application process and was successfully aproved. 

I should get a second Clarity Credit Card on my account within the next 7 days, and I am assured it will not expire at the end of May 2025.

The first Credit Card Team rep said I could probably apply for it myself, without going through the finnacial review process, but since time was short, she recommended that I spoke with the specialist because of my time constraints. Here is a link about Second Halifax Credit Cards. I haven't used it but check it out.

https://www.halifax.co.uk/creditcards/existing-customers/second-card.html

You can use the App to move and adjust credit limits between the 2 cards.

This was a fairly long winded process, but I think restricitons are put in place by Mastercard rather than Halifax

1) Halifax Chat x 3 at least 1 hour

2) Walk down to my local Halifax bank and ask there: 15 mins, 45 mins walking there and back

3) Phone the Credit Card Team 15 mins - 0345 728 3848

4) Phone call from specialist. 5 mins

5) Video conference with Credit Card Specialist using Micrsoft Teams 1hr 5 mins.

Once I got to the credit card team they were really knowledgable, helpful, recognised it was an issue for travellers who are away for longer than the 2 weeks in Benidorm. They were creative, spent time looking at solutions, altogether 10 out of 10 for customer service. I was really impressed.

I'll update this thread when I receive the new card to confirm or not whether this has worked, though I am assured it will.

Thanks Halifax and thanks again Fermion , the OP, for the initial work.