0% Chance for a Halifax Credit Card - What gives?

thundyuk

Hi all,

I was just doing my annual transfer searches for the best deals. Normally I have a good half dozen good options available to me via the eligibility checker on MSE & this time around is just as decent, however I decided to click the option to show me the cards where I had 0% chance. 

Most of them are cards I already own so that makes sense.

But Halifax are also 0%. 

30 years ago I defaulted on a Halifax credit card because...well I was a child (18 year old) and lost my job.

Could that be why after all this time? Every other bank where I'm not a customer falls over themselves to 100% pre-approve me but Halifax are like NOPE! lol

Is it because I didn't pay them like £500 back three decades ago do you think? I wouldn't have thought they'd hold a grudge that long I didn't think they even kept records for such a long period of time.

Just curious if anyone has insights, it's not a problem, just interested. 

Brie

I sincerely doubt they have any record of you from 30 years back so it must be something on your current credit history.  Most banks don't have records of ex customers beyond 10 years at the maximum.  And they won't even have records of accounts that have been closed a decade back for current customers.  

It's a mystery to me.  

thundyuk

Brie said:

I sincerely doubt they have any record of you from 30 years back so it must be something on your current credit history.  Most banks don't have records of ex customers beyond 10 years at the maximum.  And they won't even have records of accounts that have been closed a decade back for current customers.  

It's a mystery to me.  

It must be something though I owe no money out beyond about £13k in credit card debt I keep moving around, no CCJs or even a missed payment for twenty odd years. No mortgage now, no loans etc.

Maybe they just don't like that I owe over ten-grand already and think I'm gaming the system too much.

thundyuk

I might have sussed it. I have an MBNA card..

Bank of Scotland plc owns MBNA Limited, and the Halifax bank is a trading division of Bank of Scotland.

horsewithnoname

I’ve got a BofS and an MBNA card. They might just not want any custom from your demographic at the moment. 

Have you moved house recently? The only time I was ever refused a card was just after I’d moved house. 

Nasqueron

thundyuk said:

Hi all,

I was just doing my annual transfer searches for the best deals. Normally I have a good half dozen good options available to me via the eligibility checker on MSE & this time around is just as decent, however I decided to click the option to show me the cards where I had 0% chance. 

Most of them are cards I already own so that makes sense.

But Halifax are also 0%. 

30 years ago I defaulted on a Halifax credit card because...well I was a child (18 year old) and lost my job.

Could that be why after all this time? Every other bank where I'm not a customer falls over themselves to 100% pre-approve me but Halifax are like NOPE! lol

Is it because I didn't pay them like £500 back three decades ago do you think? I wouldn't have thought they'd hold a grudge that long I didn't think they even kept records for such a long period of time.

Just curious if anyone has insights, it's not a problem, just interested. 

If you are talking about an eligibility checker on a site like MSE, I wouldn't worry too much, I'd try and do it on their own site and see what that comes back with. If on their site, just move along, don't stress it.

Halifax are allowed to keep an internal blacklist if they want but it's highly unlikely from 30 years ago

born_again

thundyuk said:

Brie said:

I sincerely doubt they have any record of you from 30 years back so it must be something on your current credit history.  Most banks don't have records of ex customers beyond 10 years at the maximum.  And they won't even have records of accounts that have been closed a decade back for current customers.  

It's a mystery to me.  

It must be something though I owe no money out beyond about £13k in credit card debt I keep moving around, no CCJs or even a missed payment for twenty odd years. No mortgage now, no loans etc.

Maybe they just don't like that I owe over ten-grand already and think I'm gaming the system too much.

A bit of a hint.
You will have at some point used others in the group. At the moment you are outside their risk profile.