Credit Card eligibility check has gone wrong - urgent fix needed

AndyRBristol

Please be very careful on using the credit card eligibility checker.

I used it and it said I had 100% approval for a Tesco Credit Card for a balance transfer.   On opening up then checked for what cards I had 0% approval for - exactly the same Tesco Credit Card at the same rate and same credit limit said 0% approval.   It was an exact match for match on all the terms, interest rate etc.    This is very dangerous as people will do a hard check for a card and find the eligibility checker was wrong and have a strike against their credit file as a hard search.  This needs very closely looking at and at the moment should not be trusted.

MattMattMattUK

AndyRBristol said:

Please be very careful on using the credit card eligibility checker.

I used it and it said I had 100% approval for a Tesco Credit Card for a balance transfer.   On opening up then checked for what cards I had 0% approval for - exactly the same Tesco Credit Card at the same rate and same credit limit said 0% approval.   It was an exact match for match on all the terms, interest rate etc.    This is very dangerous as people will do a hard check for a card and find the eligibility checker was wrong and have a strike against their credit file as a hard search.  This needs very closely looking at and at the moment should not be trusted.

It is total hyperbole to claim that it is dangerous. Also a hard search is not a "strike against their credit file" and in reality matters very little as a one off. Sometimes these things vary, quirks of circumstance, changes in lending criteria etc. Nothing to get worked up over. 

Neil_Jones

AndyRBristol said:

Please be very careful on using the credit card eligibility checker.

I used it and it said I had 100% approval for a Tesco Credit Card for a balance transfer.   On opening up then checked for what cards I had 0% approval for - exactly the same Tesco Credit Card at the same rate and same credit limit said 0% approval.   It was an exact match for match on all the terms, interest rate etc.    This is very dangerous as people will do a hard check for a card and find the eligibility checker was wrong and have a strike against their credit file as a hard search.  This needs very closely looking at and at the moment should not be trusted.

The eligibility checker does not guarantee you anything or acceptance of anything.  in fact it tells you in the FAQ on the results page "It's worth noting that pre-approval is not a cast-iron guarantee that you'll get the card", which I presume what is what you mean by "100% approval".

It also says at the bottom of every single page "This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances"

And its hardly "dangerous", anybody would think the machine had told you to jump off a cliff to improve your score.