Best Credit Card For Buyer Protection?

theFlash

I am looking at a credit card purely for purchase protection (I do buy from reputable suppliers). This can be goods or services, so I mean chargebacks and section 75 refunds.

Specifically one that is easy to deal with. I've not had any bad experiences, and don't need a card for delayed payments (cashback would be good though). I have had a rogue trader experience though and the bank helped. Made me want to have a few more barriers between anyone and my current account.

Not interested in delayed payments, airmiles etc. Cashback for purchases at usual UK retailers would be good, but not at the expense of the primary reason for the card.

I'd be very grateful for anyone's experience on such matters.

So far under consideration:

Amex Cashback Everyday Credit Card

Pro's - no charges, fairly good cashback

Con's - not accepted everywhere

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6671247/best-credit-card-for-buyer-protection

S75 is statute so in principle is no different irrespective of the card issuer

Chargeback rules are set by the card network so only matters if its Mastercard, Visa, AmEx etc not if its Barclays or HSBC

The rest is just really a general customer service question and there are plenty of sources of views on which banks give the best service however that may not tie up with who has the best product so you are going to have to weight which is the more important to you.

Personally product is more important than service to me as I get benefit from that on every transaction and can go years between needing service assistance. I use an AmEx for 95% of transactions and a Barclays BA card for the 5% of places that dont take AmEx but I favour Avios over cashback

theFlash

Thanks. Have you ever had to do an S75 or Chargeback on AMEX, and if so was it a reasonable process?

And where if I may ask have you found that Amex is not accepted?

My second choice might be a Lloyds Ultra Credit Card, which could be the VISA option I guess.

Most of my usual retailers seem to take AMEX. Some of the odd non regular larger purchase location seem to not however.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82024301#Comment_82024301

I've in theory made a few chargebacks on AmEx, in a couple of cases they were very low value and AmEx just waived the charge rather than process a chargeback given they say the cost is something like £15 for them and I was complaining about a £12 charge sort of thing. The larger couple went through ok but then I know the process and so had prepared what was required before engaging.

Never had need to do a S75 on any card; did litigate against JohnLewis once, couldn't do a S75 on that because Id used a chargecard, but JL did pay up in full once their lawyers were involved.

Where does and doesn't accept AmEx is very variable depending on where you live, it does change overtime as its often tied with who the merchant is using as their payment solution, even our local Big Issue sellers take AmEx these days. One of our favourite mid level restaurants used to take them, then changed provider and stopped and then earlier this year changed provider again and now accept them again.

Greggs, Decathlon are big names that dont, sometimes there are workarounds like B&Q you couldn't use them but for online purchases you could use PayPal and it did accept AmEx via PayPal (Its changed now and they accept AmEx through all channels directly)

Overseas its much more hit and miss, North America has good coverage, other places not necessarily. Surprisingly one country the US has on its band list with lots of sanctions did accept AmEx in most places which was unexpected

CRAIGEMMA

After 13 years of using AMEX and getting very good cashback I tried to make a claim on card to have it rejected (received wrong items and poor quality item). Rejected as was wife who purchased it.

Being in banking industry even i didnt know your not protected on additional card holders purchases at all unless its for primary card user only. They went down charge back non legal route , seller rejected. Down significant money.

At no point did amex explain this. Dragged me through months of stress and pain. Only AI and own research did.

After losing my mind on phone to them I just closed my account. Rules apply across all providers but they didnt explain it to me so I assumed their protection was rubbish but way they treated me ive zero reason to believe their service would help me so just a word of warning re it all

CRAIGEMMA

Want war and peace. All email correspondence, photos, essay etc. Then be prepared to be asked for more.

eskbanker

Being in banking industry even i didnt know your not protected on additional card holders purchases at all unless its for primary card user only. They went down charge back non legal route , seller rejected. Down significant money.

Just to be clear, you're describing two separate processes.

Section 75 is the statutory one, and does require an unbroken debtor-creditor-supplier relationship, which is broken if the contracting party (secondary cardholder) isn't the debtor (primary cardholder). It's a fairly well-known constraint, stated in the 1974 legislation and most articles about s75, including MSE's.

Chargeback, on the other hand, doesn't have that constraint, but does have different rules, set by the card schemes themselves. If a merchant challenges the chargeback then the card provider does decide, but escalation to the overarching scheme is possible for Visa and Mastercard but perhaps not for Amex where they're effectively the same body…

born_again

Some card providers do offer S75 to additional card holders, which is a bonus. As a CC only has one account holder. Given the debtor creditor link, is just the account holder.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82049430#Comment_82049430

Who its for is irrelevant, you need an unbroken chain between debtor, creditor and supplier. The chain is broken if the secondary cardholder (who therefore isnt the debtor) is the one entering into the contract with the supplier.

S75 is the law, it's in the control of parliament not credit providers, generally people are expected to either know the law or consult a lawyer. It's similar that if you buy a kitchen knife the staff won't tell you that you cant carry it around with you in the streets or use it to threaten people.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82050527#Comment_82050527

They can offer something similar to S75, they cant change the legislation.

AmEx, on certain cards, and Barclaycard historically, also used to offer secondary protections via insurance. The AmEx one is both well beyond and more limited than the likes of S75… for example it would cover something that you've bought with their card that is shortly after stolen however it only covers items not covered by other insurance. For most their customers you would imagine its only going to be things below their home insurance excess that it effectively covers

theFlash

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82049430#Comment_82049430

Thanks for adding your experience. Its certainly given me pause for thought.