Best Balance Transfers Discussion Area

1ManArmy

Didnt want to make a new thread but wanted to ask, i wonder what stops people balance transfering all their life? :rotfl:

indierocker85

Hi, I have just been accepted for the Barclaycard Simplicity 7.9% on Balance Transfers and purchases. MSE said it had "no handling fee". What does that mean? Dos it mean I don't pay a balance transfer fee? As later down the page it says BT fee 2.5%. Sory if I sound a bit dim

Dankel

Following reading the article on Balance trasnfer cards I applied for the Barclaycard Platinum 24 month 0% card a few weeks ago. I was told my application was accepted and I asked for 3.6k to be transferred.

When I received the card I phoned Barclays to activate it and during the conversation their customer service person mentioned the duration of the 0% was 20 months, not 24 months. I said there must be a mistake as I had been accepted on the 24 months Card and he checked with a manager and said not everyone is offered 24 months.

Is this not some kind of mis-selling - rather then sending me an email telling me I had been accepted should they not have said that they were offering me something different instead? so I could then decide if I wanted it and compare their new offer against other card deals

This means that the data on comparitive card offers is meaningless if the card issuers just change what they are offering without actually informing the customer.

Am I right to think I have grounds for complaint - what do people think?

bethyblue612

Dankel, the same thing happened to me, I applied for 24 months and got offered the 20. I managed to wangle getting the fee knocked off, because I checked with an online advisor at the time, and was told I could get 24 months when I activated the card - which was total rubbish. The T&C's when I applied did say 20 months.

Anyway, I did subsequently notice on the website, that the 24 month offer may not be given to everyone and that it depended on circumstances - which they are allowed to do.

Dankel

As an update I phoned Barclays customer service number to try to get my head around what actual terms and conditions they were offering me - as I was still unsure. Anyway this time they told me the 20 months was a processing error and would be rectified! I was told to phone back in a few days time to check that my T and Cs had been changed to the 24 months deal.
I am mildly suspicious, as they may have said it just to get rid of me but I will see what happens.

bethyblue612

They said they couldn't give me the 24 months under any circumstances, "the terms cannot be changed once the account is activated"!

Obviously you got through to a different person than I did - I would be interested to hear if you get the 24 months after all.

charfield_2

Hi,
about the 0% on balance transfers for 24 months from Barclaycard Platinum- I already have a barclaycard 'classic' credit card (not the platinum version). Can I be accepted for this offer?
If not, can I close my barclaycard then reapply a bit later for the platinum? I have until 1st Oct to tart (less than £3000), but I want the best (and longest) deal.
If the Barclaycard idea is not possible, what would be the next best option? I intend to pay this off within 1 year (when the house extension is completed which will release more equity) but 2 years would be better!

thanks

aidnolan

My apologies if this has been covered before.

I have a quick question about balance transfers in general. I'm currently planning a big trip to Asia and I am going to be building up a few debts along the way on my two credit cards. What I am wondering is, if I sign up for a 0% balance transfer credit card now, will I be able to use that 0% transfer a few months down the line? Or is it that you can only transfer any balance in the first few days/weeks of getting the card?

If I wasn't going to be out of the country for 5 months I would simply apply for the card once I had built up the debt, but I will be unable to do that.

Thanks in advance

bethyblue612

Different cards have different conditions, usually 60 or 90 days (I think) from opening the account, you would have to check before applying. The 0% period runs from account opening though, not date of transfer.

You might be better getting a 0% on purchases card instead?

uk.citizen.abroad

Hello, I am new to this forum so apologies if this question is repetitive or out of place.

I am a UK citizen who has moved to France this year. I have a UK credit card with less than £1000 owing on it and would like to find a 0% interest balance transfer card to shift it to while I get my finances sorted out. I have looked at all the links on this site for this type of cards but can no longer apply for them as I no longer have a UK residence.

I realise France is less of a credit driven culture than the UK but I am hoping there may be either a UK financial institution that accepts applications from UK citizens living abroad or a France based financial institution that do balance transfers.

Many thanks for any information or advice!