Anyone else getting less offers recently?

BACKTOBACK

Long term stoozing here. Was around £50k total, one ran out recently so now around £40k interest free over 5 cards at the moment. Always paid just over the minimum payments, and always had offers available. Never had a problem finding new cards or offers until the last couple of months. I have £110k earning 5% with Oxbury so no problem with repayments.

But now i have found out i am being declined by a fairly new ai software called Fico Triad which is in use by 80% of UK card issuers. This software not only uses my own credit profile but also looks at what others have done in my situation. As i am holding a large debt and paying just over the minimum payment. Other people in this situation have later had financial difficulties. So this ai software is now declining me because of the behaviour of others.

I know many people will be unaware this software exists so i will leave links below. But i just wondered if others who have been stoozing for many years have recently been declined offers they would normally get?

https://www.fico.com/en/products/fico-triad-customer-manager

https://investors.fico.com/news-releases/news-release-details/fico-uk-credit-card-market-report-february-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com

flaneurs_lobster

How have you "found out" that Fico Triad is to blame for your situation?

Are you not being offered transfer offers or are you being turned down after application?

Don't think that it is particularly unusual to look at the history of a large cohort of similar customers when making a judgement about granting access to any financial product, it's called experience in the marketplace.

Applies to any lending product (and financial products in general) , not just credit cards.

Maybe the lenders have simply decided that they consider you having £40k of unsecured debt is the limit they are happy with - remember that they take no account of your savings, only total commitments and income.

BACKTOBACK

For example i had every month offers on a credit card. These were both balance transfers and money transfers low apr. These offers have been available every month for years. I recently asked the bank and was told i am declined due to the Fico Triad software. After some research into this software i found the information above. I did have around £13k on a Santander credit card for around a year and the offers were still there. I paid this off recently so reduced the overall debt. But this software is looking at a large debt with low repayments.

MACKEM99

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82073398#Comment_82073398

Do you not have to pay a fee for the balance transfers.

flaneurs_lobster

A bank volunteered the name of the software package that they use to evaluate lending applications?

Bit odd, but I suppose no real reason why not - might as well tell you they use Microsoft Word to produce letters and Dell desktops to access accounts.

Think you might be looking for complicated reasons for the refusal when it's likely to be a simple scoring system involving your current debt vs your income. The banks' appetite for lending can also vary over time.

The fact that you receive details of lots of offers just means that the marketing systems see you as a potential customer, not that you have an increased likelihood for acceptance. I get maybe 5-6 a week.

Isthisforreal99

The one crucial factor you have omitted is your income. No potential lender cares if you have £110k sitting in 'savings', especially if a chunk if that is through borrowing money.

If lenders are going to use AI on their lending decisions then so what?

Jemma01

I don't get offers, because previously I never used credit cards at all, despite my high income, but they don't know that! Offers look for someone willing to borrow. Unless they're now doing checks on affordability as well in advance of approaching you (as they should to avoid enticing vulnerable ppl) then that's a possibility to refine their targets.

On a side note, curiousity is getting the better of me, given that you can pay off in a short time, why are you keeping yourself in debt?

flaneurs_lobster

On a side note, curiousity is getting the better of me, given that you can pay off in a short time, why are you keeping yourself in debt?

You need to look up "stoozing".

It's borrowing money at a zero (or small) interest rate and investing it at a higher rate.

So in the OP's case they have borrowed £40k on zero interest balance transfer cards and have invested that money at 5% elsewhere. When the interest free period ends you pay back the amount borrowed.

Works well as long as the funds are available for the repayment.

Newbie_John

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82073425#Comment_82073425

Balance transfer fee is like 3%, so let's say £10k transferred for 3 years results in £300 fee, £100 per year. If you get 4.5% interests (on savings), so £450 a year you are still £350 up every year. Now with £50k "fake" debt, that's over £100/month earned free.

And on the topic, all good things come to an end.. surely banks don't like people like you 😅

Jemma01

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82073764#Comment_82073764

right I see! Thanks