Alliance & leicester credit card

mrsw

My husband currently has an A&L credit card that pays 0.5% cashback. He wants to apply for a Virgincard for stoozing purposes. I believe that the A&L card is part of the MBNA brand. Should he close this account before applying for the Virgin card or would he be able to keep both? He doesn't currently have another card for purchases.

Clariman

mrsw wrote:

My husband currently has an A&L credit card that pays 0.5% cashback. He wants to apply for a Virgincard for stoozing purposes. I believe that the A&L card is part of the MBNA brand. Should he close this account before applying for the Virgin card or would he be able to keep both? He doesn't currently have another card for purchases.

Virgin (MBNA) have consistenly been declining applications from people who already have MBNA cards. If he wants the Virgin card, then he would need to close the A&L one. However, this would leave him without a credit card for a while and what would happen if he closed that and then found he was still refused for a Virgin card.

Depending on what state his credit record is in and how much he cares about it, I'd be inclined to get another card up and running before closing the A&L one. He could consider an Egg card which (IIRC) gives you an instant decision online and gives you 0% on purchases until Jan 2006 and 0% on BTs (but with a charge). If he gets accepted for the Egg card, then at least he knows he has a card. He could then cancel A&L in a couple of weeks time and then apply for Virgin.

Clariman

Chadsman

From reading other posts on here it is now unusual for anyone to be accepted for a second card from the MBNA stable.
If you close the A&L card (or any cashback/rewards card) before any earned cashback has been paid you will lose it.

mrsw

I didn't know you lose unpaid cashback - that would be terrible because we have accumulated quite a lot. Perhaps he should get a different brand card for now.

Thank you both for your advice.