best BT card credit criteria?

mstar

i know this is a probably a difficult question to answer...

but do some cards issuers expect higher scores then others?
i did a search and some said Barclaycard are hard to get as they look for high credit scorers? my options are:

Halifax One (i thik 12 months free BT)
BarclayCard (i thik 15 months free BT)
HSBC (i thik 15 months free BT)
first Direct (my wife is a customer with a account)

i have a mbna visa with 6k debt.
and a lloyds tsb duo with no balance 15k limit

angelavdavis

Martin provides guidance in this article here.

twists_and_turns

Martins article is good regarding the theory, but does not hint at banks preferences when dishing out credit.

It seems that your score is only part of the picture with regards to how banks view your risk / profitability.

I've recently spoken to HSBC and Halifax regarding their credit card application processes.

I had been going on the basis that banks were more likely to accept applications for low interest rate cards, than 0% interest rate cards. How true this is in practice, I don't know.

HSBC appear to want a clear 3 months before your previous application for credit, and if they reject you, you are not entitled to appeal their decision with extra information, and are recommended by the bank to wait another 3 months before making another application for credit.

Halifax said that you can appeal their decision if they reject you for credit.

It also seems that most banks are providing lower credit limits on new cards, with some giving as low as £500. From what I've gathered I could be looking at anywhere between £500 and £1500 for a new application at the moment.

It's worth looking into who provides first direct cards, as they seem to have come under some criticism on these boards in recent weeks. I think firstdirect is an offshoot of HSBC.

Obviously recent credit history and your earnings play a considerable part in how banks view you.

I think it comes down more to your circumstances than your actual score.

I'd still be curious to find out more about the banks preferences when it comes to providing credit, although if that was public knowledge, I suppose those banks would be over-subscribed with applications for credit.