# Halifax credit cards



## gayathri (17 Mar 2007)

we hear this name so often, they send me letter  t my address saying'' we had taken them'' quoting about bank of scotland. Good for them!!!!. i was really fancied of getting a credit card from them . when i talked to them i was told its so straight forwad. we applied in my hubbies name,who is in a high earning catogory. we were really optimistic to get one.
on the websites and other adverts they say that we can check the status of the application if we all a local no. this is the first twist. i ranfg them with our details and i was told we cant tell the status over the phone( check the brochures)
recently we got a letter saying that we are denied for the card.yes!!!!they have the rigt to do so. but i was really annoyed ,because of the reasons for that. they state that my credit history is bad. noway!!! ipay my credit card bills properly ,no outstanding payment on my loans or what ever.
so i made a call to them to find out whats wrong with my credit history. i got a lady to talk about it. and she said she has no info about it and gave me an address to write.
on the last clauses of the brochre it says if you have any complaints plese call this local no 1890---. i rang them and i got an another lady and she repeated the same sentences as the previous.i told her that i am ringing to make complaint. and she denied to take my complaint there.
SO ITS LIKe A RADIO WE HEAR WAHT THEY SAY,WE CANT TELL THEM ANY THING.

footage:Never read brochures.if u read it dnt think that its true. if you pay ur laons and bills properly in time u will have a bad credit history


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## serotoninsid (17 Mar 2007)

Might be worth getting a credit bureau report - make sure someone hasnt put something on there.


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## irishpancake (17 Mar 2007)

serotoninsid said:


> Might be worth getting a credit bureau report - make sure someone hasnt put something on there.



Just to agree with serotonsid, you should check out if the Irish Credit Bureau has anything on your credit record. You can actually [broken link removed]. Just click on the link.


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## gayathri (19 Mar 2007)

hi irish pan cake thanx for this link


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## Kendr (20 Mar 2007)

Is it me, or is there a constant stream of bad reports about Halifax..............Had a brief flirtation with them myself - it lasted for one phonecall. The amount of forms and info needed for a lousy credit card with them made it all too much hassle. Rang my own bank, switched to a different card with them - OK not matching Halifax claimed rates - but done in seconds and with very attractive rate nonetheless.


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## CCOVICH (20 Mar 2007)

Kendr said:


> IThe amount of forms and info needed for a lousy credit card with them made it all too much hassle.



Could you clarify exactly what they needed?

I'm not really surprised your own bank/card provider was able to process your request without as much information-surely they would have had most of the information Halifax requested on their files already?


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## Kendr (21 Mar 2007)

CCOVICH said:


> I'm not really surprised your own bank/card provider was able to process your request without as much information-surely they would have had most of the information Halifax requested on their files already?


 

Exactly 

My bank's got an 11% apr card - and I can manage all accounts and cards online.
Halifax on the phone were too much of a "doing you a favour" if we give you this operation.
As for information - salary cert was one piece requested - no big deal, but for 9.5 on a credit card simply couldn't be bothered.


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## CCOVICH (21 Mar 2007)

If you approach any of the card providers as a new customer, I would imagine most of the requirements are the same.

I wouldn't be bothered switching to Halifax for their rate on purchases, but they still have one of the most attractive balance transfer rates on offer.


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## Kendr (21 Mar 2007)

Quite right.  Couldn't agree more. Pros and cons of all these deals currently on offer out there have to be looked at closely.


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## bond-007 (21 Mar 2007)

It appears that they are quite choosey about who they allow to get their cards. Cherrypicking if you will.


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## serotoninsid (21 Mar 2007)

Which credit card offers the best deal on cash advances?  Its very rare I dont pay on time - but where they do hit me is with the exchange rate and cash advance fees for overseas..


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## thomasd (21 Mar 2007)

I got a Halifax card for the 0% BT offer, and the document requirements were no more than I had to provide for other financial products in the past.  I think their call centres may be based overseas, but they've always been helpful when I've spoken to them.  I guess I was just fortunate to get accepted for it, judging by some of the reports.


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## CCOVICH (22 Mar 2007)

serotoninsid said:


> Which credit card offers the best deal on cash advances? Its very rare I dont pay on time - but where they do hit me is with the exchange rate and cash advance fees for overseas..


 

There is a thread in the Best Buys on best cards for use overseas-the info may not be 100% accurate at this stage, but should be a reasonable guide.


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## serotoninsid (22 Mar 2007)

CCOVICH said:


> There is a thread in the Best Buys on best cards for use overseas-the info may not be 100% accurate at this stage, but should be a reasonable guide.


Thanks ccovich - will check it out.


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## Thorn (22 Mar 2007)

I applied for a credit card form halifax and got refused! I know my credit rating is perfect cos i just had a mortgage approved! Went to my bank (BoI) who are doing a similar deal and got accepted! Strange!


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## gayathri (25 Mar 2007)

irishpancake said:


> Just to agree with serotonsid, you should check out if the Irish Credit Bureau has anything on your credit record. You can actually [broken link removed]. Just click on the link.


 
hi there we checked our credit status and theres no flaws in that.i am really surprised ,hw can tey accuse my credit history


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## Bambo (4 Apr 2007)

I had an application to transfer my credit card to a Halifax card for over 1 month....they kept sending me letters stating they had a query but had been unable to contact me so please get in touch. When I actually rang them and confirmed my contact info which was correct it is obvious they had never tried to call me - and they had no record of why they wanted me to get in touch. After I recieved the 3rd letter of the same effect I lodged a complaint and cancelled the application. They were unhelpful to talk to and obviously had a serious problem with their communications. I also think that over 1 month to process a credit card balance transfer is unacceptable.

I applied then to Tesco - both me and my partner and we were refused !! Our credit history as far as we know is perfect, so we have requested a credit bureau report. Tesco said that "based on the info provided by you on the applicaion form you failed to meet our points requirements. We are unable to disclose what points are allocated to each section". So...Ive no idea if its based purely on our salary or what, but I got the impression and from their speedy decline (less than a week after we sent the form) that it hadnt even reached a credit check stage.


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## bond-007 (4 Apr 2007)

Sounds like a typical UK style credit scoring system to me. If you don't pass the first paper check they don't bother checking with ICB. It must cost them money to do each check so they won't want to waste on what they consider a bad risk based on the application form alone.

It's little stupid items that get you refused, like entering a mobile number instead of a landline (very bad in UK scoring) recently moved house, marital status (most probably illegal) etc. Stupid little things. 

I would use the DPA on tesco to see if there is anything in their files to indicate the real reason for refusal.


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## Towger (4 Apr 2007)

bond-007 said:


> It's little stupid items that get you refused, like entering a mobile number instead of a landline (very bad in UK scoring) recently moved house, marital status (most probably illegal) etc. Stupid little things.



Some UK companies even count the number of syllables in your surname... 4 or more and the computer system rejects you.

Towger.


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## lemeister (4 Apr 2007)

gayathri said:


> hi there we checked our credit status and theres no flaws in that.i am really surprised ,hw can tey accuse my credit history


What did tey accuse your credit history off?


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## Bambo (5 Apr 2007)

Ok, I recieved my credit history from the ICB today - and everything is perfect , all payments marked as up to date or account cleared off.

It does show that Tesco credit cards ran a check - so if they saw my good credit history why on earth was I refused???


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## shesells (24 Apr 2007)

*How long to get Halifax Card?*

Applied for card in Feb. Got approval notice in March with a form to fill in. Sent that back, got a call today looking for ID copy and original utility bill (why did they not look for that in March?) and the girl said they may come back looking for bank statements.

I know the card is a good deal and I expect application levels are high but 2 months so far, it's crazy! When I applied for my current card (AIB) I had it within a fortnight of application.


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## DonKing (24 Apr 2007)

I must say I didn't have much difficulty getting a credit card from them. I got it within 2 to 3 weeks and the information they required wasn't amy different to what other institutions would want. They matched by limit which I have with Bank Of Ireland.


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