A question about : New Questions and Answers From Barclaycard
OK. !Having asked you for your questions I put them to Barclaycard. !Essentially there have been no changes to the terms and conditions for the 0% card with Ј1 or 1p minimum spend. !As such i won't alter the article just post them here.
Remember though these relate to the original offer, most leaflets now available are for the new 0% for life with a Ј50 min spend offer. As noted in the main articles, that is a very different propostion and for almost everyone should be avoided.
These are senior BC answers so they are authoritive.
Martin's Question: Q. Some customer service reps are saying all the balance transfers must be made within one month. !Originally you informed us it was within three months? !How should people ensure they are still allowed to make their balance transfers in time if customer service says no?
BC Answer: It is definitely three months from the date of the account being opened.
Martin's Question: Q. What is the maximum balance transfer limit and how does this work? !Is this a limit for an individual balance transfer or the total of balance transfers together?
BC Answer: Ј5,000 is the total limit for this offer - tho' we may restrict it to less for some customers.
Martin's Question: Q. Many people are getting different information each time the call the call centre or branch. !Is anything being done to address this inconsistency and ensure staff are all aware and give the same line?
BC Answer: The reason call centre staff sometimes get confused is because historically, we have had many different versions of offers out in the market at the same time. !While they do all get the same "line", when you've got 5, 10 or even 15 different versions of the 0% offer going at one time, it's difficult for people to know which specific offer they are dealing with. !With our 0% offer now pretty much standardised whether you apply through branch, over the telephone or on-line, the customer service teams should have a much easier job.
I hope you find this useful
Martin
Best answers:
- Sorry if this sounds stupid but are they saying that if you have a credit limit of Ј9,500 you can only balance transfer Ј5000 of this, if so what is the point of giving you a higher credit limit.
- No I believe the point it is making is if you have a Ј9,500 limit, you can only have Ј5,000 of it at the 0% for life balance transfer rate. The rest would be at the standard balance transfer rate.
However that is the official policy - unfortunately it doesn't necessarily mean its exactly how BC will work.
Martin - Thanks, I will see what happens. I gave a c/c with a balance of Ј7000 on the original form so will wait and see how much of this they pay off.
- Well I asked for more than 5k and it was transferred. But they've started to charge interest on it. I have been told that the original transfer shoulf have been split as the system does not accept > 5K on 0% but you can still have more than 1. True? Who knows, certainly not the vast majority of BC staff.
- So what are they or you doing about it? Have they stopped the interest on the amount above Ј5K. I am getting worried now.
- Sorry, the sad tale is all on another thread, they are going to fix it but given the level of incompetence I suspect not soon. I've asked for written confirmation that they will fix it and they say they've sent it but I'm still waiting. It doesn't really matter as I can prove that I have met all terms and conditions to get the 0% deal. The 5K rule is not publicly stated anywhere.
- Hi there, I have managed to obtain the 0% Ј1 min spend application form. Having read other posts stating that the money can be credited to your personal account, how is this indicated on the application form, as they are asking for the credit/store card details.
- Apologies if I am confirming what you already know but it may help to identify if we are all getting different offers.
I have received my card today with a credit limit of Ј7,700 ( the 0% offer with Ј1 spend per month)
When |I completed the form i requested balance transfers of Ј7,000 Hence, I presume the credit limit).
Attached were the Terms and Conditions confirming that :
If you request a balance transfer on your application form offering a balance transfer rate of 0% when you use your card, we will charge no interest on the balance transfer.
I therefore presume that no interest will be charged on the Ј7,000?
There is no mention on the T&C about this max Ј5000.
I therefore expect to pay no interest on the Ј7000 for life!
I am about to arrange the Ј1 transaction to a charity. - Sign up for internet access to you account. Look at the balance transfer. Does it say "promo" beside it? If not the chances are that you are in the same boat as me.
Also, the requested transfer and credit limit are not usually related, it may be coincidence or may be an operator punching the wrong buttons (surprised?).
You are only allowed to BT up to 90% of your limit initially but you may be able to transfer the rest (minus a small amount to allow for spending as per T&C).
Barclaycard customer services is a bit like the Outer Limits, you are never really sure what is real and what is fantasy. - My 0% for life of transfer with minimum Ј1 per month spend card arrived a week ago, with an Ј8,400 credit limit, and I immediately rang Barclaycard and transferred two balances from other cards, Ј4,000 from First Direct and Ј4,300 from Bank of Scotland. Their operator (whose name I recorded) confirmed that these would be 0% for life of balance. Having just now seen your brilliant web-site but warning of a Ј5,000 limit I rang Barclaycard a few minutes ago and was told that the rate has been recorded as 0% so will be charged on that basis, but that the operator was wrong in agreeing to anything over Ј5,000. Asking where the terms and conditions specified a Ј5,000 limit remains unanswered (but equally I was assured that there would be no benefit to me in paying off the excess Ј3,300).
- I think Spencers post above is
a. Interesting
and
b. A text book way to behave.
It's no news on this site that different customer services operatives have agreed to honour different moves and got it wrong.
What is good is it seems BC will honour the 0% if mistakes are made. However I do advise everyone to check this. Make the phone call. If possible get BC to confirm it in writing. You may well find its poor internal communication is to your benefit.
And of course please report back to help build the collective knowledge.
Martin - I got the letter I had requested today. Waste of time. I asked for confirmation in writing that the BT would attract 0%. I got "We are currently dealing with your enquiry, but I regret that we cannot give you a full reply at the moment." It doesn't even mention my "enquiry" (perhaps complaint is a term they don't like to use) and is so obviously just a stock letter that I am now more annoyed than before they sent it.
Would anyone like to do a comparison between 4.9% for life with no bullsh1t and 0% for life with minimum purchases, multiple phone calls, conflicting information, operators who are barely sentient and only occaisionally polite which at the end of the day doesn't have any guarantee that it is interest free?
To say I am frustrated is a little bit of an understatement but as I've said before "I have more of their money then they have of mine". - I got my premier barclay card today with a pathetic credit limit of Ј646. I know I have 2 other Barclay gold cards with about Ј4000 credit limit on each however I never get anywhere near that amount and I pay off my card regularly. Is it that barclay card underestimated the demand and are trying to move the goal posts a bit.
I also took up an offer recently with barclay gold card visa that offered Ј3000 at 0% which runs into october. I think they were expecting me to transfer this balance into the premier card hence the low credit limit. Maybe I am paranoid!!
To cap it all when I rang up to activate my card they said I had to spend on it within 1 day. Is this a ploy to get 0.561% out of me. It will take more than a day to process!
Can anyone help me ? - Hi Ade
I wouldn't worry about it. As you've probably read by now all customer service operatives give different answers.
Just get the payment set up asap and if you have any problems tell them they didn't give you enough time to set up your payment. Others have had any interest charged refunded so it should be the same for you if they charge you any.
Andrea - Ade
If you only have a limit of Ј646 on your 0% for life barclaycard then this Ј1 per month is relatively expensive and probably isn't worth doing.
Consider closing any barclards you have which aren't giving you zero rate borrowing. Also consider asking for a higher limit than Ј646 (although you appear to have 11,646 limit at Barclaycard, 2xЈ4k + Ј3k +Ј646 so they probably won't increase any limits unless you shut down one of your cards) - Thanks for the advice. If i can increase my credit limit, can i increase the balance transfer or do i only have one stab at it? (during the application)
- You are supposed to be able to do balance transfers within 3 months of getting the card, but customer services keep insisting it is 28 days, or one month, or whatever depending on who you get to speak to.
If you do manage to get your limit increased let us know. They said they could only review mine after 3 months i.e. when it is too late to balance transfer any more. - hi
it is possible for you to transfer some of your credit limit from your existing barclaycards over to your 0% card ,this is what i did,i was given an initial credit limit of Ј4500,i then rang up and asked for Ј3000 of my credit limit from my other barclaycard(which i used and payed straight off each month) to be put onto my 0% card,i now have a credit limit of Ј7500( and have transfered Ј6750 at 0%)
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