Sentinel Card Protection

A question about : Sentinel Card Protection

Hi Everyone,

I signed up to Sentinel card protection 2 years ago and I've been paying the annual subscription every year since (now up to Ј20) without really thinking about it. I've never had to use any of the services offered by Sentinel but the reason that I keep it is because it extends credit card like cover to my debit card.

What do you all think about Sentinel, is it worth the money or have they just put existing cover into a nice package?

Thanks for any advice!

Best answers:

• I used to use sentinel, but that was a long time ago. The only decent thing they did was to put all my serial numbers from my electrical items onto micro film, and store it for me. It's not bad I suppose, but I decided to write them all down myself and give the proof to my mum
• In my opinion a waste of money.
  John
• Hi.
  My Sentinel card protection is due for renewal and I have considered not carrying on with it, however, when I was looking over the policy last night, I came across a clause where if any personal money I'm carrying is stolen [cant remember if that was for loss as well] at the same time as my credit card, they will reimburse me.
  Does this make Sentinel worth keeping?
• pipkin71, check your home insurance. Mine covers me for up to Ј300 away from home.
  John
• hi sicker
  I've just done as you suggested and checked my home insurance and "DOH" why am I thinking of paying twice for the same thing??????
  My home ins covers me up to Ј250 so a BIG thankyou for saving me an extra Ј20. The amount of money I have saved since joining this site is remarkable.
  Thanks.
• Another tip with Sentinel that we discovered last time we renewed: A number of banks use Sentinel but some charge less than others. We found this out by accident when we had a leaflet in with a bank statement that was cheaper than what we had been paying! Sentinel had no problems at all with changing from one to another and we didn't have to fill out all the information again!
• Some bank accounts and credit cards give you this free. It's the only reason I still keep my Lloyds TSB gold card (no longer available). It also comes as part of the package with the Lloyds TSB Select service.
• If you use PINs with your plastic then it maybe worth checking with Sentinel if your covered if you're unfortnate enough to become the victim of PIN based fraud and your card issuer argues (disputes the transaction or transactions), that you weren't careful with your PIN.
  Will Sentinel cough up?
  Bet this isn't mentioned in the T&Cs.
• Try applying for it via Nationwide - pretty sure it worked at something like Ј12 per year
• The tester for any type of insurance is when you come to making a claim.
  Here's the story (recently posted) of a Sentinel claimant:
  The end result of this claim should be interesting:
  https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....html?t=227467
• Sentinal is like any form of insurance, a waste of money untill you need it. I've used it twice, once when I lost my wallet somewhere during a trip in S Wales. The relief to know the cards were cancelled was huge. 1 week later found my wallet but by then replacement cards were already arriving, so no big deal.
  More so during a road trip across USA when some scally relived me of cash and stuff. it was replaced next day and we were able to carry on. Having to cancel cards etc when so far from home would have been a nightmare.
  So it's a peace of mind thing Eh?
  Cheap enough when it's needed, and not really that expensive if you register eveything.
  Quote:
• I have lost my car keys twice over the years, and because I have Sentinel key fobs on all my key rings they have been returned to me both times. The last time I enquired from two car manufacturers what it would cost to replace my car keys, and the answer was Ј100 and Ј160. That is apart from the other keys that were on the ring. Do the maths yourself!
• I have been a customer for a very long time and have paid the renewal fee time & time again without questioning any increase. Probably used them 2-3 times over almost 20 years. However, my experience over the last two years at least, their so-called "customer care" has deteriorated so badly I had to cancel my subscription. Then, contrary to their correspondence, they did not issue a refund of incorrectly charged fees, in the end, I had to get the card issuer to step in to do so.
  Should that be the behaviour of a company protecting your personal financial details ? I've taken to looking after my own details now. Bear in mind you're covered for most circumstances by your household and travel insurance policies.
  IMHO, with the current staff regime and working pracitices, overlooked by inneffective management, don't bother with Sentinel.
  There, I've had my rant. With most issues these days, only by voting with your feet will your sentiments be truly felt.
• I have just got my renewal for Sentinal. I have used them for a number of years. When I renew it it for 3 years. This time the cost is Ј70.It says it is now a gold cover which covers us for losing house keys. I am not sure whether it is worth continuing with them or not. They do help if you lose your passport of driving licence, apparently butI have never been unfortunate enough to have needed them, so don't know how much better it is to have the cover.
• I've been with Sentinel for 6 years!
  It cost me Ј50 for 3 years subscription when I signed up in 2005. In 2008, they automatically upgraded me to Sentinel Gold and charged me for Ј70 for further 3 years subscription.
  Now I am due for renewal, and they increase the cost to Ј85 by higher amount of compensation!!
  I'm so fed up that they keep increasing the costs by upgrading me again and again! And I have never really used their services at all. The only services I used are updating my card details and address when moving home.
  I think I'll terminate my subscription with Sentinel now.
• I have been with Sentinel since at least 1993. I think they were Credit Card Sentinel then Barclays Sentinel and now Sentinel Gold.
  Fees were about Ј12 yr then 15 then 18 and these days Ј39.95 year. Each time I'd accepted the increases like many other people - more out of habit. Even when it jumped from about Ј18 to Ј30+ in one go and became Sentinel Gold I assumed I had been bumped up a tier to an upgraded service without asking. This was not the case I found out last year when I finally got round to asking to be downgraded...the company is now called Sentinel Gold and there is one level of cover available. So I stuck with it again. As with all these companies they play on your insecurities and laziness.
  This year I thought I'd look into it - found various forums all full of disgruntled customers. Some though had been offered Ј50 for 3 years after complaining and threatening to leave...so I thought I'd try that tactic...to no avail.
  I was told that only some customers who are on old policies have an option to 'downgrade' to a service without all the benefits for Ј50 but that would be fazed out and because my policy was apparently 'sentinel gold plus 2010' (???news to me it just says sentinel gold on my docs) and it came through from Barclays under a merger thing that the downgrade was not available....So I was offered a reduction from Ј39.95 for 1 yr to Ј36.72 ....woopy doo! He said this was a vast reduction!! When I said how ludicrous it was to have different options for customers he did sympathise and said only thing he could offer was Ј89.95 for 3 years. Remember - some people are paying Ј50 for 3 years.
  I think it's time to stop being lazy......get a dog tag printed with my tel number and put it on my keyring (thanks to the other forum member for that suggestion) and cancel the cover. Make sure copies of passports are made too.
  After all, I know that if I'd received a leaflet through the post on it I would not take it up as a new customer due the cost but have been reluctant to let go of it as an existing customer.
  It's always more scary to cancel something you've already been paying for because of the 'sods law' theory but at nearly Ј40 a year it's time to go. I've had it for nearly 20 years and never used it despite widely travelling etc. Haven't seen any suitable alternatives. Seems they've cornered the market. Bought time they had some competition. Meanwhile, I'll vote with my feet ..........( I think).
• I have Sentinel Gold and have recently had cause to use their service for "one call to cancel all your cards and order new ones" as I thought that my wallet had been lifted from my pocket in a busy pub.
  Out of about 8 cards, 3 banks claimed never to have had the cancellation. Of those that did, a further 2 didn't re-order cards.
  I challenged Sentinel on this and they claimed that the cancellation and re-order faxes went out to all banks within 5 minutes of my call. Speaking to First Direct to relay this to them and ask why they didn't cancel the cards, they said that don't react to a fax and that you must phone.
  From the display of complete incompetence I've witnessed from the banks in dealing with this, it looks to me likely that this is an issue with the banks and not with Sentinel - but who knows?
• I lost my wallet when I set out on holiday. I rang them on my mobile from Barbados. When I lost the connection they immediately rang back. All cards were cancelled and ID Protection issued as well as my PDA with all my personal details had gone too.
  Cards in the wallet were all immediately cancelled and I got the replacements by the time I got home. What they did not offer was to replace the lost holiday money or to get a new card to me. As it happens we were on a cruise ship so we did not need the money or a new card.
  Would the money have been a loan or a benefit?
  On Monday I realised I had mislaid two of the replacement cards - Sentinel cancelled them again and the new ones arrived Wednesday.
  One thing I like about them - they don't call you an idiot
• Sentinel is free with an N&P Gold current a/c. Plus fee-free overseas withdrawals.