which credit card?

[baz1985]

On the lookout for card with good customer service (not 45 min hold like RBS) and wide range of benefits e.g emergency cash, replacement card, fraud cover, extd warranties etc. Not bothered about interest rate, balance transfer etc as I only spend what I can clear each month.

Any recommendations?

[staceyb]

dont bother get a debit card instead

[minimax]

sounds like you need barclaycard.

extortionate interest rate and charges but if you're going to clear your balance in full every month then you'll be wanting the excellent customer service that they provide. I've never had a complaint about them at all.

[munky]

Get one with a good cashback rate as well. Morgan Stanley is reasonably good at both cashback and customer service.

Or Amex chargecard.. very good service and extras (I get a concierge service, travel insurance, and access to business lounges at airports thrown in). There's an annual fee though.

[minimax]

munky said:

Or Amex chargecard.. very good service and extras (I get a concierge service, travel insurance, and access to business lounges at airports thrown in). There's an annual fee though.

apart from the annual fee are those services free?

I currently have to pay for that kind of thing on my B/Card

[munky]

Yes, they're all included in the fee... however the fee is £275 a year!!! Travel ins. worth £99 of that though, and the concierge is useful. Once called em from Dublin, needing a restaurant booking for 20 people with 3 hours notice. They booked me the private room in (allegedly) Ireland's 2nd best restaurant, The Commons. Lounge access useful when (especially British) airports are just shopping malls with barely anywhere to sit. So you sit in a comfortable lounge, often with TV, internet, free food and drinks.

Also worth mentioning, when I was kidnapped in Russia and relieved of all my credit cards (I have 10, I'm a rate tart) and cash leaving me well and truly skint, Amex were the only card provider that could replace the card while I was still in Russia. All the others said they could only send replacements to my home address, a fat lot of good when left with another week in Russia. Went to the Amex office in St Petersburg and they made me a new card on the spot while I waited!! Awesome service. Only problem was that the only cash machine in the whole city that accepted Amex cards was broken so they recommended I go to Moscow. As luck would have it I was going there anyway. Of course that was years ago so there are loads of ATMs there now.

[minimax]

munky said:

Yes, they're all included in the fee... however the fee is £275 a year!!! Travel ins. worth £99 of that though, and the concierge is useful. Once called em from Dublin, needing a restaurant booking for 20 people with 3 hours notice. They booked me the private room in (allegedly) Ireland's 2nd best restaurant, The Commons. Lounge access useful when (especially British) airports are just shopping malls with barely anywhere to sit. So you sit in a comfortable lounge, often with TV, internet, free food and drinks. Also worth mentioning, when I was kidnapped in Russia and relieved of all my credit cards (I have 10, I'm a rate tart) and cash leaving me well and truly skint, Amex were the only card provider that could replace the card while I was still in Russia. All the others said they could only send replacements to my home address, a fat lot of good when left with another week in Russia. Went to the Amex office in St Petersburg and they made me a new card on the spot while I waited!! Awesome service. Only problem was that the only cash machine in the whole city that accepted Amex cards was broken so they recommended I go to Moscow. As luck would have it I was going there anyway. Of course that was years ago so there are loads of ATMs there now.

awesome. thanks for that, I'm going to have to investigate

[Stamp]

minimax said:

munky said: when I was kidnapped in Russia )

[tinman0]

until this year i would recommend Halifax. however, so far this year they've screwed up big time on 2 seperate occasions.

[R988]

Stamp said:

minimax said: munky said: when I was kidnapped in Russia )

just your everyday thing in Russia

[viperdave]

Consider the amex blue or platinum credit card, not as many benefits as the charge cards but no fee and they pay you up to 2% cash back on the platinum if you spend enough.

Only downside is small places wont accept it and you will need a Morgan Stanly for its 0.5% cash back master card as backup.

Amex credit cards also tend to be conservative with your credit limits also, i guess they would prefer you buy the Aston on the centurion card rather than a blue card.

Munky are the companion air fares with the gold and platinum charge cards worth the advertising paper they are printed on, or do you have to buy a full fare at double the opodo price to get the free one.


>> Edited by viperdave on Wednesday 7th September 23:06

[vixpy1]

I have been with Natwest Credit cards for years, never had a problem with them.

[munky]

viperdave said:

Munky are the companion air fares with the gold and platinum charge cards worth the advertising paper they are printed on, or do you have to buy a full fare at double the opodo price to get the free one.

I've never used the companion flights; as you say one can normally find a better deal. I nearly used the free upgrade facility though for flight to Oz though. Certain airlines, via Amex, offer free upgrades to biz class if you pay full fare economy. So I nearly booked an Emirates flight, but didn't end up going in the end.

In any case, full fare economy (3 grand in the above case) is pretty much the same price as discounted biz class on BA / Quantas that you can find at Austravel for instance.

So I really just keep paying the platinum fee for (other than the excellent lost card replacement abroad) the hassle free travel insurance, lounge access and concierge - when buying things on a card I usually use the Morgan Stanley. The Amex travel service is pretty good but most credit cards offer that anyway.

The other great use for the plat Amex is when you get some idiot at the bar waving about a gold one, thinking it's somehow really cool. At which point I quietly switch the MS card for the Amex, just for their benefit

They did send me an invite for the black centurion one, but that really isn't worth the annual fee. All it seems to have extra is higher travel insurance liability and some restaurant reserved table scheme, whereby top restaurants reserve a table each night only for black Amex holders, so you can pop in without reserving 3 months in advance like Joe Bloggs. Except that some other git with a black card has normally already bagged it... they're ever more common these days

[koenig999]

Just moved from Barclaycard card to Morgan Stanley.

B/Card were good, but we have had to chase 4 times in recent weeks about a fruadulent transaction on our statement. Still no satisfaction

They have also cancelled the Nectar rewards programme.

So, off to MS with the cashback.

I still think they shouldn't have got rid of Dean Witter, I liked him.

Koenig

[sotonboy1977]

E A S Y

dont have a credit card,i never have and never will.if u cant afford it,then you wont be able to afford it after someone else has added there bit for buying for you.
sorry for being negative about this but thats my thoughts.

[parrot of doom]

Shell do a credit card that also gives you points for fuel and stuff when you use it. Worth considering.

[munky]

sotonboy1977 said:

E A S Y dont have a credit card,i never have and never will.if u cant afford it,then you wont be able to afford it after someone else has added there bit for buying for you. sorry for being negative about this but thats my thoughts.

Er, did you read the original post? He said "I only spend what I can clear each month." So he pays the balance off in full each month, so it's not a case of buying something he can't afford.

So, say one is going to buy a plasma TV for say 5 grand for arguments sake. Do you:
a) pay on switch, the cash immediately leaving your account; or
b) pay an a credit card, meaning that (i) you make interest on the 5 grand for up to 50 days as it doesn't leave your account until the "pay by" date, plus (ii) getting up to £100 cash back for free?

if you choose a) then sorry, you're irrational

[trooperiziz]

sotonboy1977 said:

E A S Y dont have a credit card,i never have and never will.if u cant afford it,then you wont be able to afford it after someone else has added there bit for buying for you. sorry for being negative about this but thats my thoughts.

Then you also have no credit rating, will find it hard to get a loan if you ever need it, or a mortgage, and never buy anything off the internet, as doing that with a debit card is just plain dumb.

[ZR1cliff]

sotonboy1977 said:

E A S Y dont have a credit card,i never have and never will.if u cant afford it,then you wont be able to afford it after someone else has added there bit for buying for you. sorry for being negative about this but thats my thoughts.

Its all about self discipline,if you have got credit/debit cards and use them in what is seen as a responsible manner then the world is literally your oyster,they have given me so much more flexibility in life to do things plus people take you much more seriously when they look at your credit rating,in the meantime ime looking for a credit card with 0 % interest for 9 months,i dont own my house since recent divorce but have been living in the same privately rented accomodation for the last 18 months,any good deals going at the moment?

[dangler]

another vote for Morgan Stanley. Been with them for 4 year. Top people on the other end of the line. They seem to have one thing most companies lack COMMON SENSE!