Credit card - best service?

[Largechris]

For the second time in two weeks I'm in an hour long telephone queue to get my MBNA card unlocked.

I pay it off every month, don't need insurance or anything, which credit card provider should I be looking to change to for a great customer service experience?

[Somebody]

American Express

[m3cs]

+1 for Amex. Always pick up quick, well trained etc.

[Louis Balfour]

Largechris said:

For the second time in two weeks I'm in an hour long telephone queue to get my MBNA card unlocked.

I pay it off every month, don't need insurance or anything, which credit card provider should I be looking to change to for a great customer service experience?

As others have said, Amex.

But expect your card not to be accepted by about 30% of places you want to use it.

[OutInTheShed]

Barclaycard don't cause me any problems.

[Louis Balfour]

OutInTheShed said:

Barclaycard don't cause me any problems.

I think they are doubling up on the problems they give me to compensate. Utter shysters.

[Largechris]

Louis Balfour said:

Largechris said:

For the second time in two weeks I'm in an hour long telephone queue to get my MBNA card unlocked.

I pay it off every month, don't need insurance or anything, which credit card provider should I be looking to change to for a great customer service experience?

As others have said, Amex.

But expect your card not to be accepted by about 30% of places you want to use it.

That’s the only problem with Amex, tried them a few years ago and got fed up with the rejections. I don’t handle rejection well.

Barclaycard, mmm - I did have one but gave up on them for some reason I can’t remember.

[thebraketester]

Largechris said:

Louis Balfour said:

Largechris said:

For the second time in two weeks I'm in an hour long telephone queue to get my MBNA card unlocked.

I pay it off every month, don't need insurance or anything, which credit card provider should I be looking to change to for a great customer service experience?

As others have said, Amex.

But expect your card not to be accepted by about 30% of places you want to use it.

That’s the only problem with Amex, tried them a few years ago and got fed up with the rejections. I don’t handle rejection well.

Barclaycard, mmm - I did have one but gave up on them for some reason I can’t remember.

It is taken in so many places though. I’ve had mine over 2 years and can old think of a few times it’s been rejected, and for that you can use another card. Easy as anything with Apple Pay or the like.

[Louis Balfour]

thebraketester said:

Largechris said:

Louis Balfour said:

Largechris said:

For the second time in two weeks I'm in an hour long telephone queue to get my MBNA card unlocked.

I pay it off every month, don't need insurance or anything, which credit card provider should I be looking to change to for a great customer service experience?

As others have said, Amex.

But expect your card not to be accepted by about 30% of places you want to use it.

That’s the only problem with Amex, tried them a few years ago and got fed up with the rejections. I don’t handle rejection well.

Barclaycard, mmm - I did have one but gave up on them for some reason I can’t remember.

It is taken in so many places though. I’ve had mine over 2 years and can old think of a few times it’s been rejected, and for that you can use another card. Easy as anything with Apple Pay or the like.

I have my Amex as my Applepay card (I think) and it gets rejected where Amex is. Ediucate me if I have missed something.

[thebraketester]

Louis Balfour said:

thebraketester said:

Largechris said:

Louis Balfour said:

Largechris said:

For the second time in two weeks I'm in an hour long telephone queue to get my MBNA card unlocked.

I pay it off every month, don't need insurance or anything, which credit card provider should I be looking to change to for a great customer service experience?

As others have said, Amex.

But expect your card not to be accepted by about 30% of places you want to use it.

That’s the only problem with Amex, tried them a few years ago and got fed up with the rejections. I don’t handle rejection well.

Barclaycard, mmm - I did have one but gave up on them for some reason I can’t remember.

It is taken in so many places though. I’ve had mine over 2 years and can old think of a few times it’s been rejected, and for that you can use another card. Easy as anything with Apple Pay or the like.

I have my Amex as my Applepay card (I think) and it gets rejected where Amex is. Ediucate me if I have missed something.

Sorry… I mean it’s easy to switch to a different accepted card via apple pay if they don’t take Amex.

[The Leaper]

For customer service, Amex every time.

As regards rejections, I probably get this with one transaction per month, and I usually have about 20

R.

[Louis Balfour]

Largechris said:

That’s the only problem with Amex, tried them a few years ago and got fed up with the rejections. I don’t handle rejection well.

.

It wasn't personal.

[Tyre Smoke]

Amex for retailers (particularly small retailers) is a pita. They take a bigger percentage of the sale price and take longer, much longer to pay you.

I use a Fluid card. Pay it off each month, snappy app on the phone and it just does what it should.

[gangzoom]

Tyre Smoke said:

Amex for retailers (particularly small retailers) is a pita.

I think it was someone on here that pointed this out before? But AMEX offers so much better other stuff for users, either cashback or air miles it's hard NOT to pay with AMEX when you can.

It's also really noticeable in the last few years pretty much everywhere now takes AMEX. We put all our non DD/mortgage spending through AMEX for their cash back. The number of places that don't take AMEX these days must be less than 5% if places we try and use it......but maybe that's because we are more likely to go back to somewhere that takes AMEX? Probably not, but I do know when I realise Aldi took AMEX it felt like a 'double win', cheap prices and cash back .

[Tyre Smoke]

We can take Amex, we choose not to for the reasons I gave. I agree, Amex are great for their customers, but not so for their retailers.

[gangzoom]

Louis Balfour said:

As others have said, Amex.

But expect your card not to be accepted by about 30% of places you want to use it.

PayPal accepts AMEX as a funding card. So for online places, if they take PayPal payments (which seems to be 99%) you can still pay via AMEX for cashback/points etc.

[Crumpet]

Never had a problem with my Halifax Clarity card. Great international exchange rate, works in every country I’ve tried it (easily 80+ countries) and it’s never been blocked or locked. Never had to call them in 7 years so wouldn’t know what the service is like.

[Meeten-5dulx]

Echo what other have said re Amex, but it is annoying as there are places that don’t accept it.

I have a Halifax Clarity card and have never had any grief with them.
Advantages listed above…

[Louis Balfour]

I've just gone through the "will I be accepted" process for Halifax Clarity and it said I am not eligible for one of their cards. The decline was immediate, so they really didn't like the look of me for some reason!

[gotoPzero]

Ask yourself why is it being locked?

A lot of people are having problems at the moment with the newer security on the credit card system.

Is your address "normal"? i.e is your card registered to you in your name at your home address which is a "normal" address i.e 15 Main St, Town, AA1 2BB.

If not then this might be why you are having issues.

House names, flats etc we have seen a large rise in rejections on our website since the new rules.