CREDIT CARD FINDER

Neil
Credit Analyst

I’m a great fan of this often overlooked card. When I applied for it, it arrived within just a couple of days; it’s by far the fastest-issued card I have ever known. When used to buy things from abroad, or on holiday, there’s no extra fee charged – the Post Office Credit Card is one of very few that doesn’t levy extra fees. Statements are crystal clear, it’s easy to manage online and the rate is competitive. You can make payments in a local Post Office too. I’ve never once had a problem with using it, as can happen with other cards that seem to be always making security checks or ringing me to ask me to confirm the last transactions made. There’s free 90 day purchase protection too. It’s hard to find fault with this card – 60% of our customers rate its customer service levels as very good or excellent - and I agree.

Jess
Credit Analyst

Being in my early 20's sometimes obtaining credit can be a little haphazard despite my good payment history, but this card was the top choice on my own annualcreditrepor.co.uk account - so I applied and now it’s my most used card. It seems I'm not alone in my regard for this card, as 62% of our customers agree with me too. The application was really quick and simple, the online account management is clear and concise, and setting up a direct debit for my minimum monthly repayment was a breeze. With a sizeable credit limit of £1,200 it more than covers my monthly essentials, and for the first 10 months I got 0% on all card purchases. I'm yet to find somewhere I can't use the card, and I get double points when buying fuel. The points system works as 'a point per pound you spend', and the rewards range from car products and AA road cover, to spa days and wine hampers - all in all something for everyone.

Barry
Co-founder

The Halifax All in One card comes in a choice of five colours but by far the most attractive feature is its market leading 0% on purchases offer of 15 months – which is made available alongside a 0% balance transfer offer for the same period. This means you don’t have to worry about how you use the card for the first 15 months – any balances transferred over (which must be done in the first 90 days and attract a 3% fee) and any purchases won’t attract interest.

Barry
Co-founder

Launched in November 2012, this card has all the reward benefits that Jessica raves about (see her review on the AA Rewards Credit Card) but also comes, as its name suggests, with a reasonably long 16 month 0% balance transfer offer. A 2.9% fee applies and the transfer has to be done in the first 60 days of getting the card. One of the remarkable things to mention is that AA cardholders tend to be very happy indeed with their cards – 62% rate the AA as giving very good or excellent service. Perhaps more tellingly the number of cardholders who reported having had a major issue with AA credit card, as reported in our latest Banking and Credit Card Survey, is the very lowest of all, so if you want stress free customer service, this is one to consider.

Ali
Senior Developer

I’ve been with Barclaycard since 1988 and am very happy with them. This Platinum card stroked my ego a bit and the length of the 0% free balance transfer offer is one of the very best on the market. Their online banking site – mybarclaycard - is quite good, I think, and is available both online and on mobile. Tech is good too on Barclaycards – it support both contactless payments and PayTag. They’re particularly hot on monitoring for fraud too.

Arron
Credit Analyst

After building my credit history using a higher interest rate card, I was keen to get a more mainstream product to make a couple of one off purchases. This Barclaycard really appealed due to the interest free period of 14 months for purchases - one of the longest grace periods offered in the current market. The application process was straightforward and the card was received within a few working days. The account can be monitored easily online, and is automatically linked to other Barclays accounts when using the free to download iPad or Android apps. Statements can be delivered by post, email or online. Email alerts are also sent when a new statement is available to view on the account. An interest rate of 18.9% may not be the lowest, but unless you have an exceptional credit score, it is certainly acceptable. The card is recommended by 61% of our customers and it’s easy to see why.

Barry
Co-founder

Barclaycards come in so many varieties these days. With around 10m customers, Barclaycard is the biggest credit card issuer in the World, so it’s no real surprise that it has cards to cover off all the many needs of its massive customer base. With this card you have a good 0% balance transfer period of 16 months (Barclaycard’s best is 25 months), but the main advantage is that the balance transfer fee is only 1.6%, around half the normal rate. So if you want a 0% balance transfer deal which you are confident that you can repay over the 16 month period, this can work out quite a bit cheaper for you.

Barry
Co-founder

Want a gold card? But don’t have a perfect 5 star credit rating? Unusually, here’s a gold card –from the most established credit card issuer of all - aimed at those with an average credit rating. Being a Barclaycard it comes standard with the ability to pay at contactless terminals, and also via your smart phone via PayTag. You can get another Barclaycard with a much longer 0% balance transfer deal – up to 25 months- but the Barclaycard Gold card comes with a shorter balance transfer term of just 12 months. The advantage of the Barclaycard Gold 0% balance transfer offer is that the fee applied, at 2.5%, is relatively low.

Barry
Co-founder

Here’s a sub-prime card from Progressive Credit, which has three cards on offer. This one, the ‘Classic’ is the cheapest of the three. The interest rate is still high compared to mainstream cards, but is right on the money for a sub-prime card, as it reflects the risk. Aqua says it is happy to take on applications from the self-employed and from those who find it difficult to prove a regular income, are working part-time or on a low income, are at a new address or not on the electoral roll, or affected by a bad credit history, including County Court Judgments (CCJs). As with all sub-prime cards, best used to rebuild your credit history and not for extended borrowing. Launched in June 2012, Aqua cards have yet to be rated for customer service in our annual Banking and Credit Card surveys.

Barry
Co-founder

Another ‘sub-prime’ card from the Vanquis stable, Aquis is aimed at those with just a few issues on their credit history to regain access to a credit card. If you’ve got a very poor credit history, the Vanquis Visa card is a better bet, but the interest rate is higher on that to reflect the risk. The Aquis card on the other hand is around 10% cheaper. No frills or introductory offers, the main purpose of an Aquis card is to help your rebuild your credit reputation. Voted the winner in the Credit Today Awards as Credit Provider of the Year in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and also comes out well in our own Banking and Credit Card surveys for customer service - 57% rate its customer service as very good or excellent. The payment reminders by SMS is a useful service offered by this card.

Barry
Co-founder

This Barclaycard is aimed at those new to credit or with poor credit ratings and who are having difficulty getting credit. If you want to establish or improve your credit rating, and are happy with a smaller, manageable credit limit this card should be on your short list, as all the usual Barclaycard benefits are there including PayTag and contactless payment technology built into each card The interest rate is much higher than usual ,which reflects the risk profile that Barclaycard Initial cardholders are expected to have.

Barry
Co-founder

Capital One has built its name in the UK on its sub-prime cards and now offers a very wide range of products to suit those with no credit history to others with a perfect score. It’s the Classic card that it’s best known for. The Capital One Classic Card is by far the best seller for both Capital One, and within UK sub-prime cards. In our annual Banking and Credit Card Survey 85% of those who have the card voted it as providing very good or excellent customer service. It’s important to make sure, before you apply, that you’re on the electoral roll at your current address. Capital One accepts applicants from those with CCJs and poor credit histories, but not if you’ve been insolvent in the last 12 months. Credit limits start from £200 and are low. There are no frills, the interest rate is high, so only use this card for borrowing if you really have no other choice. The main purpose of this card is to help you to re-establish your credit standing – a job that we’ve seen Capital One do well since we first started out.

Barry
Co-founder

The most expensive of the sub-prime cards on offer from Progressive Credit, but the only one that will automatically reduce the rates by 5% each year, for three years, if you keep payments up to date at all times. That provides a huge incentive to pay on time and rebuild your credit history. There are useful SMS payment reminders, and the Aqua Advance card is one of very few on the market that does not charge fees for foreign transactions – a potentially big saving for holidaymakers or when purchasing goods from abroad. Even if you have difficulty proving your income, or if you have a very poor credit history, such as CCJs on file, you may still be eligible for the Aqua Advance card. Launched in June 2012, Aqua cards have yet to be rated for customer service in our annual Banking and Credit Card surveys.

Barry
Co-founder

The main advantage of the Vanquis Card is that it enables those with very poor credit histories to get a credit card. Initial credit limits are low, from £500-£1,000 but repay on time and you’ll find the credit limit will be increased up to a maximum of £3,000 over time. The interest rate is high, reflecting the fact that Vanquis is a sub-prime lender and takes more risk than others. So while the card can be used for credit that should be as a last resort. There are no frills attached. This card is all about giving you the chance to re-establish your credit history. Vanquis has been voted the winner in the Credit Today Awards as Credit Provider of the Year in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Our annual Banking and Credit Card Surveys show that Vanquis is pretty good at customer service too – 57% rated it as very good or excellent –and our own dealings with Vanquis over many years have shown them always to be very professional. Check out their comparatively cheaper Aquis card if you only have relatively few issues on your credit history.

Barry
Co-founder

Here’s a sub-prime card from Progressive Credit, which has three cards on offer. This one, the ‘Classic’ is the cheapest of the three. The interest rate is still high compared to mainstream cards, but is right on the money for a sub-prime card, as it reflects the risk. Aqua says it is happy to take on applications from the self-employed and from those who find it difficult to prove a regular income, are working part-time or on a low income, are at a new address or not on the electoral roll, or affected by a bad credit history, including County Court Judgments (CCJs). As with all sub-prime cards, best used to rebuild your credit history and not for extended borrowing. Launched in June 2012, Aqua cards have yet to be rated for customer service in our annual Banking and Credit Card surveys.