[WillPS]

Surprised they’ve only limited your account to be honest!

[WillPS]

Rewards wise your personal UK Visa credit options are:
Asda (1% at Asda, 0.3% elsewhere)
Co-operative Bank Members card (1p for every £2 in Co-op foodstores, 1p for every £3.33 elsewhere)
Barclaycard Rewards (0.25% cashback + 0 FX)

…uh, that’s it.

The latter is the only viable option for use outside the UK.

I presume US Costco filling stations take debit cards of any variety, right? (This was the case when you could only use Amex credit cards in the UK.) In that case Chase is doubtless your friend here.

[WillPS]

Not certain about TCB but I’m pretty sure the referral bonuses are subject to the same restrictions as the SUB.

[WillPS]

lambshank13 wrote:

Just got a letter saying my Rainy Day Saver will be converted to an Everyday Saver in two months’ time.

I opened it in September back when I had blue rewards. Left blue rewards in November to switch to Avios rewards and have been able to keep the Rainy Day Saver no problem, until now.

Same. I’m almost certain I was presented information to the contrary when I upgraded but I can’t find it in any emails or similar now.

Ho hum, plenty of time to sort something else, I was only using it for ‘excess’ anyway (prioritising Natwest Group Digital Regular Savers and Club Lloyds).

[WillPS]

RussellH wrote:

JDB wrote:

For BNP, Creation doesn’t really fit into the current model for their UK business (which is anyway more corporate focussed). The personal finance business is mainly much more upmarket, notably with their acquisition of Strutt & Parker a few years ago.

Which suggests yet another possible scenario:- BNP want rid of Creation, and feel that this would be easier to achieve without all the publicity surrounding the iHG cards.

As the remaining Marriott cards are presumably ticking over quietly in the background, they would not be seen as an impediment to a disposal?

All the publicity? For real?!

This isn’t the TSB system failure. So much as I appreciate Head for Points I can’t imagine BNP Parabis are quaking in their boots at the negativity (mostly in the comments and forum!).

[WillPS]

RussellH wrote:

WillPS wrote:

Given no reported closures of the Marriott cards yet, I presume that either IHG have pulled the plug on this (promising) or the contract reached a natural end-point (less promising).

Or maybe BNP suggested to Creation that the cards were no longer worth running, given all the hassle they have had following the mass misuse closure of accounts?

Still no e-mails from Creation about the cards here…

If that were the case, I would suspect it’d be all affinity cards being closed and cards being closed rather than just debranded/stripped of rewards.

[WillPS]

MattB wrote:

‘Paying off in full’ is not something that makes you attractive to Amex.

Not convinced this is true. Amex have annual fees, and even when they don’t they’re far less impacted by the interchange fee cap on non-affinity cards.

I suspect Platinum Card is profitable even with 0 spend.

[WillPS]

You’ll never get a crystal clear picture of why you were declined, but you can be assured your Credit Karma (or any other similar nonsense) score will have nowt to do with it.

Do you already hold an Amex? If so it might be prudent to reduce your credit limit. Could be that your existing credit limit is at the limit of Amex’s comfort and so they are unwilling to provide you more.

Could also be that BNPL agreement is a problem.

But I am totally guessing, and like I say nobody will know for sure.

[WillPS]

Just open a new complaint.

‘I have become aware that I was not awarded the free night certificate which I would have been entitled to had Creation not closed my account. In addition I would like to ask that Creation reconsider the matter of the xxxxx IHG points which I had earned but were not paid.’

[WillPS]

Given no reported closures of the Marriott cards yet, I presume that either IHG have pulled the plug on this (promising) or the contract reached a natural end-point (less promising).

[WillPS]

JDB wrote:

Thank you @PeteM ! I’m unfortunately often wrong and happy to admit it when I am, but in this situation when a card provider wishes to shut a particular card or has a contract terminated, they have essentially three options – 1) close all the accounts and wind up the operation, or 2) transfer the card accounts to another in house product or 3) sell the accounts/balances to a third party. I was involved in a transaction via the last route when Egg sold over 1m accounts to Barclaycard and the savings & mortgages books were sold to YBS. There is no reason that affinity cards are any different; it simply depends how the relationship ends, to an extent how IHG/the affinity brand wants to handle the situation and whether the new affinity provider (if there is one) wants to buy a book and can transfer that to its platform and/or want to pay for those customers or prefer to pay to start from scratch.

There was also an automatic product transition (with the usual right to cancel) when Tesco Bank bought out RBS who had hitherto been the issuer and operator of the Tesco (affinity) cards.

Tesco have never had an affinity credit card arrangement, the agreements have always been between Tesco Personal Finance (later renamed Tesco Bank) and their customers. Tesco Personal Finance was previously partially owned by RBS, but that is very different from RBS being the issuer and operator. http://web.archive.org/web/20070209234750/http://www.tescofinance.com/personal/finance/finance/creditcards/clubcc/index.jsp

(It’s a similar situation with Sainsbury’s Bank and HBOS, although Sainsbury’s do now indirectly have an affinity arrangement with Amex via their acquisition of Nectar)

Perhaps you’re confusing this with Virgin Money’s takeover of the Virgin credit cards previously issued by MBNA (not including Virgin Atlantic cards)?

Egg didn’t have any affinity products did they? Note that I’m not saying that it’d not be possible for a new partner bank to purchase the book relating to a previous partner bank, but I am saying it has not happened with regards to an affinity arrangement.

[WillPS]

Harrier25 wrote:

andersoi wrote:

Next, whats the odds on the deathwatch for the Hilton barclaycard?

Rob mentioned a few weeks ago that there are no plans to close the Hilton Barclaycard to existing cardholders.

That as may be, nothing lasts forever and it’s foolish to expect this might.

It might be the oldest non-Amex affinity product which is still out there at this point mind.

[WillPS]

JDB wrote:

dst87 wrote:

I wonder if this means IHG will be looking (or may already have found?) a new UK credit card partner? 🤔

If they had already found a new partner, usually one would expect that to be announced at the same time and accounts transferred to the new provider with new terms to give that new firm a starting customer base. Not impossible of course, but makes it less likely there’s an immediate replacement.

What you are describing has literally never happened with an affinity arrangement ending in the UK, to my knowledge.

None of the MBNA affinity cards transferred anywhere; even the Virgin Atlantic ones (the new Virgin Money ones had recently become available when MBNA pulled the plug).

Didn’t happen with the IHG Barclaycard either, nor the JLP cards, nor the Post Office cards…

The normal course of action is one or a mixture of:
a) cards are replaced by a non-affinity product, e.g. Costco Amex replaced by Amex Plat Cashback
b) end date is advised and after that cards are closed
c) customers are pointed to new affinity card and asked to reapply

[WillPS]

strickers wrote:

what annoying as I’m sort of just over half-way to the voucher spend and has reduced my time to get there significantly. Not sure I will be able to hit the spend quick enough. Let’s hope there’s a new IHG partner in the offing.

I don’t know for certain, but I think Hilton might still be locked in with Barclaycard (despite the card no longer being open to new applicants). At least that’s what I tell myself hoping they might do a deal with Amex at some point!!

[WillPS]

Azza wrote:

John wrote:

Well that’s the end of the IHG cards.

Yep just had the email come through.

From 28th June.

Creation are naff but it’s still disappointing.

Are they sacking you off completely or offering you some non-IHG product to move over to?

[WillPS]

baec_newbie wrote:

Downgrading has no effect on your credit score. The biggest issue is in relation to eligiblity for SUBs. It depends on the card in question, but you certainly won’t get a SUB if you have had the same card in the last 24 months, and in some cases (e.g. Platinum SUB) if you have had any personal Amex at all in the last 24 months.

With Barclaycard a viable option (albeit with terrible IT), that may be worth considering going for when they have their next SUB. The current Platinum SUB offer is also very attractive, if you qualify for it.

Platinum SUB doesn’t exclude any personal Amex at all, it excludes any MR earning (Green/Gold/Plat + Rewards CC).
BAPP similarly only excludes Avios earning cards

Everything else excludes any other personal Amex.

[WillPS]

Thanks for flagging this. I’ve now changed my rewards to 7000 points, just in time to hit the bonus on the Avios Plus card. Just need to do the maths one final time before deciding whether or not to downgrade after that now. 99% sure it’ll be a better deal for us as a Nectar-converting household with a Nectar Amex.

[WillPS]

Dan Hurley wrote:

Any idea why they closed it? I’m just curious, the only reason I could think of for me was that it was the large amount I spent on the card. In the month and a bit I had the card I bought 2 expensive double beds (2.5k with built in TVs) one of those I bought for myself and my father in law saw it and decided he wanted one. We put it through my card for the points. I also work for a supermarket, it was during the pandemic I shopped at the end of my shifts for a few friends and dropped stuff at their door, people that were vulnerable or elderly and my cousin who has 6 kids who was screwed up by the quantity limits to stop panic buying. Maybe because I spent so much on the card they thought it was being used for business use? Even if I was using it for business (I wasn’t) I don’t see why they were that bothered tbh.

I also don’t understand why they went so hard on the “miscreant” accounts manufacturing spend with Curve. They still got their transaction fees. It was Curve that got f***ed over by it.

Issuers don’t get ‘transaction fees’. They get a commission of interchange revenue paid to Visa/Mastercard. For UK cards used at UK merchants this is capped at 0.3%.

In other words Creation were getting a share of 0.3% of the transaction. We don’t know what Creation were/are paying for IHG points, but it’s vanishing unlikely that it’s less than 0.3p.

[WillPS]

Ryanfozzie wrote:

Hi all!

I have just had my Credit Card closed with another points earning provider (will give more info in due course) as I’ve clearly been naughty and they don’t want to do business with me anymore (just like how Creation acted with many of us). I’ve always wondered, how does this affect your credit report / rating? I can’t see it being discussed much.

Intriguing, do tell more.

It’ll show on your Credit Report as a closed account, no different to if you had closed the account yourself. Credit ratings (both made up/seeable by you and meaningful/not seen by you varieties) may or may not consider a recent closure or account length, but it’s never caused me significant issues (that I know of, anyway).

Depending on quite how ‘naughty’ you have been CIFAS markers will be more of a concern, although Creation haven’t gone down this route as these are all ‘no fault’ closures.

[WillPS]

I don’t think anyone has been given a reason for closure.

Some have expressed surprise since they “always paid in full” (which of course makes a product like this very hard to make any money from)…

[WillPS]

ryaneberry wrote:

Applied back in November, 25k Avios posted quickly (after switch) and 100k Avios posted within the last week I’ve moved to Blue Rewqards to take advantage of the Rainy Day Saver

FYI, once the Rainy Day Saver is open you can switch back to Avios rewards and keep it (you must be Blue Rewards to open, but so long as you remain either Blue Rewards or Premier Avios Reward the account won’t be automatically converted).

(Only of interest if Avios are worth 0.8p or more to you, or 0.576p if you factor in the yearly 7000 point bonus which is promised at some point)

[WillPS]

In addition, they have advised that the 100k will be added directly to your BA account and will not show in the app. I strongly suggest that you just wait (as I’m doing!).

[WillPS]

MBA1413 wrote:

I spoke to the Barclays app chat team who then transferred me to the Barclaycard as originally it didn’t show up the 100k bonus and they said the following:

Our experts team has informed that as it was on 22nd march you received this the points are always transferred on the second working day of the following month to your account.

I did receive the email an email confirming this on 22 November so I would be looking at next week to see if that has happened!

In terms of timeline:

10 December – 25k welcome bonus (for switching my account in)

21 December – Received the BA Barclays Cabin Upgrade Voucher (I spent over 10k already)

I have not received the 50k for getting the avios plus card and spending £3k in 3 months as @defender90 so maybe I should follow up with them unless this 50k is paid alongside the 100k bonus?

Edit:

From the Avios Plus credit card:

if you’re new to Barclaycard, you’ll collect 25,000 Avios if you spend £3,000 on the Avios Plus credit card in your first three months. T&Cs apply.
if you’re an existing Barclaycard customer who does not currently have either of the Barclaycard Avios cards, you’ll collect 5,000 Avios if you spend £3,000 on the Avios Plus credit card in your first three months. T&Cs apply.
From Barclays Avios Rewards:

you’ll receive 25,000 Avios with Barclays Avios Rewards if your Premier current account is the first current account you are opening with Barclays and you complete a full switch using the Current Account Switch Service within three months.
if you have been a customer with Barclays for four months or more already, you’ll receive 2,500 Avios as a joining bonus

So basically it is 100k for having both products, 25k for switching in your account and having Premier and 25k for spending 3k within 3 months on the avios plus credit card.

I’m not sure why you’re chasing this. If you satisfied the joining part of the offer in November (as your email date suggests), your 4 months will have finished very recently and you’re now in the up to 2 months period that Barclays still have to pay your points.

Everyone who has received the 100k so far reports that their 4 months began in October. That would indicate your points will probably arrive at the end of April, but you shouldn’t be chasing it until 2 full months after your 4 full months (end of May!).

[WillPS]

Bill_B wrote:

WillPS wrote:

QFFlyer wrote:

WillPS wrote:

JonF wrote:

Credit Card
• Additional 0.5 points per £1 spend over the free card, on £10k is 5000 avios = £50
• Cabin Upgrade voucher trade in 7000 avios = £70

Not sure I follow the logic of paying £180 (£20/month – £5/month ‘dual reward’) for £120 worth of additional value from the paid card (over the free version)?

Big spenders will gain a lot more than that if they spend more based on the extra Avios earned. Plus you don’t *have* to take 7k Avios, the voucher for some will be worth heaps. It’s just another option.

For me it works, as I can’t originate in the UK most of the time, which limits the use of the voucher.

I agree and I’m not complaining, in my case I’ll get £46.20 worth of Nectar points rather than nothing (which is what I had priced in as an upgrade voucher is useless to me).

I’m critiquing the numbers @JonF quoted, which presented a £70 valuation of the voucher (not the upgrade) and £50 valuation of the extra half point as sufficient justification for (at least) £180 worth of fees. Using that 1p valuation I think you’d have to spend £22k (£1833.33/month) in order to justify the fee on points alone –
22k x 0.5 = 11000 points = £110 @ 1p per Avios
Bonus for 10k = 7000 pts = £70 @ 1p per Avios

I’m not trying to say that’s an insanely high spend if this is your only credit card (and if you just want Avios points, not Nectar, it’d be a solid choice for one in that case).

You’re not taking into account the lounge passes, which require both the card and the bank account.

Neither was @JonF 😉 their suggestion was that £120 worth of benefit from points justifies £180 worth of fees, before you factor in the other benefits.

[WillPS]

Gosia44 wrote:

I also received just 8000 points. Called Sainsbury’s Bank, spent half an hour explaining the offer and reading the above screenshot, NO extra points. They told me to contact Nectar. Will close the card in the coming days.

Open a complaint and if they continue to be arseholes then use FOS.