I have been banking with The Halifax for about thirty years. I have had two mortgages from them and have never missed a payment. I have two Savings Accounts with them and have used them for my house and household insurance. Up to about two years ago they were happy enough to let me carry a Halifax Visa Card. My salary or pensions have been paid into my current account for quite some years.
Whilst checking my Santander credit card account during our recent holiday in England, I found that some kind person had been using it for online Poker Games. I can't say whether he won or not as only the payments were reflected in my account, and not any money he may have won. Santander sorted out the problem without fuss, credited the amounts and sent me a new credit card. Unfortunately this was sent to my Spanish address, leaving me without a card in the UK for petrol and other purchases.
Not to worry, I thought, the good old Halifax (motto: a little extra help) will sort me out; I will simply resume my old credit card with them.
Not so! It would appear that I am not rich enough to hold a card with the mighty Halifax. They did not tell me this of course but said my credit check, combined with their own knowledge of me, revealed that I am not worthy of them. They dutifully gave me the details of the credit check agency, both verbally and by mail, telling me several ways I could get hold of them.
So I did. My credit check was exemplary. The results showed that if I applied for credit in a situation where interest rates depended upon my credit rating, I would receive rates at the lower end of the scale.
So now I can only assume that The Halifax cast aside us poor pensioners so that we will not bring down their business again like their own boys in red braces did a couple of years ago.
During the course of my verbal application no questions were asked about my outgoings, amount of required credit on the card, or method of payment. They asked about my income but being but a poor pensioner this is pitifully low. They did not ask about joint income or other cash input which added together keeps us in meat (a couple of times a week) and other basic necessities. From this I infer that if I was earning a large salary but had huge debts and a massive mortgage a card would be mine. Their questions logically point to this.
Not to worry. Upon arrival at our home in Spain my Santander card was waiting for me so I can tell The Halifax that I no longer require their card and I will continue to use their rival.
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