INTRO
I first decided to get an Egg Credit Card to take advantage of a 0% Interest Balance Transfer (BT) about 2-3 years ago. This was so that I could buy a £1,000 laptop (Samsung Q35). The interest free period was only 6 months but that's all I needed to pay off the balance. I think the BT ... Read review
Advantages: Good customer service, Discount Rewards Disadvantages: Discounts change and other cards have better rewards
...first decided to get an Egg Credit Card to take advantage of a 0% Interest Balance Transfer (BT) about 2-3 years ago. This was so that I could buy a £1,000 laptop (Samsung Q35). The interest free period was only 6 months but that's all I needed to pay off the balance. I think the BT fee was about 2.5% back then. It's a bit higher now, circa 3% in line with other credit card providers. They also have a 0% on purchases offer on the same card, at the ... ...not as a more recent egg card just asked me to log in to view my PIN online.
==ACCOUNT FACILITIES==
Logging in involves providing your first name, last name, date of birth, postcode and then your security details such as your mother's maiden name followed by your password. The first four details can be 'Remembered' on your PC so you don't have to keep entering them if you use the account frequently although this is not recommended ... more
INTRO
I first decided to get an Egg Credit Card to take advantage of a 0% Interest Balance Transfer (BT) about 2-3 years ago. This was so that I could buy a £1,000 laptop (Samsung Q35). The interest free period was only 6 months but that's all I needed to pay off the balance. I think the BT fee was about 2.5% back then. It's a bit higher now, circa 3% in line with other credit card providers. They also have a 0% on purchases offer on the same card, at the same time alongside the balance transfer offer but this is usually shorter than the balance transfer so if you use both and you don't clear the balance before the end of the 0% interest on purchases period, you end up paying interest on the purchases spending unless you clear the entire balance as this is a sneaky tactic that most BT cards use.
ACCOUNT OPENING
Opening the account was done entirely online and was pretty easy. Naturally, it's subject to status and you do have the chance of getting your application rejected. Mine was accepted after a few days of applying and I did get a higher credit limit than all my other cards, which was nice. Once all is good, I received documents and my card in the post. Can't remember if my PIN came through the post or not as a more recent egg card just asked me to log in to view my PIN online.
ACCOUNT FACILITIES
Logging in involves providing your first name, last name, date of birth, postcode and then your security details such as your mother's maiden name followed by your password. The first four details can be 'Remembered' on your PC so you don't have to keep entering them if you use the account frequently although this is not recommended on public or shared computers. This is easy and once logged in, my account area lets me view all my Egg accounts. I also had an Egg Money savings account back then so that was there. Clicking through to the account showed my balance and enabled me to manage my account such as pay bills, amend direct debit details, request an additional card, view my PIN, as well as send a secure message to customer service. Everything one would expect of a credit card online account.
Once I'd received the Egg Credit Card, I was able to activate the card online as opposed to having to phone up. Free number (0800) or not, I really don't like having to phone up and they ALWAYS try to sell you their rip off Payment Protection Insurance (PPI), so this is a good thing, being able to activate online. However, Egg did phone me up a few weeks after opening the account as a courtesy call to see if everything was okay and they did try to sell me the PPI there, which I of course, declined to take up.
You are emailed each month when your statement is released. A text message each week updating you on your balance is also possible, which is handy.
BENEFITS
Having opened the account for the balance transfer, even after the promotional period had ended, every once in a while, they offered me further interest free balance transfers, typically for 6 months. I think I took up the offer one other time. This is quite good for those whom sometimes need a bit of breathing space with paying off cards and even better for those whom are finding it difficult to apply for new credit cards due to past arrears (bad credit score) or due to lenders being a bit more picky due to the credit crunch. Another benefit, which I utilised a few times is the Instant Cash back Offer. Clicking through the rewards section in the online account, you can get discounts through the listed retailers if you shop at their website using your Egg card. The discount is automatically applied. The discounts currently offered are;
0800flowers.com - 10% off lastminute.com (travel) - 5% off 7digital.com (MP3 downloads) - 10% off Figleaves.com - 10% off Joe Browns (clothes) - 15% off Virgin Wines - £60 off Buyagift.com (gift experiences) - 20% off Under Travel and Privileges;
Egg Travel Insurance - 10% off Lounge Pass (for access to airport lounges) - 10% off Holiday Autos (car rental) - 10% off Holiday Extras (Airport hotels and parking) - 13% off
Great if you use those but percentages change. They used to have Dixons on there, which gave a discount of 5% and even 7% off at one point. Dixons was the only one I used so I'm not really happy that they removed the offer even if I seldom used it.
Another one, which is very limited is 2% Cash back for petrol spends at (participating) Shell petrol stations. I'm guessing other shopping at Shell garages counted as well as they probably don't differentiate what you're paying for at the garages. This one would be handy for a lot of drivers, and they can even use it in conjunction with the Shell rewards card but unfortunately, this offer only popped up twice or something and each time only last 2 or 3 months. I already have a Barclaycard, which gives me 2% cash back off petrol spend and I use that in conjunction with my Nectar / Tesco Club cards so there wasn't enough incentive for me to use Shell as my petrol is paid by my work so getting a Shell card for cash discounts wouldn't do me any good anyway.
Lastly, this card also offers free purchase in transit protection meaning with any item you buy that's over £25, you're covered up to £1,000 if it gets lost in post but this does seem to have a lot of terms so most things won't be covered! My Egg Money card has similar for over £50 but includes items being lost within 3 months so much better in my book. Also, Egg Money has a price guarantee whereby they'll refund me the difference of an item I find cheaper within a certain amount of time if the purchase is more than £50. It only does this for items bought offline, which is a shame!
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Customer service can be reached via their online secure messaging system or via telephone. I have contacted them via both means and have always received satisfactory responses. One time, I paid off my balance and then forgot that I had already done so and made the same payment to pay off the full balance again. That's £700 so didn't really want it as a credit balance on my card when I need to use it elsewhere so I duly phoned them. Egg did a BACS payment back to my bank account, which showed up a few days later so all was good again. Other times, I used the online secure messaging system, which is sort of like an internal email system for contacting Egg. I usually receive responses in 2-3 working days. Overall, I find customer service pretty good.
Recently, I've decided to close the card as I wasn't using the card and got myself a Egg World Money Mastercard instead as that offers 1% Cash back. Contacted Egg via their messaging system on Friday 2nd October in the morning, got a response on Tuesday 6th and finally received a confirmation of account closure on Friday 9th. I've found that they actually reply on Sundays as I've asked a question with regards to my Egg Money card and got a reply on a Sunday.
SUMMARY
PROS
- Cash back benefits - Occasional interest free balance transfer offers - Good customer service - Easy to manage account online - Other Egg credit cards have some better/more benefits
CONS
- Other cards offer longer balance transfer periods and with lower fees - Cash back offers a bit limited
VERDICT
Do I recommend the Egg Credit Card? Yes and No. If you can make do with a short balance transfer and would likely make use of the cash back offers, then yes, otherwise, there are better balance transfer deals out there (i.e. Virgin Money with 16 months 0% BT, which money article sites just won't shut up about). Also, the Egg World Money card may just be better for those whom don't need/want the balance transfer or purchases promotional periods and those unlikely to use the discounts with the named retailers, and of course, those who want the the cash back.
Advantages: Interest Rates, Range of Services, 24/7 Online Access Disadvantages: None (I think)
I took out an Egg credit card about 2 years ago now. This came about from a recommendation from someone after I was looking for something cheaper than my expensive Barclaycard. After checking out the Egg website I had no doubts that this was the next credit card on my list. I say on my list as I am one of these people that won’t stick with a credit card once the introductory rates end. I like to switch from one to another to keep me from paying that ... ...me choosing to go with Egg over other companies? The first being that even after the introductory rate had ended they still only charged 13.9% Apr, now at the time 2 years ago this was about the cheapest I could find. Please bear in mind this was 2 years ago and they now charge 14.9% but this is still very good but not the best APR on the market as I do know of cheaper ones at the minute.
The introductory offer was 0% APR for 6 months, I could live ...
Andy0304 04.11.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Egg Card
Advantages: 0% interest for 6 months and cashback Disadvantages: Cashback could be more
...couldn't resist the pun!
Egg have done well with this card, and they've grown their market share dramatically over the past 2 years. This shows how good their card is in itself.
APPLICATION
Obviously, you can apply over the internet(www.egg.com). However the Consumer Credit Act states that you have to sign for it, so Egg will send a completed application form for you to sign. Money Laundering laws also require them to ask for your identity, so ... ...so if you get an Egg card you have to be with them for the long-haul.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
The customer service is good, and I haven't had to wait for long when dialling their service centre to talk to someone. Bear in mind that unlike FirstDirect, you don't go straight through to a person, and you will have to be answered by a computer initially. I have had problems transferring balances to Egg, from my American Express card (since a transfer has ...
hthomas018 28.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Egg Card
Advantages: 0% on balance transfers for six months, APR of only 13.9, The widespread acceptance of VISA, No annual fee, 0.5% cash back on all purchases, Egg Reward Scheme, No more paper bank statements, No more annoying automated phone banking services Disadvantages: You could get a lower APR elsewhere, £20 fee for missing payment or going over credit limit, less cashback than before
...Egg?
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I chose Egg for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the card is pretty. Secondly, I wanted 0% on balance transfers for a good few months so that I can pay off all my outstanding debts more easily. Thirdly, I wanted the convenience of being able to do all my financial transactions online, from any computer in any country at any time of my choosing. (even on Sky Digital if I want to!) Fourthly, I wanted some space back in my Important ... ...to get a decision from Egg within about 30 seconds. And finally, I wanted a card I could use for shopping at lots of places. Egg is taken everywhere VISA is, which was a big selling point for me. That's 16 million locations worldwide!
Who Are Egg?
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Egg were actually started up by the Prudential, in 1998. If they hadn't had a solid name behind their conception, I think I would have been more wary of signing up with them. However, over ...
molelover 14.12.2002 (22.05.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Egg Card
Advantages: Competitive APR, Cash Back, Online Management Disadvantages: Web interface is not as user friendly as it could be
...credit card is virtually essential. Egg was one of the first financial institutions to cater solely for online financial management, coupling increased technology awareness with a groovy youthful image.
I’ve had a credit card with Egg for around 9 months now. It’s not my card of choice, simply because I tend not to carry a balance from month to month, and I find that my account history with Barclaycard is rewarded with good service and ... ...over 1 million customers. The Egg company deal in banking, investments, insurance and online shopping, but their most successful product is without a doubt the Egg credit card. www.egg.com won the Yell.com award for Best Finance Site in 2001 (I’m a big fan of easy to remember URLs - and www.egg.com is pretty easy to remember.)
Application Process
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Not surprisingly, the application process takes place online – no forms, ...
LostWitness 23.11.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Egg Card
Advantages: Competitive interest rates, easy to transfer money, banking online, high level of security Disadvantages: none
I have been an Egg customer for a few years now – I joined soon after they started, with those fantastic interest rates on their savings account. So when their credit card was launched, I was soon sent an application form. Not just any application form, I might add, since Egg told me that I was already pre-approved for a credit card with them, and all I had to do was sign the forms. At the time, I was a second year university student, and having ... ...I was a student, that Egg didn’t ask for any financial information (employment for example), but I assume it was because I already had a savings account with them and had been a good customer. Now unlike some people, I didn’t want a credit card for actual reasons of ‘credit’. I wanted it simply because some places refuse to take switch (e.g. ITVdigital), and because sometimes my switch card causes me problems, as it has no ...
weebagpuss 02.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Egg Card
Advantages: Pre loading, 1% cashback, Earn Interest Disadvantages: Interest still only 4%, Internet only
Maybe I am just old fashioned but I have never really liked the idea of buying on credit, if I want something I will always wait until I can afford it, but when I started using the internet I knew I would need the added security that comes with a credit card and Egg Money really appealed to me for the following reasons.
1) Pre-loading. This simply means that you do not actually have to use it as a credit card but like a normal bank account. You can set up a regular monthly payment from your current account and top up any time you like. As it is an internet only account you can keep an eye on your balance and make sure you never go into the red.
2) 1% cash-back on all purchases (more for some selected retailers such as 5% at Dixons and CDWow. - check website for latest offers)
3) 4% interest received on positive balances ...
Advantages: Extra points to spend at Boots, no interest for qualifying period Disadvantages: Temptation to spend, spend, spend!
After years with no credit card & reliance on my overdraft to 'tide me over', I saw an ad for the Boots Advantage credit card powered by Egg. This card is excellent! I receive one point where ever and on what ever I use the card to purchase. And for the first 6 months there is no interest on any new purchases - bonus! This gives me the chance to clear my (interest based) overdraft whilst earning extra points to spend at Boots.
If you pay off the total balance each month then you stand to benefit the most from this card as you will still be earning points to spend at Boots. The web site is very user friendly and if you need to telephone I have found the system quick and helpful.
This card is really meant for us girlies who love extra money to spend on cosmetics and tolietries; an excellent (and free if you pay off your ...
Advantages: With the Egg card you can easily access your account, it offers a high level of security and great interest rates Disadvantages: NONE
I’ve only had my Eggcard for six months. But I can tell you this is a great card.
RATES
Egg’s rates are always low. Their latest offer (for new card holders) is 0% APR on New Purchases and balance transfers for six months. After a six month period is up the APR rises to 11.9% which is better than loads of other cards.They offer reduced rates on balance transfers for existing card holders as well, the one I used was at 0%.
SECURITY
You can do all your transactions through the website. Which saves time having to wait in long ques! The site has recently been redesigned and the log on allows you to view all your Egg products on the same screen. When you log on the site asks you for your name, your mothers maiden name password and your post code.
PAYMENT AND BILLS
When you have applied Egg you have to set up ...
Minx78 03.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Barclays Bank
