A few weeks ago I was shopping in my local Virgin store on the weekend when I got approached by one of their staff who asked me if I’d like some free virgin vouchers. Free vouchers of course I replied. She then proceeded to ask me a few questions, which were something like: -
Do ... Read review
Advantages: 0% balance transfers, friendly staff, reward points Disadvantages: No high street branches
...was shopping in my local Virgin store on the weekend when I got approached by one of their staff who asked me if I’d like some free virgin vouchers. Free vouchers of course I replied. She then proceeded to ask me a few questions, which were something like: -
Do you have a full time job?
Are you on the electoral register?
Do you have a cheque guarantee card?
When I answered these questions she told ... ...had been accepted for the virgin credit card and that I would get the card and pin number shortly. There was no mention of what my credit limit would be on this card.
Sure enough the next day I received my pin number, followed by my card the next day, an introductory letter, information about rates, my limit and activating the card. I activated the card by telephoning a free phone number and found the staff there to be friendly and ... more
A few weeks ago I was shopping in my local Virgin store on the weekend when I got approached by one of their staff who asked me if I’d like some free virgin vouchers. Free vouchers of course I replied. She then proceeded to ask me a few questions, which were something like: -
Do you have a full time job? Are you on the electoral register? Do you have a cheque guarantee card?
When I answered these questions she told me that I had qualified to apply for the Virgin Mastercard credit card which earn me points when I shopped in Virgin. I was in quite a good mood that day so I decided to go through the questions with her for the card. She did not provide me with any real information about the card such as interest rates but I decided that if I did not want the card I could always not take it up if they offered me one.
The questions that she asked were pretty standard for any credit card application and included things like salary, time at address etc. Whilst these questions are pretty harmless some people may not be comfortable giving out this information in a crowded store,. As well as this information she asked for my current bank account details. Whilst I was happy to give the name of the bank and the time I had banked there I did not see how the details were relevant to my application and was not happy to give them to someone in a shop on their say. She advised them that I would need to give my bank details for credit checking otherwise I would not get the card. As I have worked in the industry I know that a bank account number is not necessary for a credit check and refused to give it. I pointed out that they had a home and mobile telephone number for me if they did require any further information and that I would happily provide this over the telephone. She then handed me some credit information and advised that I would hear from them shortly,
Just over a week later and I get a letter through my door telling me that I had been accepted for the virgin credit card and that I would get the card and pin number shortly. There was no mention of what my credit limit would be on this card.
Sure enough the next day I received my pin number, followed by my card the next day, an introductory letter, information about rates, my limit and activating the card. I activated the card by telephoning a free phone number and found the staff there to be friendly and helpful.
When I read through the information about my card I found that there was an introductory period where you had to pay 0% interest on balance transfers. I called about transferring my balance, gave them the amount, card number and company details and they advised that they would sort this out for me. My balance transfer would be interest free for 6 months and the return to the normal interest rate.
I then called up to arrange to pay my bill by Direct Debit. I requested that my Direct Debit was taken at about the 1st of the month which they agreed to and also asked whether I would like my cycle changed to coincide with my pay days too. I found then very willing to help. My card start date will now be the 1st of the month, I will get my bill by the 3rd of the following month and have to pay it by the 1st of the following month – nearly 2 months without paying.
For research for this opinion I visited the virgin money site to look at the different credit cards that they have on offer. The site was quick to load and simple to use. They have a card chooser there where you can answer a few simple questions and it will suggest the best credit card for you.
You can apply for cards online but I do not have the personal experience of this. There are 3 different ready made card options that you can choose and you can pick from 5 designs on your card. However these are all basically different mixtures of a red and black background and really are not that interesting. If you choose the reward option you will earn one point for every £1 you spend, which you can use in an exclusive online virgin shop.
When you get your card you can visit the cashpoint to change the pin on your account to a number of your own choice. You can also withdraw cash from your credit card account. However, you're charged 2% (min £2, no max) of the amount you withdraw from cashpoints,
Option 1 0.0% p.a. on Balance Transfers for 6 months 15.9% APR (variable) on card purchases With reward points No annual fee
Option 2 0.0% p.a. on Balance Transfers for 6 months* 13.9% APR (variable) on card purchases Without reward points No annual fee
Option 3 10.9% APR (variable) on card purchases With reward points No annual fee
All In all I feel that I have experienced excellent customer service from this company and they have told me that I can call up and change the design of my card or the option that I have selected at any time at no charge.
However, I strongly suspect that unless they really do impress most people they will continue to move their balances around cards making the most of the introductory 0% offers that most cards seem to offer at present.
Further Info
Virgin card is run by MBNA Europe Bank Limited who are part of MBNA Corporation, the world's largest independent credit card lender, with over 50 million customers around the planet.
http://uk.virginmoney.com/credit-card-v1/
Virgin Credit Card
– track your application 0800 0567 686 – activate your card 0800 0150 307 – Members Shop 08456 10 2000 – card servicing 0800 0687 768
info@virginmoney.com
NB: I realise that this opinion is not yet complete, and I will update it regarding the bill, processing time etc as the month progresses. I have spoken to friends about this card and they have advised me that there are many Virgin offers on at the moment such as free vouchers and leaflets offering free stereos if you take out a card. I thought I’d review the card application process to give others the opportunity to try it.
PS – I got my Virgin vouchers for taking out a card in the post this morning – that may have persuaded me to write this op too!!!
Update 12/06/03
got a call last night asking me if everything was ok with the card and if I was happy with the way the application had gone through - I'm impressed with their customer service!!!
update July 03
Well the bill arrived ok and was clear and easy to read and listed the payment due and stated that the mobet would be collected by direct debit. It was a small bill £30 which would come out of my account in full. I filed it away and thought nothing more of it. I then received a letter telling me that as I had not paid teh minimum payment (approx £6) I was being charged £30. I called up Vrgin and told them that I had set up the direct debit within 2 days of having the card and had recieved a statement stating the amount was to be taken by Direct Debit. They advised that the Direct debit was set up but that as teh payment date was changed at the same time it wasn't soon enough (it was well over a month before the due payment date). As the statement had told me to pay nothing due to the direct debit they agreed to remove the charge from my account. Even though I was complaining they were very friendly and helpfull. I paid the amount in full in my bank and will be checking my bank next month when the bill is due out.
Advantages: website easy to use, great introductory offer Disadvantages: hiking up interest to an extortionate 34.9%!!!
...I applied for a virgin credit card shortly after I returned from my world travels, id been working a bit abroad but id still managed to rack up a bit of debt along the way, plus id started a new job and had bought a car, the deposit of which went on my old credit card.
Adverts for virgin were everywhere offering a 0% balance transfer rate, it looked pretty attractive, so I went for it and transferred my balance. VIRGIN WEBSITE
Colourful and certainly ... ...numbers you need to contact virgin with any issues, your contact details and access for changing any of your details. The last tab is where you can make a payment towards your balance. Again this is also really simple to use.
GENERAL VIEW OF VIRGIN AND ITS SERVICES....
Ok, so Ive now had my virgin card for four years, admittedly for alot long than id planned, as well as going way over my time of 0%. However, I happily carried on paying my balance ...
burtybookworm 07.09.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Virgin Credit Card
Advantages: Reward points (for some), flexibility in APR choice, and options to change your APR at any time Disadvantages: High(ish) APR rates, Internet and phone based only (some may not like that).
...was shopping at my local Virgin Megastore, when I caught a leaflet advertising their new credit card. "in for a penny, in for a point" thought I, and took a leaflet. It wasn't too in-depth, but pointed me to the Virgin Money website which contained a link to the Virgin Credit card. A wealth of information was to be found.
From the website, there was a specific link to the Virgin Credit card. I won't bore you with all the details, as if you're reading ... ...my requirements off against what Virgin had to offer:
- no annual fee: Yes - a completely free credit card with no charge for the privilege of owning it!
- APR - as this didn't matter to me, I wasn't *too* worried, but Virgin offers a choice of cards with APR, which I thought was interesting
- Rewards for using the card - Virgin pays its customers back in a reward points offer, and also has an exclusive 'members shop' with different offers available.
...
indiegirl 25.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Virgin Credit Card
Advantages: Good initial offer Disadvantages: Awful customer service, soaring interest rates, no communication unless they want something
...to them and MBNA. Eventually Virgin agreed to the payment plan, however I regularly received threatening letters from MBNA, threatening court action, despite me sticking to the agreement.
I also have an HSBC credit card, which is at the same balance. However, I was a bit concerned that I was paying only £40 interest a month on my HSBC credit card, yet I was paying £98 interest on my Virgin card. After speaking to one of their advisors I was told ... ...the interest was still unchanged. Virgin denied that they had any recordings of the calls and promises made to lower the interest rates. I was then told I had to pay £389 to bring my card back within the limit before they could review this. They didn't seem to understand that with the £100 I was paying each month, £98 of that was not being cleared because of the interest.
Eventually they lowered the interest, although reading some of the other horror ...
s32bauer 18.08.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Virgin Credit Card
Advantages: Smooth application process, decent size credit limit Disadvantages: Not found any
If you're looking for a credit card to transfer outstanding balances to, then this one does the trick nicely.
The application process went through very smoothly and within days I was issued my card giving me 0% on balance transfers for 9 months. The credit limit was set at a decent size too which as a 0% credit card junkie is a major factor as it meant I could move all my outstanding balances from cards where the 0% was ending to this one and not ... ...months! (You never know I might even pay it off in that time!)
When I rang to make my balance transfers, the staff were very helpful and answered all the questions I had.
There is an extensive reward system with this card, however as I don't intend to keep it after the 0% has run out, I haven't really bothered to read about it. I'd much prefer to use my other card that gives me cashback on all purchases.
As for complaints in the other reviews ...
no1angel 06.12.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Virgin Credit Card
Advantages: good introductory offers (0% balance transfer), AIR MILES ! ! ! ! Disadvantages: there are cards with lower interest rates easily available, this is 15.9%
...decided to apply for a Virgin Mastercard as I am already a member of Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and it was a good way to top up the airmiles, get a good offer on balance transfers, and it's backed by a big bank (MBNA Europe).
The application couldnt have been easier, I filled out the application online and within a couple of days got the letter confirming my credit limit and terms and conditions. A couple of days after that and my PIN arrived, ... ...yet to find anything about Virgin that I really dislike, although a lower APR would be nice!
The introductory offer was 0% on balance transfers for 9 months, although I have recently had a call offering to extend that for a further 9 months, plus 2000 airmiles for signing up. I pay no annual fee on this card although there is an annual fee option that gives higher airmiles in return on sign up. The APR is 15.9%, not huge but higher than a lot of ...
technopanic 19.06.2006
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Virgin Credit Card
Competitiveness of APR
Product package
Quality of Customer Ser...
Reward Scheme
Additional Charges
Security and Privacy
Ease of Application
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