Alliance & Leicester Credit Card

Have had a Alliance & Leicester Credit Card for about a year, now got a good credit limit the moneyback rewards are a nice feature (though not an exclusive one) and the interest is'nt to bad either. Customer service is good too. Overall not a bad bit of plastic.

Have held a Alliance & Leicester credit card for over ten years now and the service i have received in the last few months has been shocking. Been in steady decline for a number of years now.

I have been with A&L now for a number of years, never over impressed with their service (on average wait about 40 minutes anytime of day or night to get through)! But I guess I was just too lazy to look around! Also used to have my current banking with them up to about four years ago and changed for the same reason, communication. In April 06 I thought about changing my visa account and spoke with a A&L Cust Service Agent. I was paying 22.5% apr and thought it too high. I was offered a rate of 14.5% apr there and then with no mention of a timescale on the deal.This offer would cost me £25.00, as I was at work, busy I took the deal. Since then I carried on using and paying my card monthly, on some occasions only paying the minimum. Recently though as I have some spare cash, I have been paying large chunks off to try and kill the debt but noticed it was not going down as quick as I thought it should. Again I tried to speak with A&L on no less then 12 different occasions but failed as I terminated the call due to holding for more than one hour each time. I finally managed to get through a few weeks ago (25 Apr) and discussed my account. To my horror I found I was now paying 35.9%!!!APR I queried this with Customer Services, who were very sympathetic after accusing me of lying, as the agent said the deal I claimed to have been put on was not real and then he found the agreement on my record. I was informed that the deal finished in Nov 06 and my APR had been going up in 6 monthly steps since then. When I challenged him on the duration of the deal he could only apologise. He then put me through to an incompetent lady in the 'percentage rate office' (I do not use the description lightly). After twenty minutes of going round in circles with this lady, I was handed to the Recovery department but as I was not struggling or behind with my payments they could not help and so I was put back through to Customer Services. After a two hour call I terminated the conversation and contacted the Financial O'man who have sent A&L a letter on my behalf. Has anyone else had a similar experience and did you manage to agree a amicable result?

I have used this card for years and stayed with it - even when the cashback rate reduced.

I assumed that cashback on other cards was similarly calculated until I compared some of the newer ones on offer.

I was amazed that I could double the amount I was earning - by just switching cards.

Interest rates and charges don't bother me - I always clear my balance in full.

When using the Alliance & Leicester cash machines on a Saturday the money is debited instantly, but when paying for your credit card it takes four days resulting in late payment charge!! When credit is placed before statement date they ignore it after statement date and charge for 'late payment'

As stated in another review, this used to be a good value credit card operated well by Alliance and Leicester. It was sold to MBNA, who promised that there would be no deterioration in benefits.

MBNA quickly reduced the money-back benefits and increased the interest rates, and provided a lower quality of service. Current interest rates are excessive at 24.9%, but if you complain you can get them to reduce the rate for a period, but they delight in quoting interest rates in different forms - i.e. monthly or annual, but never together, thus making comparison difficult. When you ask them to use consistent terminology they often cannot do so!

Like many other credit card companies they are constantly looking for ways to claw back the revenue they have lost from the controls on "rip off" penalties for late payment and unauthorised credit limit exceedances. Hardly a month goes by without some deterioration in terms and conditions.

Overall better value cards are available - not MBNA!

Their cashback is not as competitive as that offered by the American Express Platinum credit card. They also send too many rubbish marketing leaflets with statements.

Not much to recommend the Alliance & Leicester credit card.

I have had an Alliance and Leicester Credit Card since 2001 and I used to be very happy with it until MBNA took it over.

Since then the interest rate as rocketed! In October of last year in went from 18.9% to 19.9% then in Febuary it went up to a stagering 24.9%.

After speaking to MNBA and asking them how they can justify charging me so much I was told it could be because of one of the following three reasons.

1. Bank interest charges. I was quick to ask if that was the case how come other lenders where offering such lower % cards?

2. Being either a late or none payer. I said that didn't apply to me. Where I was told... I can see you run your account well.

3. There could be something on your credit file that made us feel we needed to raise your personal interest rate. I again said that doesn't apply to me, where I was told... Do you know for sure? Have you checked?

This made me feel quite angry!

I was also told I could have a drop in interest rates by 2% but I would be charged £25.00 to do so. This is know as the Loyalty scheme they do for loyal customers.

What a cheek! Where's their loyalty to us loyal customers?!

I am transfering my balance onto a new credit card that I have just got. I then will be closing my Alliance & Leicester account.

I also found that most of the people who I spoke on the phone to at MBNA didn't have a very polite manner, something I find unexceptable when they are being paid to do a job.

I have been with the Alliance & Leicester bank and credit card for over 10 years, but I am about to cut up their credit card.

They have recently sold out to MNBA and it shows.

In the past, I have had overdue charges refunded out of sheer customer relations from Alliance & Leicester but now I feel as if you are a number and nothing more.

I have started getting telephone calls offering to put money in my bank by creating a debt on my credit card. I am ex-directory and always ask not to be contacted by any company I deal with. I can only assume MNBA do not think that this applies to them. I am not talking about one call but three in the space of a week.

The internet service is good and if it was Alliance & Leicester still I would stick with the card. But MNBA seem to have a method of working that I find unpleasant. They have always had a reputation for giving ANYONE a credit card and their insistance on wanting to give me money that I don't want or need seems to prove the point.