Apologies for application issues with Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

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• Emily says:

  1 Mar1 March 10:06

  I got my application through yesterday … BUT … the website was very glitchy (you need to speed through in the quickest time to do it).

  I had to upload additional docs (after credit check, after confirmation of acceptance. It was just to set the credit limit) – thus is when the website crashed on me. I had no email confirmation, nothing! Phone waits of over 90mins and they couldn’t help! Also, had yo wait for email to turn up this morning, 18hours later!
  Just wanted to let people know who are stuck in limbo that an email will arrive, eventually. Don’t worry like I did.

  • AM says:

    1 Mar1 March 10:20

    Applied overnight and received instant acceptance. Email came through a few hours later.

    As a solo traveller, will now probably ditch the Amex PP (questioning why I took it out in the first place). Many thanks to Rob for the articles and website !

  • Steven says:

    1 Mar1 March 10:28

    What kind of evidence were they requesting? Seems unusual

• Roberto says:

  1 Mar1 March 10:18

  Applied last night and finally got the email…huge credit limit too.
  Goodbye Virgin and your awful mileage availability

  • Dean says:

    1 Mar1 March 11:39

    I got mine under review

• Safety Card says:

  1 Mar1 March 10:21

  Applied this morning, have a very good credit score but got denied… very odd

  • Rui N. says:

    1 Mar1 March 10:25

    Credit scores are irrelevant for this, like they are for everything else.

    • Chris says:

      1 Mar1 March 10:41

      Why would they be irrelevant seems a daft comment.

      • Rui N. says:

        1 Mar1 March 12:04

        Because they are. The only organisations in the UK using credit scores are the organisations producing them (in the US it’s different). When you open an account what lenders look for is the information you give them plus what is in your credit report. The credit score is a meaningless number to make people feel good.

    • Safety Card says:

      1 Mar1 March 10:52

      Any idea what I need to do to get approved?

  • Matthew says:

    1 Mar1 March 10:57

    Denied during the eligibility checker or after full application?

    • EM says:

      1 Mar1 March 11:00

      I got declined on the eligibility checker.

      • Rob says:

        1 Mar1 March 11:10

        Don’t waste your time with those. Did we learn nothing from the Virgin Money debacle in 2018? They didn’t bother to change their eligibility checker for the Virgin Atlantic cards and it rejected almost everyone – it was set up to look for people who would fail to repay their bills and who made up the historic Virgin Money customer base (and indeed this was the sort of customer Virgin Money wanted for its own-brand cards), but obviously very few Virgin Atlantic flyers fall into that category. The application form worked fine though.

        • Rui N. says:

          1 Mar1 March 12:06

          That’s all fine and good, but some lender don’t let you proceed to the full application until you pass the eligibility checker.

    • Safety Card says:

      1 Mar1 March 11:45

      Full application

      • Jay says:

        1 Mar1 March 14:13

        Same here, and no obvious reason given despite exceeding the criteria and having no markers on my credit file. Odd. Will see what the letter says if they do indeed send it out, and go from there.

• Frisbee says:

  1 Mar1 March 10:28

  What happens if you are a supplementary card holder on the account held by your spouse? Does the preclude you from the offer?

  • Rob says:

    1 Mar1 March 11:01

    No, you’re good to apply.

• Jason Wiltshire says:

  1 Mar1 March 10:41

  Approved, nice 20k limit, lovely

• Stagger Lee says:

  1 Mar1 March 10:42

  Existing legacy card holder here. I’ll wait a few days to see if they increase the paltry offer for people like me. If not I’ll just cancel and wait 6 months. No desperation as the vast majority of places I use take Amex and my 241 collection year starts in April.

  I will try and get the other half signed up though and get her to cancel her BAPP once she get the next voucher. We’ll then have enough to see us through the next two years.

• Dave P says:

  1 Mar1 March 10:43

  Looking at this as an alternative. I have amassed 400k virgin airmiles over the years. I was able to book NYC with ease, but anything else is utterly impossible in UC. Is this the general norm?

  Would people say Avios is a better option?

  I have the HSBC WE credit card, and have it free for 2 years? would this be better as a way to acquire points?

  • DJ says:

    1 Mar1 March 10:59

    If your main goal is to accumulate Avios points, then I think barclaycard would be far better, since their World Elite card gives you 1.5 points vs 1 points via HSBC World Elite.

    • JDB says:

      1 Mar1 March 11:47

      If HSBC continues to offer the annual 25% uplift, this narrows the gap especially as the HSBC card is cheaper, offers lounge access and as you need a premier account to hold the WE effectively offers the insurance. That just leaves the upgrade voucher which isn’t especially useful to us as we prefer First and travel as a couple.

  • Rob says:

    1 Mar1 March 11:00

    It’s not the norm long term, it’s the norm at the moment. I’m sitting on over 1m!

    • Stephen says:

      1 Mar1 March 11:54

      Rob maybe an article on how to best use up Virgin points for those of us who started collecting them as the best non-Amex option but who have no loyalty to Virgin in particular?

  • Guy Incognito says:

    1 Mar1 March 11:39

    We tend to hold our points in AmEx and then transfer over as and when needed. Availability is very poor in both BA and Virgin at the moment in Club, First and Upper.

• AndrewM says:

  1 Mar1 March 11:23

  Also heard the same from someone working at Avios. 5000 for the Plus Card and 1000 for the Basic Card. Lets wait for 100 % confirmed details.

  • Rob says:

    1 Mar1 March 11:26

    Those are the rates, the only unknown is how you are going to be able to do it (NOT via the main application form) and whether you need to cancel your existing card.

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