If you have a credit card, understanding who owns that particular brand is important, especially if you want to carry out a balance transfer. While most of us know which company provides our credit card, it’s not always as obvious knowing which banking group it falls under.
Who owns your credit card?
To help you get a clearer understanding of who owns who, the table below highlights some main credit card brands and the brand owners:
You’re more likely to get accepted for a credit card if you have a good credit score and lenders can see you’ve borrowed responsibly in the past.
To give yourself a greater chance of success, it’s well worth using an eligibility checker> on a comparison site, as this will give you an indication of the credit cards you’re most likely to get accepted for. Eligibility checkers use a “soft” search on your credit file, so there is no impact on your credit score. In comparison, when you make a full application, lenders run a full, “hard” search of your credit file, which can affect your credit score.
It’s also worth checking your credit score and taking steps to improve it if needed:
Make sure you are registered on the electoral roll.
Check for mistakes on your credit report and get them corrected.
Pay your bills on time.
Space out credit applications by 3 to 6 months.
You can further improve your chances of getting accepted by knowing which credit cards are owned by which banking groups.
Does it matter who owns my credit card?
Yes, it does. One reason is that you might not be allowed more than one credit card from the same banking group. Some providers only accept new customers, which means you could be turned away if you already have a credit card with a brand that falls under the same banking group umbrella.
However, it also pays to check who owns your credit card if you want to carry out a balance transfer. This is because you cannot usually transfer balances between credit cards that fall under the same banking group.
So if, for example, you had a balance on a First Direct credit card, you can’t move it to another First Direct credit card or transfer it to an HSBC credit card, as they both fall under the HSBC group.
Are balance transfers a good idea?
Balance transfers can be a cheaper way of helping you pay existing credit card debt. By shifting existing debt over to a credit card that charges a low rate of interest or no interest at all for a set time, you can pay off your debt more quickly and save yourself a lot in interest.
However, when comparing your options, check who owns your existing credit card and then disregard any balance transfer credit cards that fall under the same banking group. You’ll then want to pick the card with the longest 0% balance transfer deal and the lowest fees.
Can I have more than one card from the same provider?
This depends on the type of credit card and the provider. Some providers may allow you to have more than one credit card with them, while others may impose certain restrictions. These restrictions could apply to the bank itself or across the entire banking group.
For example, while Lloyds credit cards are owned by Lloyds Bank, the bank is part of Lloyds Banking Group, which also includes Halifax, Bank of Scotland and MBNA. In this case, Lloyds states that customers can only have 2 credit cards with Lloyds Bank and up to 5 with Lloyds Banking Group.
Another thing to watch out for is that some providers will ask that you’ve been a customer for a certain length of time before they allow you to have another credit card with them. Capital One, for example, requests that you’ve held a Capital One account for more than 4 months before applying for another card.
If you’re not sure, take a look at your provider’s website or give them a ring to check.
How to identify different credit card providers
As well as the bank and banking group, your credit card will also use either the Mastercard, Visa or American Express payment network. Your card displays the logo of whichever provider is used, but you can also tell by looking at the first numbers on the credit card.
Mastercard credit cards start with the number 5.
Visa cards start with the number 4.
American Express cards start with the number 3.
Which credit cards will I be eligible for?
Again, this depends on the provider and the type of credit card you’re applying for. Some card providers will only offer their best deals to new customers. So, if you already have a credit card with that particular provider, you may not be eligible.
If you are eligible, you may find you don’t qualify for certain introductory offers. For example, to qualify for a welcome bonus with many American Express cards, you must not have been a customer for the past 24 months.
Bottom line
It’s important to know who owns your credit card for 2 main reasons. Some providers will only accept new customers, and you cannot usually make a balance transfer between cards falling under the same banking group. Restrictions on the number of cards you can have with the same bank or banking group differ, so it’s worth checking with your provider.
If you get turned down for a credit card, it’s best to get a copy of your credit report to check your credit score and get an idea of your financial position. If your credit score is low, take the time to look at ways to improve it. Once you’ve done this, leave it a few months before making further credit applications.
NewDay is one of the UK’s biggest credit lenders and provides credit cards for the following lenders:
Aqua
Bip
Amazon
Marbles
Fluid
Argos
AO
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Rachel Wait is a freelance journalist and has been writing about personal finance for more than a decade, covering everything from insurance to mortgages. She has written for a range of personal finance websites and national newspapers, including The Observer, The Mail on Sunday, The Sun and the Evening Standard. Rachel is a keen baker in her spare time. See full bio
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