Kept in the dark over credit card rejections? You’re not alone

Have you ever been turned down for a credit card and been left guessing why? If so, you’re not alone. After hearing from numerous people whose experiences of applying for a credit card had left them confused and frustrated, we decided to investigate.

We surveyed a sample of 2,013 people about their experiences of applying for a credit card in the past two years. Nearly half of those who have been turned down said they were dissatisfied with the way the company handled their rejection, while just under a quarter said they were ‘very dissatisfied’.

Rejected applicants left in the dark

When we asked unsuccessful applicants why they felt dissatisfied, poor communication and a lack of advice on how to solve the problem were commonly highlighted.

Eight in 10 rejected applicants struggled with the lack of information provided with their rejections, with half receiving a generic message telling them to ‘check their credit file’. And three in 10 said they were told nothing at all!

The Consumer Credit Act says that if a credit application is rejected based on information obtained from a credit reference agency, the creditor must tell the borrower. The creditor also has to tell the borrower which agency they used, however, they don’t have to provide any further information.

Help borrowers help themselves

At Which?, we want lenders to give a reason when credit applications are refused, as well as practical steps that borrowers can take to improve their chances of being accepted in future.

We also think people should be able to shop around for credit without being penalised. So we want all companies to use quotation searches, allowing people to see whether they may be accepted without a full application footprint being left on their credit file.

Do you think lenders have a duty to provide full reasons for rejections? And if you’ve been turned down for a credit card, were you happy with the level of information provided by the company?