Marbles Credit Card

Over 2.5 million consumers in the United Kingdom have a Marbles credit card.

As of April 2007, applications are no longer being accepted for the Marbles credit card. The card issuer, HFC Bank, a limited company within HSBC, has not closed the existing accounts for the over 2.5 million cardholders in the United Kingdom. The following benefits are still available for those that continue to hold a Marbles credit card:

• Worldwide acceptance at any merchant that bears a MasterCard logo
• .5% cash back awards on purchases over ₤2001 ($4,028 USD)
• 14.9% APR
• 0% balance transfers for 6 months
• 56 day interest free period on purchases
• No Annual Fee
• Online account management
• Zero liability for all purchases made as a result of fraudulent activity or a lost or stolen card.
• Free Travel Accident Insurance
• Credit limit match – After your account is open for at least six months, you can request that Marbles increase your credit limit to match that of a higher limit credit card you already have. Here's an example of how that works.
  • You have a different credit card that has a ₤20,000 limit and your Marbles card only has a ₤5,000 limit that you want increased. All you have to do is send a request for a credit increase along with a statement from your other, higher limit credit card and Marbles will increase your credit limit to that amount. Certain conditions, like payment history and annual income apply.

General fees for this credit card are illustrated in the table below.

Although you can no longer apply for the Marbles card, there is another credit card offered by the same company called the Orange Marbles card that is currently taking applicants. The Orange card fromm Marbles offers the same benefits as the Marbles MasterCard, except for one:

• 0% balance transfers for 9 months (instead of 6).

Below is a short list of the pros and cons, as reported by current and past cardholders on reviewcentre.com and ciao.co.uk.com for this credit card.

• The Pros
  • Easy application process
  • Low interest balance transfers
  • Simple online account set-up
  • Good account security
  • Low introductory interest rate
• The Cons
  • Poor customer service
  • Internet banking does not work with the Firefox web browser
  • Frequent online system crashes
  • Too many telemarketing calls regarding fee based card benefits
  • Balances from other HSBC credit cards cannot be transferred to the Marbles card

When reading Marbles card reviews keep in mind that they are completely subjective and are totally dependant upon the individual card users' experience. Some cardholders have had the card for years without problems and some have had the card for only a short period of time with a great deal of problems.

The only concerning and questionable issue about this card is why they have stopped taking new applications. It is not explained on their website, nor can any information be found regarding this moratorium on new card issues. There could be any number of reasons as to why this decision was made and it is most likely a business decision on HSBC's part.

In the end, the Marbles card offers many of the same benefits and fees as other credit cards and has not really distinguished itself from the thousands of other credit card deals available. Before making a final decision on the Marbles card, do a credit card comparison and see if there are credit card offers that better suit your needs.

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