Credit Cards

Well, to put it simply, credit is an arrangement where you buy goods or services now but you agree to pay later. Credit comes in many different shapes and sizes including mortgages, loans, overdrafts and credit cards. In most cases, you'll have to pay an agreed amount back every month with interest. Whatever credit you choose, it's important to keep up with your monthly repayments.

A credit limit is the maximum amount that you can owe on a credit card. Your spending (including balance transfers and cash withdrawals) and any charges, interest or fees that are added must not exceed this credit limit. If it does, you may be charged an overlimit fee.

QuickCheck is a free and easy-to-use tool to check your eligibility for a credit card before you apply. You answer a few questions and then, within 60 seconds, you’ll get a guaranteed ‘yes’ or ‘no’ before you apply. This is a great way to find out whether you can get credit without impacting your credit rating, as it uses what’s known as a ‘soft search check’ and can’t be seen on your credit report by anyone other than you and the credit reference agency who provide your score. So it won’t be visible to any other lenders or anyone else you’re applying to.

In order to apply for a credit card, you need to have a few bits of information to hand. This will include your addresses for the previous two years, details about your employment and income, and any other credit cards you have if you want to transfer your balance.

From the date you are accepted it will take between 7-10 working days before you will have your credit card.
 

Your PIN will arrive first and separately from your credit card.

If you’ve been accepted straight away then we’ll tell you that. The same goes if you’ve been declined. But some applications take longer to consider and, in those cases, we’ll be in touch within 7-10 business days with details.

You can register to view your card and your Credit Card status online. Once you’ve got your credit card, you can set up your online servicing very simply. Just follow this link.

• Check your balance
• Check your credit limit
• Check what you’ve got to spend
• Check when you need to make payments by
• Check answers to commonly-asked questions
• And if we don’t have the answer, or you need to chat to us about anything else, we’ve got secure, one-to-one messaging

If you’re not near a computer, you could download our app – providing the same services from your smartphone or tablet.

You won’t be able to cancel your card using your online servicing account or our app as we need to run through a few details.

So if you want to close your account, please give us a call and we’ll take you through all the steps.

Our app is available on iOS and Android and you can download it from their respective app stores. You’ll get a 6-digit passcode that you need to enter to log in. Once you’ve done so, you can do the following:

• Check your balance
• Check your credit limit
• Check what you’ve been spending (recent transactions)
• Check what’s due to Post Office and when
• Make a payment to your credit card
• And a range of other services can also be accessed via the app

When you take a cash out of a hole in the wall, there’s a fee of £3 or 3% of the value of the withdrawal (whichever is the larger sum). Once the withdrawal appears on your account, we’ll charge you interest at your cash rate.

Cash advance fees are not limited to cash withdrawals at cashpoints. Cash advance fees also apply to other transactions such as gambling websites, buying foreign currency at a bureau the change and cash withdrawals when abroad.

Credit cards and cash can seem a little complex, so it’s important to read the terms and conditions of your credit agreement very closely

If you’ve got the credit card app, you can get a reminder of your PIN. You’ll need to enter the CVV code from the back of your card – so it’s a good idea to memorise this too!

If you don’t have the app or want to contact us directly, you can send us a secure message on your Online Servicing and we’ll send a reminder by post. This will take 3-5 business days – so if you need your PIN in a hurry, the quickest way of getting a reminder is to install the app.

Well, in short, almost anywhere. There are 74 million locations worldwide where you can use Mastercard® (providing you’ve got an eligible card) and you can use it online too.

You can also withdraw cash but be aware that there are fees associated with doing so – be sure you understand these before going to a cash point.

You’ll want to act as soon as you discover that your card has been lost or stolen, and the quickest way to report this is by using the Post Office app. Once you’ve opened it, the ‘My Card’ area will show you the link to follow.

You can also call us. This is also a quick way to report your missing card.

Don’t use the secure messaging service on the app or online portal as it can take our customer service representatives as long as 2 working days to respond.

If your card number starts with 5545 or 5425, call 0345 607 6500. Lines open 9am to 7pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 2pm on Saturdays. They’re closed on Sundays and bank holidays.

If it’s out of hours you can use our automated self-serve options, including to make a payment. Or log in to manage your online account here

If your card number starts with 5185 you can call us on 0344 481 0902. Lines open 7am to 9pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Lines are open as usual on UK Bank Holidays.

Out of hours you can use our automated self-serve options. Or log in to manage your online account.

A one-time password is a security measure to ensure it’s definitely you that’s making a transaction. We’ll send you a text or give you an automated call to give you a unique code to use.