Get the right credit card from Nationwide

Nationwide building society provides two main types of credit card: the Nationwide Credit Card and the Nationwide Select Credit Card. The Nationwide Credit Card is available for anyone regardless of whether or not they have an account with Nationwide. The Nationwide Select Credit Card, on the other hand, is only available to its main current account customers.

Nationwide credit card

The Nationwide Credit Card is flexible in that it allows customers to choose what deal suits them best. For example, you can choose to have a 0% balance transfer credit card for 20 months with 0% on purchases for three months. Alternatively, you can opt to have 0% on purchases for six months instead.  This means that whether you are looking to transfer a balance from another card or to make a purchase, you can save money by choosing the option which best suits your needs. As with most other cards, a handling fee applies and this amounts to 3.1% with a minimum spend of £5. The APR is 15.9% representative. This interest rate varies from 9.9 to 19.9 per cent depending upon your individual circumstances.

Nationwide select credit card

Exclusively available to Nationwide FlexAccount holders, this credit card provides extra benefits which are not offered to non customers. Benefits include 0% on balance transfers for 20 months, 0% on purchases for 12 months, unlimited cash back and the ability to purchase unlimited goods abroad without having to pay any commission. The APR is 12.9% representative but the rate you are given will depend on your individual circumstances.

Qualifying for Nationwide select credit card

The Nationwide FlexAccount is simply a Current account for Nationwide customers. To be eligible for the Nationwide Select Credit Card, you must have a FlexAccount with a Visa debit card and you must have had at least £750 a month being paid into the account for a minimum of three months. Internal money transfers do not count toward this.

There is a way around this and that is to complete a transfer of money to your Nationwide FlexAccount using their money transfer service, within at the most, four months before applying for the card. It is worth noting that in order to qualify for cash back under the terms of the Nationwide Select card, you must continue paying at least £750 a month into your FlexAccount. This amount does not include any internal money transfers between bank accounts.

It is possible to apply for both a Nationwide Select Credit Card and a FlexAccount simultaneously. Both can be done online via the Nationwide website.

Other benefits

Unlike many other companies providing credit cards, Nationwide Credit Card call centres for both cards are all located inside the UK, making handling credit card enquiries easy and less annoying than many other card providers on the market today. The ability to manage accounts online adds to convenience and, in addition, the company provides a reward scheme offering discounts from many brands including Shell, Holland and Barrett and Play.com.