Credit card FAQs

You'll be advised on the length of your introductory period when you take out your new card or a 0% rate on an existing card.

We also notify you two months prior to your 0% rate expiring on your monthly statement and by email or letter. As a final reminder, we’ll also send an email or letter one month before the rate ends.

You can view your statements in our Mobile Banking App or Online Banking.

From the date your 0% rate ends, your account will then revert back to your standard rate of interest. This is shown on your monthly statement.

You can contact us at any time to check this information.

Interest is applied from the day a transaction is added to your account until the day you pay it off.

We charge interest daily, so even if you paid your balance in full, you may still see interest on your next statement. This is to cover any previous outstanding balance from the period between the credit card statement being sent and when the payment is received. For example, if your statement is issued on the 10th of each month and you pay your balance in full on the 15th of the month, interest will still be applied for the 5 days from the 10th to the 15th. This will be charged on your next statement – we call this residual interest.

The sooner you make your payment after your statement is produced, the less the interest will be, unless you pay in full and on time each month. This is because we charge the interest on the average daily balance of the card (the amount subject to interest).

If you pay off your statement balance in full, minus any 0% offers you have, for two payments in a row, we will not charge you any interest on any new purchases you make.

More information can be found on our charges, fees and interest page.

When you use your credit card to make a 'cash-like' transaction, you’ll be charged a Cash Transaction fee. Cash transactions include:

If you have a Clubcard Credit Card or a Premium Credit Card, you'll be charged £12.00 if you don't make your minimum payment on time. You'll pay interest on this 28 days from when we tell you that the fee has been charged. Interest will be charged at the rate we charge for purchases, and you will not pay interest on this interest.

If you have a Clubcard Plus Credit Card and you applied for it before 21 July 2020, you will not be charged a late payment fee.

For all Tesco Bank Credit Cards, you can keep track of your payment due date by logging on to our Mobile Banking App or by visiting Online Banking. To ensure you never miss a payment, please see our FAQ on How can I pay my Tesco Bank Credit Card?

You can also set up alerts to remind you when your payment is due. For more information on how to manage your alerts, please see our FAQ on How do I manage my credit card spending alerts?

Please note that if you miss a payment, this may affect your credit rating. If you're experiencing financial difficulties, please contact us.

You'll be advised on the length of your introductory period when you take out your new card or promotional offer on an existing card.

We'll also notify you on your monthly statement two months prior to your promotional rate expiring.

22 days prior to your promotion ending, we will send you an email to confirm this.

From the date your offer ends, your account will then revert back to your standard rate of interest. This is shown on your monthly statement.

You can contact us at any time to check this information.

If you have a Clubcard Credit Card or a Premium Credit Card, you’ll be charged a fee of 2.75% on any transactions you make in a foreign currency. You’ll pay interest on this fee at the same rate that applies to the transaction you made.

If you have a Clubcard Plus Credit Card, you won't be charged any foreign exchange fees.

From time to time, we offer promotional rates to existing customers for both balance and money transfers. If you're unsure whether one is available or cannot find the details of an offer previously made, you can check this on our Mobile Banking App. Once you're signed in, please select either the balance transfer or money transfer option. If a promotional offer is available, we'll show the promotional rate here. If no promotion is available, we'll confirm that the standard fees will apply.

A default sum is a fee that has been applied to your account, usually when a payment has been missed.

If you are unsure why you have been charged this fee or are struggling with your payments, please contact us to discuss.

More information can be found on our charges, fees and interest page.

Sometimes your payments might be declined, this could be because of:

If you're still experiencing further issues, then you will need to contact us.

You can view your PIN instantly in our Mobile Banking App. Please ensure you're in a safe space before viewing your PIN and do not write it down.

Alternatively, you can order a PIN reminder by post using Online Banking, which should be with you within 7 days:

If your PIN is blocked, you'll need to contact us to unblock it.

If you know your PIN and want to change it, you can do this at any ATM.

Once you receive your card, the easiest way to activate it is through our Mobile Banking App. Download our Mobile Banking App to your phone and follow these three steps:

Alternatively, you can contact us to activate your card. You’ll need to enter your 16-digit credit card number so please have it ready. If you’re registered for Online Banking, you will also need to provide selected digits from your Security Number. This process will also activate any additional cardholders on the account.

If you’re not registered for Online Banking, please follow the instructions provided during the registration process.

Yes, you can share the benefits of your credit card by adding an additional cardholder.

Additional cardholders:

As main account holder, you'll be responsible for all transactions and charges incurred.

You’ll need to ensure that you have the additional cardholder's permission to provide their data and that they've been provided with a copy of the Privacy Policy beforehand.

If your credit card has been damaged, you can order a replacement card using Online Banking:

Alternatively, you can contact us.

To find out more about how Apple Pay works and how to set it up, visit our Apple Pay support page.

If your credit card has been lost or stolen, you can block or cancel it using our Mobile Banking App or Online Banking.

Alternatively, you can contact us to report your card as lost or stolen.

We’ve got several ways for you to pay your credit card bill, so it’s easy for you to keep up to date. This information is also contained within the 'How to Pay' section of your monthly statement.

There are 4 ways to pay using our Mobile Banking App:

For details of how to use each of these payment methods, please refer to our page on managing your credit card in our Mobile App.

There are 3 ways to pay your credit card using Online Banking:

For details of how to use each of these payment methods, please refer to our page on managing your credit card in Online Banking.

You can also pay by cheque:

Please allow 5 to 7 days for your payment to reach us by post. It will take another 1 to 2 business days before the cheque funds are cleared in your account.

Providing you are the primary card holder, you can change your payment date by contacting us.

Please note that due to the date that your credit card statement is produced, we may not be able to offer you the exact payment date you've requested, but we will try to offer you a suitable alternative.

Due to our processing timescales, you may have more than one payment due within the same month. We'll let you know if this is the case.

To amend your direct debit you can do this through Online Banking or our Mobile Banking App. You can amend the account details you wish the direct debit to be paid from or you can amend the monthly payment option. Options available are full outstanding statement balance, minimum payment, or another set amount each month.

Please note that when amending the payment amount you may be required to make a manual payment.

You can cancel your direct debit via Online Banking and the Mobile Banking App. Please ensure you make alternative arrangements for your payment. You can find out about other ways to pay your credit card in our FAQ on How can I pay my Tesco Bank Credit Card?

Please note when a direct debit is cancelled within 3 days of a minimum payment collection or 8 days of the payment due date for a full payment direct debit, the direct debit will still be collected.

You can make a payment to your Tesco Bank credit card at any time, but each month you'll receive a statement with a payment due date. If you make a payment before the statement is sent to you, this will reduce your balance for the following month's statement. You'll still need to make a payment to cover the time between your statement being produced and the payment due date.

You can check your payment due date via our Mobile Banking App or via Online Banking.

You can update the debit card you use to pay your credit card or add a new debit card using our Mobile Banking App or Online Banking.

You can set up a Direct Debit to pay your credit card using our Mobile Banking App or Online Banking.

If you get an email before your first Direct Debit date letting you know your statement is ready, you’ll need to use another payment method to make this payment. Your Direct Debit should then be active for your next monthly statement.

Your Direct Debit should leave your account on the same day every month, unless this day happens to be a weekend or bank holiday, where the payment will be taken on the next working day.

Due to banking regulations, all banks need to provide an extra layer of security for their customers. This is called Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) and increases your protection when paying for things online using your Tesco Bank Credit Card, making contactless payments, or using our Mobile Banking App or Online Banking.

Some checks you may see:

These extra checks are just ways to confirm it’s really you to help keep your account secure.

You can view your minimum payment via Online Banking and via our Mobile Banking App. Once logged in, you will see this under each credit card you have.

Your latest statement summary is on the Credit Card Overview.

There are a few ways you can check your credit card balance:

In most cases, you should be able to cancel the subscription or recurring payment by asking the company to stop it. You can also do this directly with us by contacting us. We still recommend that you inform the company you're cancelling. Please note that by cancelling the card, it will not stop subscriptions from being taken.

Please be aware that if we stop a recurring payment and you later decide to rejoin the subscription, then you'll need to contact us to have the block removed.

If you've already cancelled the subscription with the company but they have continued to take payments, or you don't recognise the transaction, then please contact us.

It's possible to get your credit balance refunded by contacting us.

Sometimes, when this type of refund is processed, you may incur a money transfer fee in error. If this happens, please allow 7 to 10 working days, and we'll refund this fee automatically. You can check your transactions by logging into Online Banking or via our Mobile Banking App.

As long as there's activity on your Tesco Bank credit card account, a statement will be provided once every month. We also provide an annual statement in your anniversary month.

In our Mobile Banking App, you can access the last 18 months of monthly and annual statements for your Tesco Bank credit card account.

You’ll be able to view, save and print your online statement whenever you want, and we’ll email you each month to tell you when your online statement is ready to view.

Your Tesco Bank credit card statement will show your account balance and a date by which you'll need to make a minimum repayment.

You can also access the last 5 years of statements by logging in to Online Banking.

You can use your Tesco Bank credit card anywhere that displays the Mastercard symbol. All our newly issued Mastercard Credit Cards are contactless. You can also use your card for transactions up to the £100 limit anywhere that displays the contactless symbol.

Before you can use contactless for the first time, you'll need to complete a Chip and PIN transaction. If you need a PIN reminder, you can view your PIN instantly in our Mobile Banking App. As a security measure, if you make several contactless payments in a row, you may need to use Chip and PIN before you can use contactless again.

You're protected if your card is lost, stolen or charged incorrectly - you won't have to pay for any fraudulent use. Just make sure you contact us right away.

In our Mobile Banking App, you can access the last 90 days of transactions and 18 months of statements for your Tesco Bank credit card account.

You can also access the last 5 years of statements by logging in to Online Banking.

You can view your statements and documents securely through our Mobile Banking App.

You can also save and print your statements and documents using the share button in the top right of the screen.

Your document contains personal and financial details that could be misused if shared incorrectly. If you choose to email, export, or print it, please make sure you keep it safe and secure.

We’ll send you an email when there’s a document or statement ready for you to view.

When you spend with your credit card, the retailer will request approval from us to debit your account with the transaction. Your ‘available credit’ will reduce by the amount you have spent, and the transaction will show as a ‘pending transaction’ in the app. A ‘pending transaction’ only shows limited information that we have available on the transaction.

Once we receive all the details from the retailer to claim the funds, this ‘pending transaction’ will be removed and shown as a normal transaction in your statement and ‘transaction list’. At this point, your available credit and balance will be updated accordingly. This generally won’t take more than 7 days; however, it may take longer for international transactions.

If you're paying your credit card using a debit card, we show this as a pending payment in your transaction list. This payment will be called 'Card Payment' in your pending transactions and will generally take up to 2 days to be processed, depending on what time you make the payment. Other forms of payment, such as Direct Debits or online transfers, will not appear in the pending transactions list.

Yes, you can download or print your Tesco Bank credit card statements using our Mobile Banking App or Online Banking.

Using our Mobile Banking App:

Using Online Banking:

Your document contains personal and financial details that could be misused if shared incorrectly. If you choose to email, export, or print it, please make sure you keep it safe and secure.

You can view your last 90 days of credit card transactions. If you'd like to download them or view more via statements, select 'Manage account'.

You can also view up to 5 years worth of statements for your credit card.

You can change your paperless preferences for your credit card using our Mobile Banking App or Online Banking.

You can manage the paperless settings for all eligible accounts.

Your digital statements will look exactly the same as paper versions, and we’ll send you an email when there’s a statement ready for you to view.

You can download up to the last 90 days of credit card transactions (excluding Pending) using Online Banking:

If you notice a suspicious or potential fraudulent transaction on your credit card, that neither you or any additional card holder made, then please take a note of the transaction amount and date and contact us as soon as possible.

Transactions can sometimes appear under a different name to the shop they were purchased in, which can cause confusion. If you aren't sure of a transaction, there are a couple of things you can check:

If you are still unsure and think this could be a fraudulent transaction, please refer to our FAQ What should I do if I think I have a fraudulent transaction on my account?

If something goes wrong with something you've bought, and you cannot sort it out with the retailer, you may be able to get your money back by requesting a chargeback.

Below are some examples of situations where you may be able to request a chargeback:

Please visit our chargeback page to make a claim online.

Below is a list a of common retailers and their trading names to help identify transactions on your statement.

This details the name that appears on your statement and their trading name or company name (if different) and service they provide.

Please note that we can only assist with disputes relating to cards issued by Tesco Bank. If the card you used at the ATM was not issued by Tesco Bank, you'll need to reach out to the card issuer to raise a dispute.

If you've used your Tesco Bank card at an ATM and have not received some or all of your cash, please allow up to five days for the ATM to refund you directly. If you have not received a refund within five days, please contact us. We may be able to reimburse you.

To make sure we can help you as quickly as possible, please have the following information available:

If you have not opened your account within the last 14 days, you can close your account online.

Before requesting a credit limit increase, please consider the following:

You'll not be eligible for a credit limit increase if:

Before decreasing your credit limit, please consider the following:

You can request a credit limit increase or decrease your credit limit using our Mobile Banking App or Online Banking.

Do not worry, there's no need to contact Tesco Bank and inform us that you're going abroad. Your credit card will automatically work in shops and cash machines just like it does in the UK.

Read more about our international fees, charges and security.

With your permission, we can discuss your credit card account(s) with someone else acting on your behalf. In order to add an authorised person, you can:

By giving authority to someone to act on your behalf, you give them permission to:

The third party will not be able to change your account details or ask for statements. You can request the third party be removed from having access to your account at any time.

Only primary credit card holders can use Online Banking. Additional cardholders cannot access the credit card account online.

We’ll tell you if you’ve been accepted or declined when you apply. If we need any additional information before opening your account, we’ll get in touch within 5 working days.

Once you’ve been approved:

Download our Mobile Banking App.

Your credit limit is determined by a combination of things, including your credit history and other details from your application. Your credit limit will be confirmed once your application has been accepted. The minimum credit limit you can have on your credit card is £100.

If you're a Foundation Credit Card customer, you'll receive regular optional credit limit increases when you manage your account well. We'll contact you when you're eligible for an increase.

For all other customers, you can apply for an increase to your credit limit 6 months after you receive your credit card and then every 10 months thereafter. If you want to increase your credit limit, you can do so by logging in to our Mobile Banking App, to Online Banking or by giving us a call. Please note, if you have more than one credit card with us, then you're unable to request an increase, but we may be able to transfer limits between cards.

To find out more about increasing your credit limit, have a look at our FAQ on How can I increase or decrease my credit limit?

By requesting a credit limit increase, you're authorising us to review your credit history and any other relevant information required to process your request, which will not impact your credit score.

Please carefully consider if you need a higher limit, as it may increase the risk of taking on too much debt, which may be costly or take a long time to pay off.

You should receive your Tesco Bank credit card within 5 to 7 working days from your application being accepted. Your PIN arrives separately within 3 to 5 working days.

Yes, you can hold up to 2 Tesco Bank credit cards. You can apply for a second card if you have not applied for a Tesco Bank credit card within the last month or do not have an application in progress. If you've had 2 Tesco Bank credit cards with us at one time and have closed one of them, you must wait at least 2 months from the closure date before applying for a new Tesco Bank credit card.

If you’ve already got 2 Tesco Bank credit cards, then it might be helpful to change the credit limits – increasing the limit on one card whilst decreasing the limit on the other. If the minimum payment calculation varies between the two credit cards, we’ll consider this when assessing what’s affordable and agreeing what the credit limit on each card will be with you (this may result in an overall reduction to your credit limit(s)). Please note this is subject to conditions.

You can request a balance transfer to your credit card using our Mobile Banking App or Online Banking.

For more information about things to consider before making a balance transfer and how to make one, please refer to our pages on managing your credit card in our Mobile App and managing your credit card in Online Banking.

A balance transfer allows you to move debt from one credit card to another, in your name only. This could save you money if you're paying a higher rate of interest on the credit card with the existing balance.

A money transfer allows you to borrow money on your credit card and transfer it to your current account. This could help if you cannot pay for something directly using your credit card.

The fee you pay will depend on the type of transfer you want to make and your card's terms and conditions, but it's normally a percentage of the amount that you want to transfer. You can transfer up to 95% of your available credit limit.

Balance transfers and money transfers can take up to 2 working days.

Fees and interest are applied for both types of transfers and are available to view via Online Banking and the Mobile Banking App.

You can arrange a money transfer by heading to the 'Account Management' section of our Mobile Banking App or by logging in to Online Banking.

You can borrow up to 95% of your available credit limit, and the money will be in your bank account within 1 to 2 working days. The fee you pay will depend on your card's terms and conditions, but it's normally a percentage of the amount that you want to transfer.

Please note that your available credit will not take into account any interest that is due to be applied to your account. Please ensure there are sufficient funds left to cover this, unless you are on a 0% promotional interest rate, then this will not apply.

The balance transfer can take up to 2 working days to be completed (from when you activate your card). If you request a balance transfer as part of your application, you'll need to activate your card within 60 days in order for this to be processed.

Whilst the balance transfer is being processed, please continue to make payments to your other card. Please make sure if this is a new Tesco Bank credit card that the card has been activated, as the card must be activated before the balance transfer can commence.

No. You're not able to transfer between two Tesco Bank credit cards.

If you're registered for Online Banking, you’ll be able to receive the following alerts:

You can also get alerts for your credit card spending. You can choose to set up and manage the following alerts in Online Banking and select to receive them by email, text or both:

Account and fraud alerts are sent automatically.

To find out how to set up and manage your credit card spending alerts, please view our FAQ on How do I manage my credit card spending alerts?

You can set up notifications for your credit card using our Mobile Banking App or Online Banking.

If you’re struggling to make your payments, it’s best to get in touch with us as soon as you can. You'll find how to contact us on our financial difficulty page along with details of the support we can offer.

When you miss a credit card payment here's what may happen:

You can make up a missed payment using any of our ways to pay your credit card.

To avoid missing payments, you might want to set up a Direct Debit or set up alerts to remind you when your payment is due.

We are here to support you when things get difficult with your finances. It’s helpful if we can discuss your circumstances to work out what’s the best solution for you.

Please visit our contact us page and call customer services. One of our trained specialist advisors will discuss your circumstances with you, and together we will work out the best option based on the information you tell us.

Alternatively, you can write to us at Tesco Bank, PO Box 342, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE12 2GD.

We will usually complete a budgeting form with you to understand your financial circumstances. This is a list of all of your incomings and outgoings. It is helpful to have an idea of these before you call us to make things easier. The best way to do this is to go through some recent bank statements and bills. We will complete the form to show all of the money you have coming in and everything you need to pay out each month. We will also include any other creditors that you have in this.

If you want to look at this or complete it before you call us, you can use StepChange's budgeting tool.

When we have completed the form, we will then have an idea of your affordability and what you can realistically afford to pay towards your product with us each month.

You can also contact free Debt Advice Charities for some impartial debt advice.

Links to Third Party Advice:

We understand it can be difficult to get in touch and discuss your personal circumstances. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can try to help.

You can contact us or write to us at Tesco Bank, PO Box 342, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE12 2GD.

If you are worried about calling, we can call you back when you’re in a private place. Although you can request a call back in writing, the quickest way to arrange this is by calling and we will arrange a call back at a time that suits you.

We are required to review our customers’ affordability every 12 months to ensure payment plan agreements continue to be fair and reasonable for both you and Tesco Bank.

Even if nothing has changed in your income, over a period of 12 months quite often your monthly expenses will change. We need to ensure the payments you have been making are still suitable.

We will usually complete a budgeting form with you to understand your financial circumstances. This is a list of all of your incomings and outgoings. It is helpful to have an idea of these before you call us to make things easier. The best way to do this is to have some recent bank statements and bills. We will complete the form to show all of the money you have coming in and everything you need to pay out each month. We will also include any other creditors that you have in this.

If you want to look at this or complete it before you call us, you can use StepChange's budgeting tool.

Please contact us to discuss.

If a third party company is dealing with your account(s) on your behalf it is important that you let us know.

When a third party is dealing with things on your behalf, it can take some time for them to inform us of their involvement. During this time, if payments are missed, we will still attempt to contact you and discuss your options.

Please let us know the details of the company you are dealing with by contacting us. This allows us to update your account and stop any unnecessary contact.