Have you had a credit card, store card or catalogue where your credit limit was too high? So high that the monthly repayments were hard to manage and you got into more debt?
Many people were originally given an OK limit, but the lender kept increasing it.
You may have a good affordability complaint that the lender was irresponsible in allowing you to borrow so much. This applies even if you made every payment on time, as you may have borrowed more elsewhere.
This article explains how to ask for a refund of the interest you have paid.
Contents
What is “affordable”?
The regulator’s rules
Even if you made every payment on time, the debt may still have been unaffordable.
The following is my summary of the regulator’s rules:
- a lender must check if credit is affordable when you apply for it. For a very low limit, not many checks are needed;
- a lender should make checks before increasing a credit limit;
- credit isn’t affordable if paying it leaves you short of money for your bills, normal expenses, and your other debts;
- if you have to borrow more most months, this would not be affordable;
- you must be able to repay the limit set within a reasonable period. Paying the minimum amount is OK for a while, but not for a long time.
Good reasons to complain
If the lender could see any of these on your credit record, they should probably have declined your original application:
- recent credit record problems: defaults, missed payments, or arrangements to pay, mortgage arrears, payday loans;
- you had a different credit card with the same lender where you were only making minimum payments;
- other credit cards where you were near your limit and persistent overdraft usage. Here is an Ombudsman decision saying Zopa should not have given quite a low initial limit in this situation;
- a level of borrowing that looks too high in relation to your income.
Your credit limit should not later have been increased unless you could afford it. In addition to the points above, any of the following should have also warned the lender you were in difficulty already:
- making minimum payments for a long while;
- making a minimum repayment but then using the card to pay for food or petrol so the balance never drops;
- using most of your limit for a long period;
- significant gambling the lender was aware of;
- recent missed payments or an arrangement to pay on your credit record;
- your overall level of debt on your credit record has increased a lot.
You don’t need to know the dates and amounts of any limit increases before you start your complaint – my template asks for these.
0% balance transfers
Here the lender should check that you would be able to repay the whole limit within a manageable length of time (say 5 or 6 years) taking into account the interest that will be charged when the 0% term ends.
So if you were ok during the 0% term but then you couldn’t afford the payments when interest started being added, you can complain. Ask for any interest to be refunded and to be able to repay the rest with no interest.
Do I need to know the limit and date details?
No. My template below asks for these.
The lender already knows them, it doesn’t help your complaint by listing them. So don’t delay trying to find them out first.
How to complain
The email address to use
The best way to complain is by email.
I have a list of EMAIL ADDRESSES to use here:
Credit card and catalogue email addresses
Start with this template
I’ve invented some examples so you can see how a complaint should read. Change/delete the bits in italics to tell your story. Miss out dates if you don’t know them, this isn’t a problem
I want to complain about irresponsible lending for my Barclaycard account number 987654/444.
My date of birth is dd/mm/yy. The email address I used for this account was myaddress@whatever.com.
Put this in if you think the lender may have an old address for you
I have moved and my home address is now xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Please do not send any letters to any older addresses on your system.
Then say they should never have given you the account:
You should never have allowed me to open an account with such a large credit limit.
On my income with my regular household expenses and other debts I could not manage to repay that amount in a reasonable time.
[if you had already missed payments] When I applied in 2020, you should have checked my credit record and would have seen I had recent missed payments to a credit card and a default only five months before on a loan.
[If this started as a 0% transfer: You should have seen that I would not be able to clear the balance in a manageable length of time, and that after the 0% period ended, I would struggle to pay the higher minimums once interest was being added.]
AND/OR say that they should not have increased your credit limit:
You should never have increased my credit limit [in 2022] At that time I had only made minimum payments on this credit card for a long while and/or I was using a very high level of my credit limit.
If you had properly checked my credit record before increasing my limit, you would have seen that in the two years since my account with you was opened, I had got additional late payment markers and defaults and/or taken out a lot of other credit. This should have warned you I was struggling with my finances and it was not responsible to lend more. By increasing my credit limit you made my financial position worse. Instead you should have offered me forbearance by freezing the interest on the card.
I do not know the exact months of these credit limit increases. In your reply to this complaint, please tell me the dates and amounts of all limit increases, even if these happened over 6 years ago.
If the lender should have known you had problems with your account, mention these
You should also have realised that I was having difficulty because:
of the late payment charges you added to my account
I had missed two payments to you the year before in 2017
I had already asked you on the phone if it was possible to stop adding interest for a while.
End with asking for a refund:
I would like you to refund me all the interest I paid and any late payment charges from the point the account was opened
OR
I would like you to refund me all the interest I paid and any late payment charges after you increased my credit limit in 2021.
OR
I would like you to refund all the interest I have paid since the 0% period ended and allow me to clear the balance without adding interest.
I would also like any late payment and default markers to be removed from credit records after this point.
Think about these points before complaining
Timing
These complaints can be made if your account is still open, or if it is closed and settled, or if it is with a debt collector (NB the complaint goes to the original lender, not the debt collector.)
If you have had an IVA or bankruptcy after these problems, or if you are still in a DRO, then ask in the comments below, as this can be complicated.
Old accounts
The Financial Ombudsman (FOS) can only go back to April 2007, when the law changed to allow these complaints.
Many lenders reject complaints about something that was more than six years ago and say the ombudsman won’t look at them. FOS will often look at these “old” accounts if they have still been open within the last six years, but you may have problems producing bank statements or other evidence from over 6 years to show that a limit was unaffordable.
If your account was opened in 2015 but the lender increased your limit in the last six years, then those limit increases can definitely be looked at. And you can always get bank statements going back six years even from closed bank accounts.
A alternative for old defaulted accounts?
If your account was opened a long while ago, you defaulted and still owe a balance, perhaps in a DMP, think about asking the debt collector to produce the Consumer Credit Act agreement for the account.
If the current creditor can’t produce a proper copy of the agreement, the debt cannot be enforced in court and you can simply stop paying anything to it. This applies to all credit cards, store cards and catalogues.
It may be that the balance on the account is larger than any refund you might get. In which case if the CCA agreement cannot be produced, you would be better off.
Is a refund what you really need?
This depends how large your current financial problems are.
Complaining about newish debt will often only get the interest removed – you still have to repay what you borrowed. Don’t spend months arguing with lenders and going to the ombudsman if you will still be in a mess even if you win.
So phone National Debtline on 0808 808 4000, tell them you are thinking about affordability complaints but you would like to know what your other debt options are.
Poor reasons to complain
You can’t complain just because the interest rate was high or because you have paid them a fortune over the years.
You won’t win an affordability complaint if something unexpected went wrong later in your life. If you had been managing a credit card fine for years but then you lost your job or separated from your partner, this isn’t the lender’s fault. Here you may still need help to get interest stopped on the cards – talk to StepChange or National Debtline.
Don’t be put off by a rejection or a poor offer
Lenders often reject good cases
If a lender rejects your complaint or offers a low “goodwill” gesture, don’t be fobbed off – they want you to give up.
Here are some bad or irrelevant comments lenders sometimes make when rejecting a complaint:
- you made the payments to them on time – that doesn’t mean you could manage a higher limit;
- the account was opened over 6 years ago – if it was still open in the last 6 years the Ombudsman may look at it;
- you accepted the limit increase – that doesn’t make a difference, it increase should not have been offered it if it was unaffordable.
You know if this card or catalogue has caused you difficulty – it’s easy to send a case to the independent ombudsman. Don’t delay doing this!
How to send a case to FOS
Send FOS a complaint using their online form. You can use bits of what you put in your complaint to the lender. If the lender has rejected your complaint or given a poor offer, say why you think this wrong.
The FOS form at the end asks you to add supporting documents. Don’t bother to send A copy of your credit or finance agreement – the lender will supply a copy if FOS asks for it.
Send FOS a copy of your credit report, they always want to see it. If you have any old credit reports, send the oldest one you have, otherwise send the current one. You can download a statutory TransUnion report for free.
Also get your bank statements if they will support your complaint and send those to FOS too. Do not wait to be asked by FOS for these. Ideally you want them 3 months before and three months after the account was opened and any limit increase
FOS is a friendly service but not fast. Just use normal English, not legal terms. Using a claims company or a solicitor doesn’t help or speed this up.
Ask questions below!
There are hundreds of comments from readers who are using this template. It’s a good place to see how these complaints often go and to ask any questions.
FAQs about Affordability claims
Can you get an overdraft refund?
Could a Debt Relief Order help you?
E says
Hi Sara
I have only recently found out about affordability complaints – I don’t know if I’m eligible to complain as my debt over the years is my fault. My bank offered me a credit card when I was still a teenager and not knowing much about them I stupidly accepted it. It quickly maxed out, I’ve had multiple loans to repay it over the years, every time I repay they increase my limit without me asking for it. I’ve payed probably thousands in interest as I had always made minimum payments or slightly above. Is it worth me asking for an interest refund? Or at least ask to put the card at 0% so I can clear it? Thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
This debt is only partly your fault, it is also partly the fault of the ban who offered you a large credit limit than was manageable. This is why you haven’t complained before – you thought you were to bleak because you had been bad with money.
But now you now the lender should have made better checks so yes, you can complain. You my template in the article bone and ask for a refund of all interest.
Also think about any loans you have had… if paying a loan left you short so you used the card more, the loan too was unaffordable. It’s sometimes easier to win complaints about loans so make these too, in addition to the card complaint.
David says
Hi all, I’m seeking advice on a late FOS complaint against Barclaycard for irresponsible lending. My account opened in March 2016 and saw multiple credit limit increases through to September 2019, all while I was struggling with a gambling addiction and COVID-related hardship, and becoming a dad and I only began recovery in late 2023 when I entered a debt management plan. My debt was sold to PRA Group in August 2022 and I didn’t submit my complaint until June 2025, so the FOS says it’s out of time. I plan to argue exceptional circumstances: addiction, pandemic disruption, confusion around the debt sale, starting a DMP and becoming a parent in January 2024 to get them to consider my case. Has anyone successfully persuaded the FOS to accept a late complaint on similar grounds? Do I give up on the previous increases? Barclaycard has consented to the FOS to investigate the 3rd limit increase in September 2019. Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“addiction, pandemic disruption, confusion around the debt sale, starting a DMP and becoming a parent in January 2024”
pandemic disruption, confusion around the debt sale and becoming a parent don’t really help the argumanet much. The gambling addiction and the fact that your DMP firm (who is it) never informed you of potential complaints might.
how large was the 2019 increase? when was the previous one?
David says
Thanks for getting back to me.
March 2016 – £2500
December 2017 – £3570
November 2018 – £5250
September 2019 – £6750
Then the minimum payment became too much to handle and entered a DMP in 2023
Sara (Debt Camel) says
can you get your bank statements from 2016?
David says
Unfortunately not! Only goes back to 2018 currently.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
well also supply the statements for the three months before and 3 months after the Nov 18 increase
aly says
I closed my Tesco credit card in 2017. There is a credit balance of around 7 quid. Somehow I never asked for it and they never contacted to refund that apart from they kept on sending monthly statements even after account closure. Can I ask for 8% interest for all these years. I know it won’t be a lot but as Tesco says every little helps :)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No. 8% statutory interest is added where a bank has had your money in a situation where they should not have. But here, you can get this back at any time, Tesco has done nothing wrong.
S says
I’m so happy, I had a reply from CapitalOne today just over a month since I made my affordability complaint and they’ve upheld it in full! They said they believe that their original lending and subsequent credit limit increases resulted in “giving me access to credit I couldn’t reasonably afford” and they apologised. They’re refunding all interest and charges which amounts to £1400 and they’re clearing the remaining £350 balance as a gesture of goodwill and removing and negative markers on my credit file. Also it worth noting since opening the account in 2019 I’ve only ever missed 2 payments back in 2021 because I always prioritised my CC payments even at the expense of other essentials and was stuck at a maxed out limit making minimum payments for what I thought was going to be forever! Thank you for championing this, and providing templates and support. I feel so passionately that so many CC companies rely on vulnerable people as their very business model and it is so WRONG!
Lauren says
Cant be more grateful for the help from debt camel! I have jut heard back from capital one and they are refunding me all interest and the remaining balance equals £1158 such a weight lifted!
H says
Hi,
I put a complaint into Lloyds about my credit card that was at a limit of £5,500, which is considerably more than I’ve ever taken home per month.
I was literally taken into an office in branch when I was 18 and was told ‘now I’m 18 I needed a cc’ and didn’t have anything explained about interest etc.
Lloyds have come back to me today and rejected my complaint saying I should have known it was unaffordable, they wouldn’t have the records from so long ago but they’ve also sent some minimum payment letters out which i could have contacted them with the info on the letter.
I explained I was anxious and embarrassed about my situation and concerned if I made contact, they’d escalate me having to pay it back, something I couldn’t have afforded. I did explain that I went into branch once to discuss it but was made to feel awful and embarrassed which put me off asking for help again.
The cc was paid off finally earlier this year.
She did say I could take it to the ombudsman but as far as they’re concerned it’s ’time-barred’
Is it worth taking it to the ombudsman?
Thanks,
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how long ago was the card opened?
H says
2010 and closed this year
Sara (Debt Camel) says
the decisions on these old card cases are erratic from the Ombudsman, but why not try? the Ombudsman can choose to go back further than 6 years
Nicola says
Hello,
My case handler at the financial ombudsman agreed with my complaint against Aqua, saying they should have never given me a credit card in the first place. Aqua haven’t responded and it’s been referred to an Ombudsman to make a decision.
How long does this normally take?
Does the Ombudsman normally agree with the case handler?
Thanks in advance.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Somewhere between 1 and 4 months, but less or more is possible.
Aqua don’t seem to actually be disputing this, so that I think makes it more likely the Ombudsman will reach the same conculsion
Becca says
If this helps and I know each case is individual but I received a positive stage 1 in May and Aqua only responded and agreed to settle in August so 3 months. They just didn’t respond
Nicola says
Thanks Becca, so Aqua responded before the Ombudsman had made a final decision?
Becca says
Exactly that. My investigator made a decision in May….he kept giving them extensions to respond. I’m not criticising him I think he was trying his best to try and get resolution. Anyway when they kept ignoring him he referred it for a final decision at the start of July. I was waiting for the ombudsman final decision when they settled. It took them about 20 days for them to action the refund. I know I found the waiting so hard. Good luck
Rebecca says
If you do this can they request you pay in full? My worry is I sent this to my creditors and they say uphold some of it and then they say now you are liable for the rest and we want it back in ‘X’ amount of days. Thank you!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, they cannot do that, not legal. if you carry on making the minimum payments (or more) then they can’t mark the credit card debt as defaulted or in a payment arrangement either.
Hayley says
Hello,
I put a complaint in to NatWest about my Credit Card in June. I have had emails to apologise that they haven’t resolved the case but haven’t given an indication of when they would. Should this be raised with the Ombudsman at this point or shall I give the bank more time to consider?
Thanks,
Hannah
Sara (Debt Camel) says
they seem to reject almost all complaints so i wouldnt give them any more time, send this to the ombudsman now
Ruth says
Hi there. I took out a BOS credit card back in 2012 before going travelling as a cushion. Limit was around £2500. Since then I have used the card and the limit has increased and increased over the years with huge interest added. This has resulted in the credit debit spiralling and I’ve had to take out a BOS loan to clear the card but now the debit is becoming unmanageable (loan at £12000 and card is maxed again). Can I complain even through the credit card was given back in 2012? I feel that affordability checks were not thorough when getting the loan and the constant increase in credit limit over the years has led to my spiralling debit.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
when did you take the loan? do you feel the repayments on that eft you short so you used the card again?
ruth alcorn says
I took out the loan in Nov 2023. Yes, I feel that the repayments left me short so resulted in me falling back on the card again.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then also make a complaint about the loan.
Lisa says
Hi, as Studio have been taken over by the Fraser group would the complaint still go to the Studio email ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
try carl.fowler@frasers.group and please let me know if that works
Lisa says
Hi, just to let you know, I received a reply from the Frasers email you supplied but nothing from the studio one so I guess that’s no longer being used
Sara (Debt Camel) says
thank you
Lisa says
Oh , I’ve also received a reply from the Studio email address so they must both be active
Josie says
Hi Sara,
Thank you so much for all of your advice. I had a credit card with Fluid over two years ago. They increased my limit to £2500 and the monthly payments requested at one point were £250 with the amount of interest and with only managing to make minimum payments! This worsened my final situation until my partner lent me the money to clear it. Would it be worth a complaint to them?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes I think this sounds like a good complaint if you could not have managed to clear the Fluid balance with the loan from your partner. Add a sentence to the template in the article above saying this
Josie says
Thank you. Would it be helpful for me to have any statements to hand or check through my bank statements to reinforce any points? I deleted the app once I paid it off but feel like having these might make me feel more prepared!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Getting your bank statements for the last two year may help you prove unaffordability to the Ombudsman
Jenna says
Hello,
If I cleared four credit cards but it was through a debt consolidation loan which is unaffordable, do I complain to the loan or the credit card? All five were unaffordable but clear score offered them and I jumped at the chance to clear my cards but now I’m drowning with loan repayments and have had to stop paying into my pension to cover the loan repayments.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
so I suggest you need to to 2 things.
First opt back into your pension!
Second talk to Stepchange about a Debt Management Plan for your debts. See https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-management-plan.aspx. Do not underestimate your expenses, you want a budget you can comfortably live on not hope to get by on for a month or two if nothing goes wrong.
Then make affordability complaints to all the cards AND the loan. You can’t predict which will be easiest, or quickest – some of these may take a long while and most may have to go to the Ombudsman.
Wahid says
Hi,
My credit card company enabled me to take out a money transfer of £9000 in March 2024 despite taking a loan out to clear my previous balance in January. They allowed me to make a money transfer several times, where I had to keep getting a loan to clear my balance as they only gave me a 12 month period of interest free, so I had to take another loan out to pay this balance after a year, getting me into more debt. Will I be eligible to make a complaint?
Thank you in advance
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes, but if you never paid the card lender any interest, the only amount you can get refunded would be the money transfer fees.
S says
Hi Sara,
I have an affordability complaint in with Sainburys for a card opened in Jan 2021. have requested confirmation of my opening limit and any increases as i dont have that info to hand. I think based on a BT at the start the opening limit was around £4/5k, but my limit is now £11,300. Waiting for confirmation.
They asked for bank statements from the time of opening the card. If the complaint is about the increases, is it not better to have statements from those dates instead?
My personal account statements at the time of opening only show salary going in, a large number of gambling transactions (resolved now – no more!), monthly payments to 2 other CC’s, a few bits of general life costs but v. low, overdraft, and transfers in and out of my joint account with my partner, which is where all the bills were paid from. It doesnt show any other bills, mortgage, car payment, household bills etc, but a regular transfer of £900 a month by me into the joint account which was for my share of those, plus other regular transfers into joint account to cover groceries etc.
Should I also supply joint account statements from the time showing bills etc, or will they count my partners contribution towards bills etc as part of the affordability, even though they were nothing to do with the CC? Or is it better to give them more info so they can see all costs I had at the time?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Ideally you want the account opening limit to be decided as unaffordable
So send those statements and from the joint account
AC says
Hi Sara,
I am not sure whether to file affordability complaints or not against NatWest and Lloyds. I took the NatWest credit card out in October 2024, they gave me a credit limit of £8,000. I was off work after a mental breakdown and about to see a considerable decrease in my wages. I paid just over the minimum payment some months, and some months it was the minimum amount only. I took my Lloyds credit card out in April 2024, they gave me a credit limit of £6000 which I think they’ve recently increased to £6200. I went back to full time work in January and panicked about the debt I had ran up and took out a £10,000 loan to pay off the balance.
I have lowered the NatWest credit limit today to £2000, however I am wondering if I am able to make affordability complaints to both of these providers?
I still have the accounts open at the minute and have ran a little debt back up on both but they’re manageable (holidays with friends where multiple people are making financial contributions to this)….
Any help would be wonderful!
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Do you feel the 6k lloyds limit was affordable at the time it was given?
What about the 8k NW limit, would have been affordable if you had not been off work and about to see your income drop?
Bc says
So I’ve had a further reply from the investigator regarding the capital one complaint, he didn’t uphold so I sent bank statements as he didn’t ask for any additional information previously, I asked for it to be reviewed by the ombudsman and he’s come back to say that he still doesn’t think capital one did anything wrong, and the way he’s worded it I wouldn’t be surprised if he is siding with them, and he wants further information for it to be passed over, I have emailed back saying that I previously provided the bank statements and I still think capital one didn’t complete the checks correctly so now I want it to be reviewed by the ombudsman.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
For anyone else reading this, send FOS your bank statements early on, don’t wait to be asked!
Yasmin says
Success Tesco affordability complaint.
I complained to tesco on the 1st August 2025 using the template above that my credit card was unaffordable from when it was opened. They also gave a a very big credit limit after a few month (6,800).
They got back to me on the 28th August to say they were upholding the complaint. Arranging for all the interest and charges I incurred since the account was opened, to be refunded. This totals £4,470.60. They are also wavering any further interest on the remaining balance and I’ve got no time limit on paying them back. Once the card balance is £0 they will also remove the card from my file. This is a massive help towards repaying my debts and I’m so grateful I found Sara, her advice and template has been amazing so massive thank you!
Victoria says
I just wanted to share my success story with a complaint about Very. I’d had the account since I was 18 and I’m 33 now. A constant BNPL cycle and other debts racking up. Over the period of having the account they constantly upped my credit limit over and over. I logged the complaint and it was upheld. I got back £3000. £1000 of this paid off my remaining balance so my account is now zero & i got a cheque for the remainder!
Thank you! Feels like a weight has been lifted after so many years x
Becka Bradshaw says
Hi Victoria,
Can I ask how you went about your complaint to Very? I am in the same cycle and I’m now at a point I am making my monthly payments but am spiralling in debt as the interest is so high and barely takes it down each month. Many thanks ☺️
Debby says
Hi Sara,
My complaint was upheld by AQUA but only offered me proportianate interest of £122 refund but 0£ in fees. Theyve also prevented fees and interest from applying to the account going forward yet.. lo and behold interest fee was applied to my balance this morning which was £412.11!
I have decided to take the complain further to FOS but I’m unsure how extensive my documents/evidence need to be.
Just some context:
– AQUA account opened on Aug 2021 and it says on their decision letter that I had put my annual income as “£10,000” I was on minimum wage and this was my first ever credit card.
– I’ve had my credit limit increase consistently throughout the years going from £1,500 to £8,000 in a space of 4 years.
Please note throughout the years I was more or less:
– consistently only making minimum payments.
– using a very high proportion of my available credit.
– some payments were being made from my current account overdraft.
– also incurred late payment charges.
I believe I have a strong case especially as Aqua has actually upheld my complaint – I just need to ensure I make my case to FOS clear.
Thanks so much for your help…
Sara (Debt Camel) says
FOS will want to see your bank statements first 3 months before and three months after account opening and each limit increase.
Mike says
Hi Sara
I had a successful affordability claim against NewDay for a number of their cards. In the FOS ruling (which NewDay agreed to) NewDay have to remove all negative information from my credit record relating to these accounts once cleared.
I cleared the accounts over 3 months ago and even though FOS have got back in touch with NewDay, all the negative information remains and they don’t seem to be doing anything about it.
In the last week I’ve started raising disputes with the credit reference agencies and the debt companies NewDay sold the debts to are saying they’ve heard nothing from NewDay about removing information and so won’t do anything.
Any ideas how I can get NewDay to do something about this?
Thanks,
Mike.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Send Newday a new complaint. Put Failure to correct my credit record as subject.
Ask for this to be sorted and c9mpansation of £200 for their failure to do this and say you will be askin* for mor3 if this has t9 go to the Ombudsman again
Mike says
Thanks, I’ll give that a try!
David Allen says
Hi Sara,
I have put in an affordability complaint with TescoBank over a credit card I’ve been using since 2012, over which time the limit went up from £3500 to £12000. I can only go back to 2020, but can see that I have spent over £5k in interest an other charges in that time. They have come back today to ask for the below information, is this reasonable for them to ask and how careful should I be in how I respond? I’m worried that they will use my responses to limit their liability, or to turn down my case. FYI – April 2021 & 2024 are referenced as these are when two of the credit limit increases were automatically applied.
However, to help us investigate what we can, we’d be grateful if you can provide the following:
Confirmation of when you first found the account unaffordable and when did you first realise you were unhappy with the limit increases.
3-month bank statements in the lead up to the increase on 9 April 2021 and 04 April 2024. These should include your income and general expenditure. If this is over multiple accounts, we’d appreciate a copy for them all.
Confirmation of your housing contribution and your average net monthly income in April 2021 and April 2024.
Many thanks for your brilliant support & website – it is clear that you are helping a LOT of people!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how large were the limit increases in 2021 and 2024? what is your current balance?
Eleanor MacFarlane says
Hello. I’d used your advice to send my complaint about my Nationwide credit card to the Ombudsman. I was waiting to hear the result of that, only they’ve just sent me an update email:
‘Our service has received judicial review claims which challenge the way we approach complaints where section 140A is relevant law. Whilst the complaints are not identical to yours, the approach we’ve taken to complaints about unfair relationships is being challenged in the courts, and the outcome of those court proceedings may have the potential to impact the way that we consider your complaint. As a result, I’m afraid we won’t be issuing a decision on your complaint whilst the matter is being considered more widely.’
Clearly this means that I’ll have to wait some time, and so will others in my position, so I thought I’d update you about this.
Also, I wondered, while I’m waiting, if I happen to do quite well financially and am able to pay off or pay down the credit card, will this make any difference to the outcome?
Many thanks!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Quite a few cases are in limbo awaiting the result of this Judicial Review. There is nothing you are the ombudsman can do to speed this up.
If you can pay down this card you should do this. It will not affect your chance of winning the affordability case
Lauren says
I used Debt Camel’s credit card template for my Capital One Credit Card affordability complaint. Really easy to use and only had to make the couple of tweaks with my personal details and then send! Capital One works best via their online complaints form- I sent at first via email and they responded informing me to never email my info and to do via their complaints form. I just copied and pasted sections from the email over to the form.
They’ve responded in 5 weeks (check your junk inbox as I only realised when I looked on my Capital One App (monthly habit even though it’s at zero) that my transactions had changed to reflect the refund amount adjustment.
“We’re going to give you a refund of £851.32. This amounts to all the fees and interest we’ve charged as a result of our decision to lend. ”
They accepted that they shouldn’t have leant due me being unable to afford it, and that they shouldn’t have made limit increases.
An absolute win!! Definitely give it a go- a 2 minute complaints form and no request for anything additional. Not bad for the £852 I deserved back due to their negligence and this will go straight to pay off another card!
Hannah says
I’m looking to claim back interest charged from Newday and capital one cards due to persistently being near credit limits and them increasing my limits a number of times. At these times my credit score was very poor and managed to build it enough last year to take out a balance transfer credit card which resulted in me closing these accounts. I had 2 credit cards with capital one and 3 with new day, would having multiple cards with the same provider help support the request?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes it does. You can argue that they should never have given yoiu the second/third cards as thye could see you were only making minimum payments on the first card
Jane says
Hi, I just wanted to say a huge thank you for your page and the daily content you share around getting out of debt. I’ve just won an affordability complaint with MBNA for £1,562.
Back in 2021, I had a credit card with a £7k balance, which I managed by bouncing between balance transfer deals. Despite still carrying debt on that card, MBNA approved me for another credit card in 2023 and I even ended up using the new one to pay off the first via another balance transfer.
I used your templates (recommended by @thatgirlindebt) along with a little help from ChatGPT to put my case together. Since I started following you in April this year, I’ve managed to reduce my credit card debt from £12k down to £7,200 in September. Winning this affordability complaint has been such a boost and I can’t thank you enough for providing the resources and advice to make it possible.
For anyone else going through the process, don’t be put off if the company comes back asking for long, detailed explanations after you’ve sent the initial template. MBNA asked me to account for every large payment going back years and to explain why I was only now seeking compensation. It was time-consuming, but I leaned on the templates and ChatGPT to help word my responses. In the end, MBNA admitted to unreasonable lending and I didn’t even need to escalate to the ombudsman.
A brilliant result and I couldn’t have done it without the guidance shared on your page. Thank you so much!
Peter says
I had a complaint upheld by the Financial Ombudsman against Shop Direct Finance. The investigator said my account should be capped at £4,500 from November 2023 and that all interest and charges above this should be removed. They also said that once I’d cleared the reworked balance, any negative credit markers after Nov 2023 must be deleted.
Shop Direct accepted the decision — but when they wrote to me, they claimed my “payable balance has not exceeded £4,500” so no redress was due. This doesn’t make sense, as my current balance is over £7,000.
It looks like Shop Direct are trying to argue that Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) balances don’t count because interest is only added later if you don’t repay in full.
Can Shop Direct exclude BNPL balances when calculating redress, even though the Ombudsman says they should be included?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The FOS decision is that it is acceptable to change interest on up to 4500 of balances. It may be that interest is currently being charged on less than 4500?
Are you still using the account?
Because if you are not, then I would argue that Shop Direct cant start charging interest at any point on a balance over 4500, if at the end of the BNPL you havent cleared the amount
Peter says
The account is still open but it’s now got a growing balance as BNPL interest is being applied. £1300 has been added in the last few months and £1600 is due in the next 6 months. The balance is £7500 currently.
Shop Direct are trying to argue that because BNPL interest is only added at the end of the 0% period, it doesn’t count yet. But the investigator already considered this by saying balances above £4,500 should not attract charges.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
go back to the investigator and explain what is happening
John says
Help needed.
Hi, FOS upheld affordability lending complaint against Vanquis and Vanquis agreed in May 2025.
But i have not heard a thing from Vanquis and when i tried to contact them they keep saying ‘we are waiting for the account to return from Lowell. Its been over 3 months since they have been saying that.
Lowell has already confirmed to me in writing they have returned the account back to Lowell on 04/07. But lowell keep telling me they are atill waiting.
FOS has been chasing Vanquis but will no luck also.
What are my rights and what can i do now? Because the default on my credit file is the only default from Vanquis and needs removing as agreed in part of the complaint. Its delaying me applying for mortgage. Surely they can still remove the negative marker without the account being returned?
Because they account was settled with lowell and has £0 balance.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“Lowell has already confirmed to me in writing they have returned the account back to Lowell on 04/07. But lowell keep telling me they are atill waiting.”
I assume that should say Lowell have confirmed that they have returned the complaint to Vanquis but Vanquis say they are still waiting?
I think 3 months is too long. I suggest starting a new complaint to Vanquis about the delay, asking for £50 compensation and saying you will be asking for more if the complaint has to go to the Ombudsman in 8 weeks.attach a copy of the email from Lowell saying the account has been returned
(.) says
Used Debt Camel’s template and submitted an affordability complaint.
I can hardly believe I’m writing this, however, I am being refunded all interest, charges etc totalling more than £14,000!!
Amazing result. Thank you so much to Debt Camel for all of your help and advice!
Jen T says
I would like to say a massive thank you for all the help and advice I received from this website and instagram page, I would have had no idea that I could raise an affordability complaint. I followed the templates and advice and sent my complaint off to Barclaycard credit card complaints who replied with a very lengthy response that they were not upholding my complaint. I escalated to the FOS and to my surprise I received an email from them today to say that they haven’t even had to look into my complaint and that Barclaycard have now decided that they will pay all interest and fees from the date the credit card was approved, delighted, couldn’t have done it without the help from the website so a massive thank you! Lesson – dont let their rejection letter put you off!
James says
I’m not getting nowhere, Plata loan of £8,000 2 years, the repayment is around £450 a month total amount £10,800 loan for debt consolidation, my credit cards are maxxed out and my £2k overdraft. I’ve had to borrow 20k from parents to repay debts, I owe around £20k on credit cards, loans and overdraft, I repay parents £600 a month. Raised affordability complaint with Plata they responded “I’m a homeowner, in full-time employment income of £2,998.00. Completed a review of credit report at the time of your application. Overall, credit profile presented positively, no current arrears, defaults (CCJs) no indication of excessive credit searches, nor were there any active short-term high-cost lending, which may suggest a reliance on high-interest borrowing. Noted a missed payment on credit file however, promptly brought up to date the following month. Although the account in question was slightly over its limit, the loan you applied for could have helped consolidate a significant portion of your outstanding debt into one affordable monthly repayment, assuming it was used for its intended purpose. We also observed that a number of new accounts had been opened within the six months prior to your application.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The borrowing from your parents was after the Plata loan?
K says
Hi, Ombudsman has upheld my complaint with Capital One despite the Investigator not upholding it initially. I know they’re given 4 weeks to put things right, but in other people’s experience with them – how long does it normally take?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Is the debt still with cap one or has it been sold to a debt collector?