Credit Building > Post Office Classic credit card review

Post Office Classic credit card review

Wollit Team3 minute read · Updated 1st July 2024

The Post Office Classic is a credit card offered by the Post Office, and it provides a bit of something for everyone:

It can work as a regular credit card;
It can also work as a credit builder card (you’ll just have to pay a much higher APR);
It also lets you transfer balances from other credit cards, making it a balance transfer credit card, too.

But does this make the Post Office Classic credit card a good option if you’re looking to improve your credit history? Read our review and find out.

What are the pros of the Post Office Classic credit card?

The Post Office Classic credit card has several benefits that make it a good choice for many people looking to improve their credit:

0% interest period for purchases: It can help you spread the cost of your purchases so you can manage your budget better.
0% interest period on balance transfer: This can come in handy if you need to catch up on paying down your debt, and it can save you from missing a payment and hurting your score.
No annual fee.
You can get this card even if you have a poor credit history. However, you’ll have to pay a higher APR.
Higher credit limit: You can get a credit limit of up to £8,000, at least in theory and if your credit score is already good.

What are the cons of the Post Office Classic credit card?

There are quite a few downsides to the Post Office Classic card, too:

Unclear initial offer terms: It is unclear upfront what APR, credit limit, and zero interest period you can actually get. Make sure to use the Post Office soft check eligibility checker tool first.
Multiple fees: a 2.9% balance transfer fees, a 3% cash withdrawal fee, and 2.9% foreign exchange fee.
No rewards: The card does not offer any notable perks or rewards programs, unlike some other credit cards. Some credit-building cards even offer cashback or rewards.

How does the Post Office Classic credit card compare with other credit-building cards?

The Post Office Classic is a credit card that’s really meant for a wide range of people: from people with no credit history or bad credit to people with quite good credit scores.

This explains why the representative APR actually ranges from 19.9% to 34.9%. It all depends on your credit score.

However, we would have expected the Post Office Classic to have a few more rewards or cashback – at least for its “good credit score” customers.

In fact, even some credit-building cards on the UK market have perks and rewards. For example, Asda Money Select and Tesco Foundation give you points for your supermarket purchases, which you can later redeem for vouchers. Barclaycard Forward also automatically lowers your interest rate if you pay your bill on time.

What do customer reviews say?

On Trustpilot, the UK’s largest customer review website, the Post Office has a rating of 1.5 from almost 3.000 customers. However, bear in mind that this is a rating for the company as a whole, not for its credit card.

Looking only at the reviews mentioning the Post Office Classic credit card, we’ve only noticed bad, one star reviews.

The most common complaints seem to be:

Long waiting times for the card to arrive by post (which we found surprising, considering it’s a Post Office card).
Poor customer service.
And worst of all, technical bugs which meant that Direct Debit payments were not processed and customers were hit with a missed payment notification. This is quite concerning, as a missed payment can instantly lower your credit score, and it also stays on your credit report for 6 years.

Is the Post Office Classic credit card any good?

It’s hard to say. The Post Office Classic is a card that’s difficult to recommend, as it tries to do too many things for too many categories of customers.

We’re also concerned by the many bad reviews. This might very well be the credit card with the worst reviews we’ve seen so far.

Because of this, we just can’t recommend the Post Office Classic credit card as a credit-building tool.

If you want a better option, think about a credit-building card that gives rewards, or try a credit-building app instead.

Wollit is one such app. It’s different from a credit card like the Post Office Classic card because it reports a fixed monthly fee as a loan payment to credit agencies – so you know exactly how much you’ll pay each month. By using Wollit, you can boost your credit score and qualify for better credit cards, loans, and mortgages in the future.