CSMA credit card

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

Not sure how many forum members have one of these, but, if you have, don't forget that any reward 'points' that are outstanding on the card need to be used up before your January 2006 monthly statement is issued, otherwise they will expire. From March 1 2005 the points reward scheme was replaced by one that discounted by 1% prices at a variety of commercial companies linked to the CSMA. Additionally it offered "a 1% discount on all your petrol station spending throughout the UK and worldwide too". There was a footnote to this that said "Petrol spend is defined as those retail outlets who's (sic) merchant category registration with VISA/Mastercard is in the classification of petrol. There is no responsibility or liability by LVBS if this category is registered or recorded incorrectly". Although all of our UK vehicle-fuel spend by credit card has been correctly discounted by 1%, none of the spend abroad has. When I was in contact with LVBS yesterday to redeem the remaining points on our card I mentioned this and was told that, if I sent in copies of the statements with the relevant foreign 'fuel' transactions highlighted, a 1% credit would be applied retrospectively to the values involved. Unsurprisingly there is no mention of this arrangement in the credit card literature.

[Guest Peter Billing]

Thanks for the tip, Derek. I have spent quite a lot of time in Europe this year and, like you, never received discount on fuel purchases made on the continent. I will now search out my statements and make a 'claim'.