Classic Credit Card

New applications currently unavailable

We’re not accepting new smile credit card applications at the moment.

If you already have a Classic Credit Card, you can find more information about it on this page.

Representative Examples

Preferential rate for smile current account holders:

19.9% APR representative (variable). Based on assumed credit limit of £1200 and a purchase rate of 19.9% per annum (variable). What do these terms mean?

Standard rate for customers without a smile current account:

23.9% APR representative (variable). Based on assumed credit limit of £1200 and a purchase rate of 23.9% per annum (variable). What do these terms mean?

Features

  • Preferential rate of 19.9% interest per annum on purchases and balance transfers if you have a smile current account
  • Standard rate of 23.9% interest per annum on purchases and balance transfers without a smile current account
  • 0.25% cashback on your purchases
  • No annual fee and no balance transfer fee
  • Minimum credit limit of £200
  • If your application is accepted, you'll receive the exact rate and offer advertised
  • View your recent transactions in online banking and the app
  • Protection against fraud - if your card details are stolen and it wasn’t your fault, we’ll aim to cover the costs and make things right
  • Shop at over 22 million outlets worldwide and take cash out at any Visa cash machine

What you need to know about this card

You must have a smile current account to be eligible for the preferential rate of 19.9% per annum (variable) for purchases and balance transfers. If you don’t have a smile current account you can apply for one and if accepted the preferential rate will be applied automatically.

Whilst additional cardholders may hold a smile current account, it is the main cardholder that must have a smile current account in order to be eligible for the preferential rate.

If you do not hold a smile current account or close your account, the interest rate will be our standard rate of 23.9% per annum on purchases and balance transfers.

Cash advance fee of 3% of the transaction (a minimum of £3 per transaction).

We charge 27.9% interest per annum on cash withdrawals.

You can’t earn cashback on cash withdrawals, currency, Travellers Cheques, or credit card balance transfers. More about cashback terms (PDF).

You can transfer up to 95% of your credit limit (minimum £100). However, you can’t transfer a balance from another smile or Co‑operative Bank credit card.

If our rates do change, we’ll let you know in your monthly statement.

Applications

You can track where your application is up to and find more information about switching from one bank to another on our applications page.

Find out more about existing applications

New applications currently unavailable

We’re not accepting new smile credit card applications at the moment.

If you already have a Classic Credit Card, you can find more information about it on this page.

Repaying your full credit card balance by Direct Debit each month is a good way to minimise your interest costs.

As a general rule, the longer it takes you to pay back the balance, the more interest you’ll pay.

You will only pay interest on purchases if you haven’t paid off the full balance by the due date, which is 25 days after your statement date. You’ll be charged interest immediately for cash payments, cash-related payments or balance transfers.

Minimum repayments

The minimum payment will be the highest of:

(a) 2% of the total balance on your statement (including interest and charges):

(b) £5: or

(c) 1% of the total balance of your last statement, the sum of interest for the period from your last statement, and any charges or interest you have incurred. We round up the minimum payment to the nearest pound.

If you owe less than £5, you must pay us the full amount you owe.

If you make only the minimum payment each month, it will take you longer and cost you more to clear your balance.

Minimum credit limit

£200 for Classic credit cards

£300 for Gold credit cards

Maximum credit limit

This depends on how much we think you can afford to pay back on your credit card. This limit covers any balance transfers, purchases, and revolving balances too.

This doesn’t change your likelihood of being accepted.

Choosing your credit limit

Whatever you need, whatever you’ll use your card for, tell us. If you request a credit limit that’ll allow for balance transfers and any purchases you intend to make, then we’ll carry out a creditworthiness check to inform you of your credit limit.

The amount you ask for doesn’t affect our decision, or impact your credit score.

If you don’t get accepted for a credit card

There may be instances where we decline your application due to information we’ve received from credit reference agencies, or information we already have regarding any existing accounts with ourselves.

If we do decide to decline your application, we will let you know why.

Please note, any credit card application you make, whether successful or not, will show up on your credit file. Therefore, being refused for a credit card can negatively affect your credit rating, which could make it harder obtaining credit in the future.

For free and impartial advice, please see the following website: MoneyHelper.

Annual fee

Guess what? There isn’t one. We won’t charge you annually for having this credit card.

Balance transfer fee

We won’t charge you a fee for transferring your balance, either.

You can transfer up to 95% of your credit limit (minimum £100). However, you can’t transfer a balance from another smile or Co‑operative Bank credit card.

Cash fee

The amount we charge per transaction for withdrawing cash, or cash-related payments — like buying foreign currency and Travellers’ Cheques, or for gambling transactions.

3% of the cash withdrawn (minimum of £3)

There is no interest free period for cash withdrawals, so in addition you will also be charged 27.9% interest per annum.

Duplicate statement

What we charge for sending a copy of a past statement to you.

£2.50 per statement (capped at £10 per request)

Late or missed payment

What we charge if you make a late payment or miss a payment.

£10 per late or missed payment.

Exceeding credit limit

What we charge if you go over you’re agreed credit limit, even if we allow it.

£10 when you go over your credit limit, and charged each month until your account is brought back within the agreed limit.

If you don't bring your balance back within your credit limit we may block your card.

Payment returned unpaid

This is when your bank tells us you can’t make the payment. For example, if your cheque ‘bounces’, or you don’t have sufficient funds in your account to make a payment.

£10 for every time a payment is returned unpaid

Other charges

There are some things we charge extra for.

Foreign usage

Currency Conversion Charge

Applied when you make a purchase using your debit card in a foreign currency, or if you make a cash withdrawal in a foreign currency outside the UK using your debit card.

2.75% of the value of the transaction

Transactions are also converted into sterling using the Visa Scheme Exchange Rate which can be found here.

Cash fee

What we charge for withdrawing cash when overseas.

This is charged in addition to a currency conversion charge.

3% of the cash value you withdraw (minimum of £3)

Understanding credit cards

Learn how we calculate interest and what terms like 'APR' mean.

You pay interest for borrowing money on a credit card. We work out interest daily and add it to your account on the next statement date. You can see how much interest you’ve been charged by checking your monthly statements or online banking.

APR (Annual Percentage Rate) is an illustration of the cost of borrowing over a year taking into account the interest rate and any additional fees. You can use the APR to compare the cost of similar products.

The representative examples can enable you to compare the costs across different products and providers.

When a rate is advertised as variable, it means that it could go up or down.

Fixed means your interest rate won’t change for a set period of time. You should always check to see how long your fixed rate lasts.

Per annum is a quicker way of saying ‘for each year’. It’s usually used to explain how interest is calculated and charged.