Santander credit card review
What do Santander credit cards offer?
Santander offers a range of credit cards including an all-rounder deal, a fee-free 0% balance transfer and a premium card with perks that travellers will enjoy.
In January the bank launched a new credit card - the Santander Edge credit card which offers a market-leading cashback rate of 2% fixed for a year, falling to 1% from year two. However, the card comes with a £3 monthly fee and a representative APR (variable) of 29.8%.
How does Santander compare with other providers?
Santander achieved an impressive customer score of 75% in our latest credit card provider satisfaction survey, placing it joint 4th out of 31 providers, alongside Sainsbury's Bank and Virgin Money.
While Santander had a high customer score, its range of deals didn't meet the benchmarks in our product analysis to become a Which? Recommended Provider.
- Find out more: visit our best credit card providers guide to read the full survey results and compare Santander's score with other companies
Is Santander a good credit card provider?
Our survey also reveals how Santander customers rated the provider across the following five categories:
| Customer satisfaction category | Santander star rating |
|---|---|
| Customer service | |
| Application process | |
| Clarity of statement | |
| Transparency of charges and penalties | |
| Ability to manage account online or via a mobile app |
Table notes: star ratings are out of five and show the level of satisfaction for each category. We carry out this survey annually and update our review pages accordingly. Jump to the section on how we review Santander to find out more about our research.
Your Santander credit card questions answered
Grace, our credit card expert, answers the top questions people have about Santander credit cards.
Does Santander offer an eligibility check?
Yes. Santander offers a 'soft search' to help you see if you qualify for a deal before applying without affecting your credit score.
Where are Santander credit cards accepted?
Santander issues its credit cards on the Mastercard network, so you will be able to use the card at millions of places in the UK and abroad.
Do Santander credit cards charge when used abroad?
Santander won't charge fees on overseas spending if you use the World Elite or All in One card.
How we review Santander
Here's some more information about our research and the terms we use in this review.
Customer score
Our customer scores for credit card companies are based on an online survey of 3,775 members of the public in October 2023.
The score is calculated using a combination of overall satisfaction with the brand and the likelihood of recommending it to a friend.
Star ratings
We also ask credit card customers to rate brands on five categories including customer service, application process, clarity of statement, transparency of charges and ability to manage the account online or via a mobile app — so you can get an idea of the quality of service you might receive before you sign up.
Star ratings for each category are calculated independently of each other and the provider customer score.
Providers must receive a minimum sample size of 40 respondents to be included in our customer satisfaction tables.
Which? Recommended Providers
To be a Which? Recommended Provider for credit cards a credit card company must:
- have a provider customer score of at least 75%
- have at least one top-10 card in one of the seven main categories available on the market
- have a product score that's average or above
- not have a representative APR of more than 33% on any of its mainstream cards at the time of the analysis.
We only award Which? Recommended Providers to the lenders that meet our benchmarks on customer service and product offering.
- Find out more: Which? symbols, logos and ratings explained
Why should you trust Which? research?
We’re not influenced by third parties. We work entirely on behalf of you, the consumer – nobody else. See our statement of editorial independence for more.
Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular T&Cs of a provider before committing to any financial products.