Updated September 28, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team
Ocean Finance Card vs Santander UK
Ocean Finance Card
Santander UK
Higher score in this comparison
What sets them apart
| Compare | Ocean Finance CardReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives | Santander UKReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| APR | 39.9% | 24.9%Lower |
| Balance transfer intro period | 6 months | 12 monthsHigher |
| Balance transfer fee | 2.9% | 0%Lower |
| Credit needed | Poor | Good |
| Currency conversion fee | Not confirmed | 2.95% |
| Perks | Credit limit of GBP 200 to GBP 8,000, Section 75 protection on purchases between GBP 100 and GBP 30,000, Mobile app to make payments and check balance, Free email and text alerts, Card usable online before the physical card arrives, Eligibility check does not affect credit score, No Apple Pay | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Annual fee (£0), Rewards type (None), Card kind (Credit).
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Key differences
- Santander UK scores higher overall: 9.2 vs 9.1.
- Founded is lower at Santander UK: 1988 vs 1991.
- APR is lower at Santander UK: 24.9% vs 39.9%.
- Balance transfer fee is lower at Santander UK: 0% vs 2.9%.
- Balance transfer intro period is higher at Santander UK: 12 months vs 6 months.
- Support channels: only Ocean Finance Card offers Email.
Our verdict on each
Ocean Finance Card
The Ocean Finance Card suits borrowers with a poor credit history who plan to clear a balance: a transfer fee of 2.9% on what you move, and an annual fee of £0. Anyone wanting a rewards card should look elsewhere, since this one is priced for short borrowing.
Santander UK
Santander UK suits UK households wanting everyday banking, savings and borrowing from one Financial Conduct Authority regulated bank, with an easy-access saver paying 2% variable. The charges elsewhere, 2.95% for currency conversion and 24.9% on the credit card, are where the case weakens.
Score breakdown
| Area | Ocean Finance Card | Santander UK |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.1HigherAnnual fee £0, but interest at 39.9% is what holders really pay. | 8.8Monthly fee £0 and annual fee £0 are low, but 2.95% on conversion and 24.9% on the card are not. |
| Offer | 9.2The rewards type is none, so the offer rests on practical extras. | 9.4Higher |
| Trust | 9.1 | 9.4Higher |
Licences and countries
| Country | Ocean Finance Card | Santander UK |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Financial Conduct Authority 310069 | Financial Conduct Authority 106054 |
Available in 1 country for both.
Cost in a real example
A year with 1,000 spent abroad
Ocean Finance Card
£0
1 × £0
Santander UK
£0
1 × £0
Both come to the same total.
Excludes currency conversion fee (not stated by Ocean Finance Card). Worked out from the stated prices and rates; your own total depends on how you use it. Facts checked September 26, 2026.
Which one suits you
Pick Ocean Finance Card if cost matter most.
Pick Santander UK if trust, apr, balance transfer intro period, and balance transfer fee matter most.
Moving a 3,000 balance
Ocean Finance Card
87
2.9% of 3,000
Santander UK
0
0% of 3,000
Santander UK comes out 87 lower in this example.
Worked out from the stated prices and rates; your own total depends on how you use it. Facts checked September 26, 2026.
How they place
| Ranking | Ocean Finance Card | Santander UK |
|---|---|---|
| Credit and debit cards | 426 of 1594 | 348 of 1594 |
| Credit cards | 131 of 421 | 111 of 421 |
| Balance transfer cards | 15 of 32 | 12 of 32 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Ocean Finance Card | Santander UK |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | No annual fee | No annual fee |
| Features | Not confirmed | Same day funding |
| Audience | Not confirmed | Seniors |
| Legal entity | Intelligent Lending Limited | Santander UK plc |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom | United Kingdom |
| Founded | 1991 | 1988Lower |
| Support channels | Chat, Phone, Email, Help centreCovers more | Chat, Phone, Help centre |
Loans
| Fact | Ocean Finance Card | Santander UK |
|---|---|---|
| Loan amount | Not confirmed | £1,000 to £25,000 |
| Term | Not confirmed | 12 to 60 months |
| Arrangement fee | Not confirmed | 0 GBP |
| Credit check | Not confirmed | Hard |
| Funding time | Not confirmed | Within 2 working days of releasing funds |
| Rate type | Not confirmed | Variable |
| Lender type | Not confirmed | Direct lender |
| Free early repayment | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Eligibility | Not confirmed | Aged 21 or over, live permanently in the UK, regular yearly income of GBP 10,500+ for loans up to GBP 19,999 and GBP 20,000+ for loans up to GBP 25,000, good credit record |
| Origination fee (%) | Not confirmed | 0% |
| Loan types | Not confirmed | Personal, Debt consolidation, Car |
| Use cases | Not confirmed | Home improvement |
Personal insurance
| Fact | Ocean Finance Card | Santander UK |
|---|---|---|
| Premium from | Not confirmed | £6 |
| Insurance types | Not confirmed | Auto, Home, Renters, Life, Travel, Landlord, Critical illness |
| Provider type | Not confirmed | Broker |
| Monthly payments | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Excess from | Not confirmed | £100 to £500 |
| Cover limit | Not confirmed | Contents sum insured up to GBP 50,000 (Classic), unlimited (Plus) |
| Claims channels | Not confirmed | Online, Phone |
| Age range | Not confirmed | 50 and over |
Savings
| Fact | Ocean Finance Card | Santander UK |
|---|---|---|
| Headline rate | Not confirmed | 2% |
| Minimum deposit | Not confirmed | £1 |
| Deposit protection | Not confirmed | FSCS up to GBP 85,000 |
| Access terms | Not confirmed | Instant, penalty-free access; withdrawals by website, Mobile and Online Banking, in branch or over the phone |
| Monthly fee | Not confirmed | £0 |
| Account kind | Not confirmed | Easy access |
Mortgages
| Fact | Ocean Finance Card | Santander UK |
|---|---|---|
| Initial rate | Not confirmed | 4.28% |
| APRC | Not confirmed | 6.2% |
| Fixed period | Not confirmed | 2 years |
| Maximum loan to value | Not confirmed | 95% |
| Product fee | Not confirmed | £999 |
| Purpose | Not confirmed | Purchase, Remortgage, First time buyer, Buy to let |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Ocean Finance Card | Santander UK | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | £0at the median | £0at the median | £0 |
| APR | 39.9%highest quarter | 24.9%highest quarter | 11.635% |
| Currency conversion fee | Not confirmed | 2.95%highest quarter | 1% |
| Balance transfer intro period | 6 monthslowest quarter | 12 monthsat the median | 12 months |
| Balance transfer fee | 2.9%below the median | 0%lowest quarter | 3% |
Median across 486 listed providers.
Pros and cons
Ocean Finance Card
Pros
- Balance transfers cost 2.9% over 6, so old card debt has a route out.
- The perk list Credit limit of GBP 200 to GBP 8,000, Section 75 protection on purchases between GBP 100 and GBP 30,000 and Mobile app to make payments and check balance adds an app, free alerts and purchase protection.
- Support runs on chat, phone and email, so help comes through several channels.
Cons
- The APR is 39.9%, so carrying a balance month to month is expensive.
- The rewards type is none, so everyday spending earns nothing back.
- Apple Pay is not among its perks (Credit limit of GBP 200 to GBP 8,000, Section 75 protection on purchases between GBP 100 and GBP 30,000 and Mobile app to make payments and check balance).
Santander UK
Pros
- The easy-access saver pays 2% at a variable rate with instant, penalty-free access, and deposit protection is FSCS up to GBP 85,000.
- Personal loans of £1,000 to £25,000 over 12 to 60 carry an origination fee of 0 GBP, and early repayment is free.
- Regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority, with support on chat, phone and help centre.
Cons
- Currency conversion on the basic current account costs 2.95%, against 1% for a typical brand on the site.
- Credit card borrowing runs at 24.9%, well above the 15.5% typical across the site.
- Rewards on the everyday credit card are none.
Who each suits
Ocean Finance Card
Who it suits
- Borrowers with a poor credit history, since the annual fee is £0.
- Anyone clearing a balance on another card, where the transfer fee is 2.9%.
- Card users who want purchase protection on larger buys, listed under Credit limit of GBP 200 to GBP 8,000, Section 75 protection on purchases between GBP 100 and GBP 30,000 and Mobile app to make payments and check balance.
Who should look elsewhere
- Starling Personal Account Debit Card, at an APR of 15%, for current account borrowing.
- Varo Believe Secured Credit Card, with $0 annual fee, for a secured route.
Santander UK
Who it suits
- Households that want a current account paired with an easy-access saver.
- Borrowers consolidating debt or funding home improvement, given a good credit record and a hard credit check.
- Savers who want instant, penalty-free withdrawals by app, in branch or over the phone.
Who should look elsewhere
- Wise, for regular sending and converting abroad, where the conversion fee is 0.1%.
- bunq, whose plan is priced in euro with a monthly fee of €0, fits euro-based banking better.
- The Varo Believe Secured Credit Card, if a US dollar card with a monthly fee of $0 is the goal.
Current offers
Ocean Finance Card
Current offer
First period offer
0% for 6 months on balance transfers and purchases on the Ocean Credit Card: 0% for 6 months, 2.9% balance transfer fee
Representative 39.9% APR (variable) after the offer, purchase rate 39.94% APR (variable), credit subject to status
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Santander UK
Current offer
Bonus
Get 240 GBP for switching to Everyday Current Account: 240 GBP
Switch to Everyday Current Account
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Country by country
| Country | Ocean Finance Card | Santander UK |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Yes | Yes |
Questions about each
Ocean Finance Card
Is there an annual fee on the Ocean Finance Card?+
The annual fee is £0, so holding the card year on year costs nothing beyond interest. That suits anyone clearing a balance slowly, since the only bill is what is owed. The rate to watch is the APR on balances you do not clear, at 39.9%.
What is the APR on the Ocean Finance Card?+
The APR is 39.9%, a high rate for borrowing month to month. Interest is the real cost here, because the annual fee is £0 and nothing is charged for holding it. The cheaper route is moving a balance from another lender, where the fee is 2.9%.
Santander UK
What does the everyday current account cost?+
The monthly fee is £0, and the everyday credit card carries an annual fee of £0. The charge to watch is currency conversion at 2.95% on the basic current account, and help is available on chat, phone and help centre.
Is my money protected?+
Deposits are covered by FSCS up to GBP 85,000, and the bank is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK. Savings pay 2% at a variable rate with instant, penalty-free access.
Other options to compare
Other matchups
Ocean Finance Card
Santander UK