Barclaycard
Barclaycard is a UK consumer credit card issuer (trading name of Barclays Bank UK PLC) offering purchase, balance transfer, rewards, travel (Avios), co-brand (Amazon), and credit-building cards to UK personal customers through direct-to-consumer digital and Barclays bank channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1966
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Barclaycard does
Barclaycard is a UK consumer credit card issuer operating as a trading name of Barclays Bank UK PLC, headquartered at 1 Churchill Place, London, with 10,000+ employees. Founded in 1966, the business distributes personal credit cards directly to UK consumers through the barclaycard.co.uk website, the Barclaycard mobile app (iOS/Android with biometric login), and the broader Barclays branch, ATM, and online banking network. Its product portfolio includes purchase cards, balance transfer cards, the Forward credit-building card, the Amazon Rewards co-brand, Avios travel rewards cards, and the Barclays Cashback Rewards and Barclaycard Entertainment benefits programs. The company also operates the bPay wearable payment platform, an IoT/tokenized payment infrastructure built for regulatory-compliant scaling.
The technology stack centers on a credit card processing platform with 24/7 fraud detection, a mobile-first account management experience, and contactless payment integrations (Apple Pay, Google Pay). A 200+ person dedicated fraud team monitors transactions in real time using structured payment, merchant, location, and timing data, issuing customer alerts in under 60 seconds. Barclaycard is authorized and regulated by the UK FCA and PRA, and operates under PSD2/Strong Customer Authentication, UK GDPR, PCI DSS, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance regimes.
The business model is a classic UK credit card revenue stack: interest on outstanding balances (representative APRs of 28.9% on standard products and 33.9% on the Forward card), transaction fees on balance and money transfers, a 2.99% non-sterling purchase and cash withdrawal fee, £12 late payment fees (capped at four per year), and interchange/merchant-related revenue. Rewards are funded by these economics — the Amazon Rewards card pays 1% back on Amazon and 0.5% elsewhere, while Avios cards convert spend into airline loyalty points. Customer segments are horizontal and consumer-only, covering general consumers, credit builders, Amazon shoppers, and travel rewards seekers. The franchise is mature, UK-only, and tightly integrated into the parent Barclays retail bank.
Barclaycard firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Barclaycard
- Legal name
- Barclays Bank UK PLC
- Website
- https://barclaycard.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1966
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Barclaycard is a UK consumer credit card issuer (trading name of Barclays Bank UK PLC) offering purchase, balance transfer, rewards, travel (Avios), co-brand (Amazon), and credit-building cards to UK personal customers through direct-to-consumer digital and Barclays bank channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Barclaycard industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Credit Cards
- NAICS
- Credit Card Issuing (522210)
- SIC
- Personal Credit Institutions (6141), National Commercial Banks (6021)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Credit Cards & Revolving Credit (FSABAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Co-Branded Credit Card Partnerships (Issuers/Networks) (THABAKAD)
Keywords
Where Barclaycard is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Barclaycard business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Credit Card Interest: Interest charges on outstanding balances for customers who do not pay in full. Variable purchase rates (28.9% APR representative), cash rates, and promotional rates apply
- Transaction Fees: Fees for balance transfers, money transfers, and promotional offers calculated as a percentage of the transferred amount
- Foreign Transaction Fees: Non-sterling purchase fee of 2.99% for card usage abroad; cash withdrawal fee of 2.99% (minimum £2.99)
- Default Fees: Late payment fees of £12 charged when payments are missed, late, or below minimum amount (maximum 4 times per year)
- Rewards Program: Amazon Rewards credit card offering 1% back on Amazon purchases, 0.5% elsewhere (0.25% after 12 months), and 2% during Prime events for Amazon Prime members
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Amazon Barclaycard - Standard tier |
| Subscription | Monthly | Forward Card - Credit Building |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Default and Service Fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Barclaycard product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Barclaycard is a UK consumer credit card issuer offering a portfolio of personal credit cards including standard purchase cards, balance transfer cards, Amazon Rewards and Avios co-branded cards, and credit-building (Forward) cards. It complements these with the Barclaycard Mobile App, 24/7 fraud monitoring, Barclays Cashback Rewards loyalty programme, Barclaycard Entertainment perks, and the bPay wearable payment platform. All cards are issued on the Visa network under Barclays Bank UK PLC.
Product overview
Barclaycard is a UK-based credit card provider offering a portfolio of consumer credit cards through multiple product lines including standard purchase cards, travel rewards (Avios), retail co-brands (Amazon), balance transfer products, and credit-building cards for those with limited credit history. The product ecosystem includes the core Barclaycard Mobile App for account management, the bPay wearable payment platform for IoT payments, Barclays Cashback Rewards loyalty program, and Barclaycard Entertainment benefits. All products are regulated by the FCA and PRA, with cards issued on Visa networks. The company operates as a trading name of Barclays Bank UK PLC.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Amazon Barclaycard: Co-branded credit card partnership with Amazon offering rewards and 0% interest purchases for the first 6 months
- Barclaycard Forward
- Avios Credit Cards
- Barclays Cashback Rewards
Products and services
- Amazon Rewards Credit Card
- Purchase Credit Cards
- Avios Credit Cards
- Balance Transfer Credit Cards
- Forward Credit Building Card
- Rewards Credit Cards
- Barclays Cashback Rewards
- Barclaycard Entertainment
- Barclaycard Mobile App
- bPay Wearable Payment Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 56 days interest-free on purchases when balance paid in full
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Barclaycard
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Barclaycard technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability3 records
Feature4 records
Barclaycard partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Global Payments / WorldpayminorThe UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) approved Global Payments' $22.7 billion acquisition of Worldpay. Barclaycard is not directly involved in this transaction but operates in the same payments ecosystem.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Barclaycard competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Capital One UK: UK credit card arm of Capital One, historically focused on balance transfer and credit-builder cards. Comparable positioning on balance transfer depth and credit-building product design.
- American Express UK: Premium UK credit card issuer competing with Barclaycard's rewards and Avios products for higher-spend consumers. Overlaps strongly on travel rewards and cashback card features.
- HSBC UK: UK subsidiary of HSBC offering consumer credit cards with rewards and travel (Avios) cobrands. Closest direct competitor on co-branded airline cards and global-spend positioning.
- Lloyds Bank (Lloyds Banking Group): One of the UK's largest high-street banks offering a broad portfolio of consumer credit cards (purchase, balance transfer, rewards and co-brand cards). Direct UK market competitor with comparable retail-banking distribution and similar target consumer segments.
- NatWest Group: Major UK retail bank issuing credit cards under the NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank brands. Comparable product set across purchase, rewards and balance transfer cards for UK consumers.
- MBNA Limited (Lloyds Banking Group): Dedicated UK credit card issuer owned by Lloyds, long-standing specialist in balance transfer, purchase and affinity cards. Directly competes head-to-head in balance transfer and rewards categories where Barclaycard is strongest.
- Vanquis Bank (Provident Financial): UK specialist credit card issuer targeting near-prime and credit-building customers with sub-prime APRs. Direct overlap with the Barclaycard Forward credit-building product line.
Emerging players
- Revolut: UK-originated fintech offering multi-currency cards, credit products and rewards to UK consumers. Overlaps with Barclaycard on FX, rewards and app-based account management.
- Starling Bank: UK digital challenger bank offering personal current accounts and lending products with app-led UX. Emerging direct competition in the digitally native UK consumer credit space.
- Monzo Bank: UK digital challenger bank that has begun issuing credit and Flex products. Direct overlap on digital-first UX, mobile-native experience and appeal to younger UK consumers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Barclaycard social profiles
Digital presenceBarclaycard compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Barclaycard financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Barclaycard leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Barclaycard funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Barclaycard M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Barclaycard
What does Barclaycard do?
Barclaycard is a UK consumer credit card issuer offering a portfolio of personal credit cards including standard purchase cards, balance transfer cards, Amazon Rewards and Avios co-branded cards, and credit-building (Forward) cards. It complements these with the Barclaycard Mobile App, 24/7 fraud monitoring, Barclays Cashback Rewards loyalty programme, Barclaycard Entertainment perks, and the bPay wearable payment platform. All cards are issued on the Visa network under Barclays Bank UK PLC.
Is Barclaycard a public or private company?
Barclaycard is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Barclaycard founded?
Barclaycard was founded in 1966. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Barclaycard based?
Barclaycard is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Barclaycard make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Credit Card Interest is the primary driver. The others are transaction Fees, foreign Transaction Fees, default Fees and rewards Program.
Who are Barclaycard's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Capital One UK, American Express UK, HSBC UK, Lloyds Bank (Lloyds Banking Group), NatWest Group, MBNA Limited (Lloyds Banking Group) and Vanquis Bank (Provident Financial). Emerging players are Revolut, Starling Bank and Monzo Bank.
Does Barclaycard have an API?
No public API is recorded for Barclaycard.
What industry is Barclaycard in?
Barclaycard's product category is Consumer Credit Cards. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSABAAAC, Credit Cards & Revolving Credit, with a secondary code of THABAKAD, Co-Branded Credit Card Partnerships (Issuers/Networks). Its NAICS code is 522210 and its SIC code is 6141.