Barclaycard Merchant Services 2023: Reviews & Complaints


Barclaycard Logo
Barclaycard Merchant Services
Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Empty
Barclaycard Merchant Services

Agree with our rating?
Tell us about your experience with Barclaycard Merchant Services in the comment section below.

PhonePhone0800 161 5343 View Pricing

Company Overview

Founded in 1966, Barclaycard Merchant Services is a UK-based card issuer and merchant account provider that serves businesses of all sizes and types within the UK. The company is one of the few large UK merchant services providers that is not an extension of a U.S.-based credit card processor like First Data (now Fiserv) or Global Payments. In addition to merchant accounts, the company also provides virtual terminal and payment gateway services. In July 2020, Barclaycard Merchant Services announced they would be the acquiring partner in a deal with Philadelphia-based FreedomPay. 

Barclaycard Merchant Services Payment Processing

Barclaycard Merchant Services processes all major debit and credit cards for most business types. Their services include EMV card readers and swipers, mobile payments, data reporting and analysis, accounting software, and e-commerce solutions.

Payment Terminals

Barclaycard provides a variety of payment terminals, including countertop, portable, and mobile devices. Their countertop devices are suited for fixed checkout points, while portable devices offer flexibility for businesses that require moving around a premises, such as restaurants. For businesses on the go, mobile devices enable card payment acceptance anywhere with network coverage.

Online Payment Solutions

With the rise of eCommerce, Barclaycard offers an online payment gateway for businesses. It’s a secure and efficient solution that allows businesses to accept card payments over the internet. Their system is designed to handle one-off payments, subscriptions, and recurring billing models, making it a versatile choice for various online businesses.

Telephone Payments

For businesses that accept orders via phone, Barclaycard offers a service called “virtual terminal”. It’s a secure online form that allows businesses to manually input their customer’s card details for payment processing without the need for a physical card reader.

Point of Sale (POS) Finance

Barclaycard also provides point of sale finance services, enabling businesses to offer finance options at the point of purchase. This service could potentially lead to increased sales by offering customers flexible payment options.

Payment Security and Fraud Prevention

Barclaycard puts a strong emphasis on payment security. They offer a robust package of fraud prevention tools to protect businesses and their customers. This includes advanced encryption, secure customer authentication, and real-time fraud detection.

Location & Ownership

Barry Rodrigues is the CEO of Barclaycard, which is headquartered at 1 Churchill Pl, Canary Wharf, London, UK.

Table of Contents

Barclaycard Merchant Services Customer Complaints & Reviews

Here's What Users Think

Complaint Summary

Total Online Complaints
40+
Live Customer Support
Yes
Most Common Complaint
Poor Customer Service
Recent Lawsuits
No

Moderate Complaint Total

We have located a moderate number of negative Barclaycard Merchant Services reviews, some of which describe the company as a scam or a ripoff. Most Barclaycard Merchant Services complaints mention poor customer service, difficulty canceling service, large termination fees, and withheld funds. If you have your own Barclaycard Merchant Services review to make, please do so in the comments below.

Some Red Flags

Barclaycard as an overall entity has a 1.2 out of 10 rating based on 2,915 reviews on Trustpilot, a customer feedback website. This is a significant increase in negative reviews from our last update. Although we typically don’t consider high Trustpilot ratings to be reliable due to the company’s partnership policies, we do take low ratings on the website seriously. It is difficult to differentiate the complaints about Barclaycard’s consumer card-issuing services from the complaints about its merchant services, but both branches appear to be equally represented in the available body of complaints. In general, Barclaycard appears to have an average number of complaints, with none of them being especially severe. Therefore, we award it a “C” rating in this category.

Barclaycard Lawsuits and Fines

Barclaycard is a party to numerous lawsuits against different banks and card providers. Yet, we have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Barclaycard by merchants. Dissatisfied clients who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.

Barclaycard Customer Support Options

Barclaycard offers live phone support and email support to all of its merchants. According to the level of complaints that specifically mention issues with the company’s customer service, these channels are evidently lacking when compared to the top-rated credit card processors for great customer support.

Barclaycard Customer Service Number

  • 0800 158 5149 – General Support

Barclaycard Merchant Services BBB Rating and Report

Our Better Business Bureau Profile Assessment

No BBB Profile

The Better Business Bureau does not maintain a profile for Barclaycard Merchant Services due to its location in the UK. We therefore will not factor a BBB rating into this review.

Barclaycard Merchant Services Fees and Rates

A Closer Look at the Contract

Cost Summary

Cancellation Penalteis
Unclear
Monthly & Annual Fees
Yes
Processing Rates
Variable
Equipment Leasing
Yes

Barclaycard Merchant Services Pricing

Barclaycard offers options to clients under 18-month Barclaycard Merchant Services contracts with payment processing facilitating mobile payments as well as countertop and portable terminals. A flat Barclaycard fee of 1.25% applies to all transactions. A monthly fee is attached to each option. Countertop terminal services are assessed a monthly fee of £15, while portable terminals cost £20, and mobile payments are the most costly at £25.

Barclaycard also supports a smartphone-hosted payments app called Barclaycard Anywhere. Unlike Barclaycard’s terminal-based rates, transactions made through smartphones are assessed at a rate of 2.6% as well as a £0.75 charge per refund. A one-time setup fee of £60 is also charged to clients. Barclaycard Anywhere services do not require a contract.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

In addition to its storefront payment processing services, Barclaycard also dedicates a portion of its website to advertising Barclaycard Smartpay, its virtual terminal and payment gateway service. Barclaycard Smartpay offers 2 different plans, the Growing Plan and Established Plan.

The Growing Plan charges a fixed monthly fee of £20 plus VAT for businesses making less than 5,000 transactions per month. Each transaction is charged £0.10 each after the first 350, which are free. The Growing Plan also includes a minimum contract period of 12 months.

The Established Plan offers an online payment gateway for businesses making more than 5,000 transactions per month. Pricing for this plan offers rates tailored to fit a client’s transaction volume, the size of their business, and its industry. The Growing Plan comes with the possibility of a joining fee of up to £150.

Variable Contract Terms

Client complaints report that the early termination fee can be expensive and that cancellation itself can be a complicated process, but specific figures are hard to come by. In general, the company appears to offer average contract terms that can vary according to each situation. We do not have enough concrete information to determine if the Barclaycard contract terms are competitive with the cheapest merchant accounts at this time. If you have any specific knowledge of the standard Barclaycard contract, please share that information in the comment section below this review.

We also encourage business owners to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant accounts.

Barclaycard Merchant Services Jobs and Employment

Hiring Standards and Ethical Marketing Assessment

Key Points

Uses Independent Resellers
No
Telemarketing
No
Misleading Marketing
No
Discloses All Important Terms
No

Inside Sales Team

Barclaycard appears to rely on conventional advertising, strategic partnerships, and an in-house sales staff to market its services. There is no indication that the company recruits independent sales agents, and there are very few Barclaycard Merchant Services reviews that mention problems with the company’s sales tactics. This may be partly because Barclaycard’s long time in business and high consumer recognition allow it to market less aggressively than smaller or lesser-known companies.

This compares favorably to our list of best credit card processors.

No Deceptive Advertising

The company does not advertise any rates or pricing details on its website, and it generally seems to avoid negative feedback about its sales tactics. It has therefore received an “A” rating in this section. If you suspect that Barclaycard is charging you undisclosed fees, however, we recommend seeking an independent statement audit to spot hidden charges.

Barclaycard Merchant Services Review Summary

Our Final Thoughts and Opinions

Barclaycard Merchant Services rates as an average credit card processing provider for UK businesses of all sizes and types. The company’s large size gives it the flexibility to adapt to different business needs, but it also appears to have negatively impacted its customer service. As a general rule, large entities like Barclaycard are a better fit for mid-size and large businesses. For now, UK businesses may want to consider a top-rated UK merchant account provider to get the best rates and service.


If you found this article helpful, please share it!

Customer & Employee Reviews

What Others Are Saying About Barclaycard Merchant Services

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

Comments must contain details about your experience. Please do not use ALL CAPS. Self-promotion, marketing content, or contact information of any kind will not be published. By submitting a comment, you are agreeing to our Comment Policy

1 Responses

  • Shore side

    We have started this contract with Barclays Card Merchant service, after taking all terms and condition. they are charging £50 per month additionally when we ask for the reason they said this is because of international card, when we ask for evidence they said they can not provide that means simple cheating and biggest fraud case and this is a bleach of contract, they will charge you account direct debit whatever they want without information and when you ask for explanation you will never have it.

    We close the contract within first 30Days due to all above issues and we are not at all confident because the way they are doing fraud, they will finish soon,
    My appeal to the Business community it is our hard earn money which Barclays Card Merchant service will take without a reason so you can deal with them at own your risk.


    From The Editor
    This Post Might Help: Best International Merchant Accounts

Copyright

Copyright © CardPaymentOptions.com, Inc. (Digital Fingerprint: 0d38c6720f0d78a701b74d58653af608). Getting paid to re-write this page? Click here to earn a reward.

Any unauthorized copying and reproduction of the content of this page, including all meta data and computer code, is strictly prohibited. While the information in the above article is believed to be accurate as of its publish date, the author and publisher make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents. The author and publisher shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of this material, which is provided “as is,” and without warranties. Any and all use of trade names and/or marks are for identification purposes only and shall not be construed as a claim of affiliation, or otherwise, with CardPaymentOptions.com, Inc. ("CPO") in any form. The sole purpose of the material presented herein is to alert, educate, and inform readers. It is not intended as legal or financial advice. We may earn revenue if you obtain services from a provider that we recommend. See this page to learn how we support our operations.

FTC & Advertising Disclosure
We take great pride in providing one of the only objective an unbiased merchant account review websites on the internet. To support this enormous responsibility we earn some of our revenue through affiliate fees and advertising. These revenues in no way influence our ratings or reviews. Learn more about our monetization policies here.
closecloseShow disclosure

About CPO

We are committed to ensuring the accountability of credit card processors by bringing transparency to their business practices. Our primary objective is to safeguard North American businesses from unscrupulous processors that impose substantial rate markups, unjustifiable fees, and exploitative contracts that result in annual losses of billions of dollars for small business owners.

We have been in operation since 2009, diligently conducting comprehensive research, publishing extensive reviews, and monitoring more than 1,000 payment processors. Our expertise in the merchant services industry has garnered recognition from esteemed publications such as the Los Angeles Times, INC Magazine, The Atlantic, and the Miami Herald, among others.

How We Score Processors

Please note that our rating system was overhauled on April 26th, 2023. Reviews dated before this date may not score in accordance with the following.

Star Rating Criteria:

At the start of our research, all processors are awarded five stars. We deduct stars if the processor engages in any of the following business practices:

– One star deduction if the processor has any junk fees.

– One star deduction if the processor does not post its pricing clearly on its website.

– One Star deduction if the processor is suffering from moderate client complaints.

– Multiple Star deductions if a processor is suffering from severe complaints, imposes unjust cancellation fees, markets non-cancellable equipment leases, engages in predatory rate pricing, or may be engaged in illegal activities.

Get all of the details regarding out rating criteria here.

Popular Merchant Account Research
stripe logo
Stripe Credit Card Processing
June 9, 2023
505 Comments
square credit card processing logo
Square Card Reader & POS
March 19, 2023
2223 Comments
Intuit Merchant Services
June 27, 2023
279 Comments
Shopify Logo
Shopify E-Commerce
February 11, 2022
18 Comments
Industry Specific Findings

Merchant Account Hidden Fee Calculator

processing cost calculator
Advertisement


Low Cost Processor of 2023