Barclays Bank UK: accounts, app, switching and protection

Barclays is one of the UK's largest high street banks, offering current accounts, savings, credit cards, loans, mortgages and investing under the Barclays, Barclaycard and Tesco Bank names¹. Most day-to-day banking now happens through its mobile app, which Barclays says is used by 12 million people², and most of its accounts can be opened, switched and managed without visiting a branch.

The bank behind the brand is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and regulated by both the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the PRA, with Financial Services Register number 759676³. It appears on the Bank of England's list of UK-incorporated banks authorised to accept deposits⁴. This page explains what Barclays offers, who can open an account, how switching works, and what protection you have.

Barclays current accounts and savings: what it offers

Barclays' main personal account is the Barclays Bank Account, an everyday account with a debit card, direct debits and standing orders, which can be managed in the app, online, by phone or in a branch⁹. Alongside it sits the Barclays Basic Current Account for people who cannot get or do not want the standard account: it lets you pay in income, make payments, withdraw cash and set up regular payments, but it comes with no overdraft and no cheque book⁸. Barclays is one of nine institutions designated under rules to offer basic bank accounts, so it must make one available to people who qualify¹⁰.

For customers with larger balances or borrowing needs, Barclays offers Premier Banking, with its own current accounts, savings and investments¹¹. Children can use a version of the Barclays app that lets them check their balance, see what is new, pay people they have paid before and move money between their own accounts¹². The bank also runs Blue Rewards, a paid package on top of a Barclays Bank Account that can earn cashback if you hold other Barclays products; being registered for the app is one of its conditions⁹.

On the savings side, Barclays says most of its savings accounts can be opened and managed in the app, in Online Banking, in a branch or over the phone¹¹. Its wider range also includes cash ISAs, and its investing arm, Smart Investor, appears on the FCA Register as a trading name of the same firm¹. For borrowing, Barclays offers credit cards through Barclaycard, personal loans and mortgages, and you can manage Barclays and Barclaycard accounts in the same app¹³.

Who can open a Barclays account

To apply for the main Barclays Bank Account in the app you must be 18 or over and in the UK, and you need a UK mobile number². The same mobile number requirement applies to app applications for the Basic Current Account⁸.

Not everyone passes the standard identity checks. Barclays takes part in a scheme, reported by Which?, that helps people without a fixed address, such as those who are homeless, to open accounts, and its Basic Current Account can be a route when standard identification is a problem¹⁴. Where you cannot verify your identity in the app, you may need to book an appointment at a branch or Barclays Local to discuss alternative ID and proof of address¹⁴. The application process starts with the main Barclays Bank Account, and the basic account is offered if you are not eligible for it¹⁴.

If you are struggling to open any UK bank account, the government publishes a list of designated basic bank account providers, which includes Barclays UK, and a basic account from any designated bank cannot charge fees for everyday services or let you go overdrawn¹⁰. People who cannot get a standard account elsewhere may find a basic bank account is the right route.

Opening a Barclays account in the app

Barclays' main application route is its app. You download it from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, read and accept the terms in the app, then enter your mobile number and follow the on-screen instructions¹⁵. Barclays also promotes scanning a QR code with your phone or tablet to go straight to the download and begin the application⁹.

Once the account is open, it should appear automatically in your app, so there is no separate step to add it¹⁵. If you are opening a savings account as an existing customer, the same applies: most savings accounts can be opened in the app or Online Banking, in a branch or over the phone¹¹.

Switching to Barclays: sole and joint accounts handled differently

Barclays uses the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) to move accounts from other banks, but the route depends on the type of account. Sole personal accounts can be switched to Barclays in the app; joint personal accounts must be switched in a branch or via a video appointment⁷. To switch a joint account, you need to already have a joint account opened with Barclays, and it helps to provide statements from the past six months from your old bank⁷.

There are conditions worth knowing before you start:

• Overdrafts: Barclays says you will need to repay the overdraft on your old account before you can switch⁷. MoneyHelper, the government-backed money service, says you can switch using the Current Account Switch Service even if you are overdrawn, so it is worth checking with both banks first¹⁷.
• Excluded account types: app switching is not offered for joint Wealth or business accounts⁷.
• Existing customers: the app also supports switching between Barclays accounts using CASS if you already hold a Barclays current account¹⁸.

Switching is not only for people moving banks. Barclays also offers a switching service to move a partner's banking across when two people merge their finances into one existing account, for example after marriage⁷. Joint account holders can each register the account on the Barclays app on different phones, as long as the other holder agrees¹⁶.

How the Barclays switch reward works for new customers

Barclays periodically runs a cash reward for people who switch a current account to it using CASS in the app, with an offer window and conditions set out on its own switch offer page¹⁹. The reward amount and the dates of each offer change from one promotion to the next, so check Barclays' site for the current figure and closing date rather than relying on older figures quoted elsewhere.

The conditions matter more than the headline. The Premier version of the switch offer is not available to anyone who has received a switch reward for switching to any Barclays current account in the past²⁰, and Barclays applies similar past-customer exclusions to its standard offers¹⁹. In other words, the reward is aimed at genuine new switchers, not people cycling between accounts for the payment. The switch itself still has to be completed through CASS in the app, which means your old account is closed and payments are moved across under the guarantee that comes with the service⁷.

Banking with Barclays: app, online, branch and phone

Barclays is primarily an app-based bank, but it keeps a full range of channels. In the app and Online Banking you can view and download statements, transfer money between your accounts, pay in a cheque, manage standing orders, see spending insights and controls, report a debit card lost or stolen, send the bank a message, manage a mortgage and open a Barclays Bank Account²¹. Statements are found in the app under Help on your home page, and in Online Banking under Manage accounts, then Statements and documents²².

You can also bank by phone, in a branch, and at the Post Office, where Barclays customers can do everyday banking²³. For lost or stolen cards, Barclays can be contacted online, by phone, in the app or in a branch²⁴. Card management in the app goes beyond reporting a card lost: you can view your card details and PIN securely, link cards to Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, and control whether card payments can be made abroad²⁵.

What the Barclays app does, and its limits outside the UK

The app's everyday features cover payments, statements, cheque deposits, standing orders, card controls and mortgage management²¹. It also sends payment alerts: you can get a push notification every time you spend on your card, when you receive money, and when direct debits or standing orders change, set up under Settings, then Push notifications²⁶.

Cheque deposits through the app use mobile cheque imaging, but not every cheque qualifies. Cheques payable to another person or entity, altered or forged cheques, previously deposited cheques, non-sterling cheques, travellers cheques, bankers' drafts, post-dated cheques and cheques dated more than six months before deposit cannot be accepted¹⁸. There is also a rule worth knowing: by using the service, you authorise Barclays to take a cheque payment back out of your account, even if it had already let you spend against it, for example if the cheque is later returned unpaid²⁷.

For spending abroad, the app lets you control whether card payments can be made in shops, restaurants or retailers overseas, so you can block foreign transactions when you are not travelling²⁵. The app's terms also make clear it is a service Barclays can withdraw: the bank can block your use of the service and write to explain why, and can end the relationship entirely if you break the terms²⁷. The app is provided by the Barclays company you hold your account with¹⁵.

Seeing other banks' accounts in the Barclays app

The Barclays app includes an Open Banking feature that lets you see accounts held with other banks in one place. It is available if you are a UK-based personal current account or UK Wealth customer, and you can choose to view certain sterling and non-sterling savings and payment accounts, including credit cards, held with other banking providers that are supported within the app²⁸.

When you connect another provider's accounts, Barclays requests information including the account identifier, product type, balances and up to two years of transactions, but only if you give your permission²⁹. You can stop sharing at any time: go to Settings and Third-party permissions in the app, and data requests stop immediately²⁸. The same permissions system covers companies you authorise to access your account information or initiate payments on your behalf, a right that has existed since 13 January 2018¹⁸.

Barclaycard customers can see their card details in Online Banking, in the Barclays app or in the Barclaycard app, and all Barclays and Barclaycard accounts can be managed in the same app¹³.

Why an overdraft is not an app setting

Overdrafts at Barclays are a form of borrowing, not a feature you can simply turn on. All overdrafts are subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history, whether you are asking for one on a new account or switching with an overdraft balance to clear⁹. On a joint account you can apply for an arranged overdraft, the decision is based on both holders' financial circumstances and borrowing history, and both holders are liable for the money borrowed¹⁶.

The Basic Current Account has no overdraft at all, and no cheque book⁸. Debt charity StepChange is blunt about basic accounts generally: they do not let you be overdrawn and have no overdraft facility¹⁷. That is deliberate, because the account is designed for people who would be harmed by unarranged borrowing charges. If you are already relying on an overdraft to get by, that is a debt problem rather than a banking feature, and free help is available from StepChange and from debt advice services before charges build up.

How your money is protected at Barclays

The Barclays UK bank is authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA and the PRA, and appears on the Bank of England's list of UK banks authorised to accept deposits³. You can check its status yourself on the FCA Register using its number, 759676⁵. A sister firm within the Barclays group, which handles some other Barclays businesses, is separately authorised with its own register number³.

For payments made through the app, Barclays operates an Online and Mobile Banking Guarantee: if you make a payment using any of the app's services and are an innocent victim of fraud, you are protected and any money taken is refunded³⁰. The app's security is certified by the British Standards Institute for Secure Digital Transactions³⁰. These guarantees sit alongside the wider consumer protection rules that apply across UK banking, including the right to complain and the protections around authorised push payment scams.

Contacting Barclays and complaining

Barclays can be contacted online, by phone, through the Barclays app or in a branch²⁴. For everyday account questions, the app's messaging service is usually the quickest route, and the same channels handle lost or stolen cards²⁴. Statements and documents, including paper statement preferences, can be managed in the app, in Online Banking, by phone through Telephone Banking, or in a branch with identification²².

If something goes wrong, start by raising a complaint with Barclays directly through any of these channels. The bank is regulated by the FCA and PRA, so it is required to handle complaints under the official complaints process, and its status and contact details can be verified on the FCA Register³. For free, impartial guidance on banking problems, scams and fraud, or debt, MoneyHelper and StepChange are independent of any bank¹⁷.