UK expats angry over Barclaycard cut off

British expats with Barclaycards will see their accounts closed if they can’t provide an authorised British address.

Barclaycard holders with overseas addresses in all but 11 overseas locations have been hit by the sudden change in the credit card giant’s terms and conditions. They have until August 6 to inform the bank of their UK residential address, after which their cards will be cancelled. Using a relative or friend’s address will no longer be acceptable, as proof of current residence at the given address will be required. The only overseas countries in which UK expats will be allowed to continue using their Barclaycards are France, Australia, Spain, Germany, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, the Caymans and Falkland Islands and Bermuda, and users in these countries will be supported by a UK-based financial organisation.

Affected expat users outside the 11 selected exceptions may well be angered by the sudden change, as the new terms and conditions state customers must reside at the given UK address although the card company is fully aware recipients are living overseas and are likely to experience problems making other arrangements in the short period of time allowed by the bank. In 2014, thousands of Barclaycard holders who’d not used their cards for at least six months were threatened with account closures, and in 2015 Barclays Bank actually closed accounts belonging to expats in Malta, Greece and Cyprus.

An expat living in the USA told the British media he’d been shocked to receive a letter demanding confirmation of his UK address after he’d held his Visa card for 40 years whilst living in Spain and later in the USA. Luckily, he also has a US dollar credit card, but many thousands of expat workers and retirees whose countries of residence are not on the new list may not have an alternative. A complaint has been launched with the British Financial Ombudsman detailing the changes and their effect on UK expats overseas, but the bank and its Barclaycard subsidiary are sticking to their guns on the issue. A spokesperson told the media the bank values all its customers, but the terms and conditions now state account and credit card holders must be living either in the UK or in one of the 11 core countries specified.