Barclays’ ‘security’ alert for when you make card payments | Personal Finance | Finance

Barclays has warned customers they may be required to carry out a task when making a card payment as a security measure. The policy came to light after a customer contacted the bank as they had been unable to use any of their Barclays cards.

He explained: “It says unable to read cards and won’t work contactless. This is with two separate cards with two different accounts with you. Please help.”

The person went on to explain the cards were not working online or in any shops. In response, Barclays asked if they had received a text message or notification from Barclays.

They also suggested they could try both paying contactless or using a card machine. The bank pointed to a key rule to note here: “When using your card with contactless, there will be times when you’ll be required to put your card in the machine and enter your PIN, for security reasons.”

Barclays also encouraged the customer to send them a message about the problem with some of their details, including their full name, post code and contact number. If you are having issues making a payment with a Barclays debit card, the advice is to try and resolve this with the retailer in the first instance.

If this doesn’t resolve the issue, you can make a claim through the chargeback service. You can put in a claim if you have problems such as a faulty item, a missing item or if a service is cancelled.

You can put in your claim over the phone by calling 0345 734 5345. You cannot use this service if you made a purchase by cash or cheque.

Another option if you have an issue with a payment is to flag it in the app or through online banking. You can do this by logging in, selecting the transaction and then clicking on ‘Help with this transaction’.

If you think you are the victim of fraud, you should contact Barclays immediately. You can call up to report debit card fraud on 0800 3891 652 and Barclaycard fraud on 0800 318 665.

You should also contact Barclays as soon as possible if your debit or credit card is lost or stolen. If you are unsure if you have permanently lost your card, you can use the ‘temporary freeze’ feature in the app to stop payments for the time being.

To report a lost or stolen card, you can call 03457 345 345, log in online banking and go to ‘Manage accounts’, or in the app, tap on ‘Manage cards’ in the side menu.

Customers can also report this in a branch, and in an emergency, you can be issued an instant debit card replacement. You can use the branch finder tool to find your nearest branch that offers this service.