Barclaycard

Barclaycard, part of Barclays Retail and Business Banking, is a global payment business. The Barclaycard was the first credit card introduced in the UK, coming into service in 1966. It enjoyed a monopoly until the introduction of the Access card in 1972. The 'Barclaycard' was not the first payment card to be issued in the United Kingdom though, Diners Club and American Express launched their charge cards in 1962 and 1963 respectively. At the time American Express was seen as Barclaycard's main competitor.Barclaycard later became part of the Visa network but now offer MasterCard, Visa and American Express versions. Barclaycard claims it is Europe's leading issuer of credit cards with 10.4 million customers in the UK and 10.8 million outside the UK. Barclaycard's main offices are in Northampton, along with several floors at Barclays' corporate headquarters, One Churchill Place in Canary Wharf, London.