Barclays issued the United Kingdom’s first widely recognized credit card through Barclaycard.
Barclays launched Barclaycard on 29 June 1966, making it the first major bank-backed credit-card program in the United Kingdom. The product was initially introduced as a charge card and was modeled on BankAmericard, the American card scheme that later became Visa.
A technical distinction explains why some sources give a different date. Barclaycard became a revolving-credit card after receiving approval from the Bank of England, with the credit-card format taking effect on 8 November 1967. Nevertheless, Barclays and Barclaycard are routinely credited with launching Britain’s first credit card in 1966.
Barclaycard initially enjoyed a near-monopoly in the British credit-card market. Competition increased when the Access Card arrived in 1972. In 1976, Barclaycard joined the newly formed Visa network, linking the British product to an international payment system.