Barclays Bank UK PLC · DRN-6249136

The complaint Mr T complains that Barclays Bank UK PLC treated him unfairly when it gave him incorrect information regarding the monthly repayments required on two credit cards. What happened In May 2024, Mr T opened two credit cards, both with a 0% interest rate for 28 months. He transferred balances from other accounts, totalling around £1,900 onto account ending 4002 and around £3,500 onto account ending 1008. Mr T contacted Barclays using its text chat service shortly afterwards to discuss the direct debit payments. During this interaction, Barclays incorrectly advised Mr T that if he just made the minimum payment each month, he would pay off the balances by the end of the 0% period. In August 2025, Mr T realised that this wasn’t going to clear his balance, and he complained to Barclays. It apologised for its mistake and paid Mr T £150 as an apology. Mr T remained unhappy and wanted the 0% period to be extended or for the debt to be written off. An investigator reviewed the merits of Mr T’s complaint and felt that the actions taken by Barclays after Mr T complained were fair. Mr T disagreed, so asked for an ombudsman to decide. What I’ve decided – and why I’ve considered all the available evidence and arguments to decide what’s fair and reasonable in the circumstances of this complaint. Having done so, I’m not upholding Mr T’s complaint. I know this isn’t the outcome he was hoping for, and I’ll explain why. The facts of the case as noted above aren’t in dispute and Barclays has accepted that its agent made a mistake. The evidence shows that initially, for account ending 4002, Mr T would have needed to make payments of around £70 per month throughout the 28 months, and for account ending 1008, around £130 per month. This was always Mr T’s intention. Instead, as the direct debit was set up to pay only the minimum due each month, the repayments reduced each month as the balance itself reduced. By the time the issue was identified by Mr T, he had a remaining balance of around £1,160 for account 4002 and around £2,000 for account 1008. As there were 14 monthly payments remaining until the end of the 0% period, Mr T would need to increase his monthly payments to around £83 per month for account 4002 and £143 per month for 1008. So in total, across both accounts, Mr T would need to pay around an additional £26 per month more than his original, and correct, understanding had been in May 2024. But on this

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basis Mr T would still only be repaying the amount he borrowed, minus the £150 compensation from Barclays. I don’t doubt the frustration this has caused Mr T. In situations such as this, our service looks at what a fair and reasonable outcome would be, rather than to punish a business for its mistakes. I think Barclays compensating Mr T with a total of £150 is fair in the circumstances of this case, as it has apologised for the error and Mr T still has a reasonable opportunity to repay the balance in full before any interest is charged. I don’t think Barclays need to extend the 0% period or write any balance off. My final decision My final decision is that I’m not upholding this complaint against Barclays Bank UK PLC, for the reasons outlined above. Under the rules of the Financial Ombudsman Service, I’m required to ask Mr T to accept or reject my decision before 28 April 2026. David Barker Ombudsman

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