Barclays Bank UK PLC · DRN-6260707

The complaint Mrs R complains Barclays Bank UK PLC treated her unfairly by not honouring a promotional points offer she qualified for. When I refer to what Mrs R and/or Barclays said or did, it should also be taken to include things said or done on their behalf. What happened In June 2023, Mrs R opened a credit card account with Barclays. She said there was an offer on new accounts, which, if she qualified for, Barclays would give her 25,000 points which could be used to gain certain benefits, such as flights, hotels and car hire. Mrs R said she needed to spend £20,000 to gain the points and she did that, but Barclays failed to give her the promotional points. Barclays wrote to her in August 2023, and later in November 2023. Barclays upheld Mrs R’s concerns about the poor service she received from them and offered to pay her £75 for the distress and inconvenience caused. However, Barclays did not uphold her concerns about the promotional points offer as, they said, Mrs R did not meet the full criteria to qualify for the promotion. Mrs R was not happy. As such, she referred her complaint to us; the Financial Ombudsman Service (Financial Ombudsman). Our investigator was of the opinion that Barclays have not done anything wrong by not providing Mrs R with the promotional points. The investigator was also of the opinion that the £75 payment offered by Barclays is a fair way to settle Mrs R’s complaint reflecting the distress and inconvenience caused when she was given incorrect information. Mrs R disagreed with the investigator. As a result, the complaint has been passed to me 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. Where evidence is unclear or in dispute, I reach my findings on the balance of probabilities – which is to say, what I consider most likely to have happened based on the evidence available and the surrounding circumstances. And when I am considering what is fair and reasonable, I need to take into account the relevant rules, guidance, the law, and, where appropriate, what would be considered to have been good industry practice at the relevant time. I have summarised this complaint very briefly, in less detail than has been provided, and largely in my own words. No discourtesy is intended by this. If there is something I have not mentioned, I have not ignored it. I have not commented on every individual detail. But I have

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focussed on those that are central to me reaching, what I think is, the right outcome. This reflects the informal nature of the Financial Ombudsman as a free alternative to the courts. Also, I can only consider the aspects relating to this specific complaint. I cannot look at issues that have not yet been raised with Barclays ones they have not had a chance to address. In this decision I am only looking at the events that have been raised by Mrs R with Barclays and the ones they were provided an opportunity to address in their August and November 2025 correspondence to her. First, I would like to express my considerable sympathy for the position Mrs R is in. Mrs R had a recent close bereavement, which understandably has been the cause of great sadness to her. I have considerable sympathy for her situation, and I realise that worries about her Barclay’s account have added to her concerns. With that in mind, I know that what I am about to say will be unwelcome news to Mrs R, and I am truly sorry if my decision adds to her distress. But I’m unable to uphold her complaint. I’ll explain why, below. For me to uphold Mrs R’s complaint and direct Barclays to provide Mrs R with the 25,000 promotional points, I would need to be satisfied that she was eligible for the offer and that Barclays have breached the terms and conditions of that promotional offer. Barclays provided the terms and conditions of the different applicable accounts and explained that the points are not transferred from the credit card onwards until the second working day of the following month after it is seen on a statement. The statement on Mrs R’s account was to be issued on 14 July 2024, and points would normally have credited the account they were going into on 2 August 2024. But Mrs R’s credit card account was closed on 12 July 2024. The points scheme rules state that a customer is not eligible for the promotional points reward if an account is restricted or terms have been breached. As Mrs R’s credit card account was closed on 12 July 2024, I do not think she was eligible for the points, based on the terms and conditions of the account. When the account was closed, the points Mrs R was accruing had not yet been transferred. As such, it was not unreasonable for Barclays to conclude that she was no longer eligible for them. I know that Barclays on some occasions gave poor customer service to Mrs R, as they gave her some incorrect information. However, I think the £75 they have offered fairly reflects the impact of this situation. As such, besides paying Mrs R the £75 already offered, I do not think it would be fair or reasonable for them to take any further action in relation to her complaint. Overall, I sympathise with Mrs R for the difficulties that she is experiencing. However, taking all the circumstances of the complaint into account, I have not seen enough evidence to say that Barclays needs to take any further action in relation to this complaint except to pay Mrs R the £75 they have already offered. My final decision For the reasons given above, I do not think Barclays needs to take any further action in relation to this complaint except to pay Mrs R the £75 they already offered. Under the rules of the Financial Ombudsman Service, I’m required to ask Mrs R to accept or reject my decision before 27 April 2026. Mike Kozbial Ombudsman

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