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Barclaycard Review: The Best Payment Processor for Your Business
Barclaycard provides merchant accounts to small and large businesses.
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Barclaycard Review: The Best Payment Processor for Your Business
Barclaycard provides merchant accounts to small and large businesses.
Last updated 03/09/2025
Barclaycard offers services for businesses that wish to sell products and services and take payments electronically through Barclays Bank. Barclaycard processes these payments made to your business on your behalf, opening the door to a more modern way of interacting with your customers.Â
It offers three different card machines to the businesses that use its services. While this doesn’t match the range of card machines on offer from some of its competitors, the card machines it does offer fulfil their job well. In fact, its Smartpay Touch topped our list of the best card machines available in the UK; thanks to its portability, EPOS features, and usability. Â
Barclaycard: In Summary
While Barclaycard’s physical card machines prove suitable for a range of industries, from retail and finance through to telecoms and hospitality, its customisable transaction fees, lack of upfront costs, and exceptional fraud prevention also put the company in a good position to provide your business with the level of service it needs when it comes to taking digital payments. Below is a breakdown of the standout benefits you’d enjoy if you chose to bank with Barclaycard.Â
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- Customised pricing available with every card reader
- Next-day settlements
- Transparant pricing
- Resilient fraud prevention
How Much Does Barclaycard Cost?
| Card Machine | Cost | Transaction Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Barclaycard Flex | £15 + VAT p/m | Customised pricing |
| Smartpay Anywhere | £29 + VAT one-off | Customised pricing |
| Smartpay Touch | £29 + VAT p/m | Customised pricing |
Other Barclaycard Fees
As well as the above fees, which are the most obvious fees you’ll pay, Barclaycard also charge not-so-obvious fees for various services. These fees include an authorisation fee, which covers the cost of the communication that happens between your card reader and Barclays’ servers.Â
Then other fees include terminal rental fees, which apply if you choose to rent your card machine, PCI fees, which are charged when you use a Barclays product to report your PCI compliance, and eCommerce charges, which only apply if your business is using Barclays’ online payment gateway services.Â
For a full breakdown of Barclaycard merchant fees, complete with examples, head over to the company’s website.Â
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Please select the industry that you trade within. This information allows us to tailor your quote.
Barclaycard Card Readers
Barclaycard has a range of machines on offer, each designed for slightly different needs. The kinds of card machines they provide are listed below. Each card machine comes with a cost per transaction, with the fee you pay depending on the price plan you choose, while others require you to pay a rental fee for the machine itself.Â
Most card machines, like the ones you will read about here, work in conjunction with merchant accounts. If you want to find out more about what they are, read our merchant account guide.Â
| Barclaycard Flex | Smartpay Anywhere | Smartpay Touch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract length | 18 months | No contract | 12 months |
| Cancellation cost | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Paper reciepts | Yes | No | Yes |
| Stock management | No | No | Yes |
| Next day settlement | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Smartpay Touch
The Smartpay touch is equipped for the most modern work environments.
Price: £29 p/m
Contract Length: 12 months
Smartpay Touch topped our best card machines list and offers more than the average mobile card machine. Its large touchscreen and intuitive interface make it a good choice for businesses seeking a modern payment solution with added benefits. Its screen allows you to manage stock, take customer bookings, and view real-time, insightful sales reports. These added features essentially make the card machine an all-in-one EPOS system that your staff can carry around with them.
Think of it as the more intuitive version of the Flex Mobile Card Reader (explored below), one that’s particularly suited to the hospitality industry with its bigger screen and intuitive software.
The machine comes with a minimum 12-month contract duration with no initial charges. What you do pay is the monthly rental fee, which is £29 per month plus VAT. Transaction fees are then customisable, with your rate depending on your specific circumstances.
Barclaycard Flex
Make 700 sales a day on a full charge with a machine that is as cost-effective as it is capable.
Price: £15 p/m
Contract Length: 18 months
Equipped with a sizable screen and a conventional design, the Barclaycard Flex powers you through the day with its ability to accept up to 700 sales a day on a full charge. This, coupled with its personalised pricing plans and fast payment processing, means you can enjoy a very capable card machine while keeping costs down to a minimum. These benefits make the Flex a contender for any busy business.
Installing the card reader is simple, too. Once the reader is plugged into a mains socket, it will usually be good to go. Just press the green button, and the on-screen instructions will guide you through the rest. Once you enter your merchant details into the machine, you’ll be ready to start taking card payments.
The machine comes with a minimum 18-month contract and with no initial setup costs. You do pay a monthly rental fee of £15 per month (excluding VAT). Transaction fees thereafter are customisable, with your rate depending on your specific circumstances.
Want to know more about how card payments work?
If you’re confused about all the jargon you’ve just read, don’t worry. While this article focuses on Barclaycard card machines, we also have in-depth guides that fully explain everything else you need to know about taking payments. Explore below:Â
Smartpay Anywhere
If you like things simple, look no further than the Smartpay Anywhere, which is simple, neat, and easy to use.
Price: £29 one-off
Contract Length: No contract
Smartpay Anywhere is the fundamental card reader, offering straightforward chip-and-PIN and contactless payment functions. It has no monthly cost, no contract and only a one-off fee of £29 (excluding VAT), which you pay for the reader itself. Transaction fees thereafter are customisable, with your rate depending on your specific circumstances. Â
If you like things simple, look no further. This is the simplest option Barclaycard offers. With its neat design and lack of confusing buttons, it provides a quick and smart way to take card payments, and, as a bonus, you’ll get the money you take from card payments in your account as soon as the next working day. Choose this machine if you’re a smaller business that doesn’t need any unnecessary add-ons.
If, however, you do want the ability to track sales and keep on top of business admin, the SmartPay Anywhere can also pack a punch. The card reader can work alongside a smartphone or tablet, which has an app to connect to the device. Using the app, you can access some of the more advanced features on offer from Barclaycard’s payment software.
How do Barclaycard Card Machines Compare to Other Card Machines?
While we’re focusing specifically on Barclaycard card machines here, it can often be handy to know how Barclays’ card machines compare to other card machines from different providers. For this reason, we’ve broken down exactly that in the table below.Â
If, however, you want to read more about the best card machines available for your business, read our full breakdown of the UK’s best card machines.Â
| Card Machine | Cost | Transaction Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Takepayments Plus | Available on request | Available on request |
| Square Terminal | £149 | 1.75% |
| Sumup Air | £25 starting price | 1.69% |
| Zettle Reader 2 | £49 | 1.75% |
| Dojo Go | £20/mo (rental) | 1.4%-1.8% |
| PayPal Terminal | £149 | 1.75% |
Is Barclaycard Good for Small Businesses?
Barclaycard provides merchant services to both small and large businesses, helping them accept card payments from customers.
Accepting card payments allows small business owners to take their company to the next level. If your business is just getting started, Barclaycard may be the perfect choice for stepping into a more digitally-oriented way of running your business.
Many small retailers trust Barclaycard to deliver reliable and secure payment solutions, as do many medium-sized businesses, and it’s these types of businesses that best suit Barclaycard. What Barclaycard is able to offer, from its lack of lengthy contracts and small upfront costs to its all-in-one systems, easy-to-use card readers, and fraud prevention, makes it a safe bet for the vast majority of small and medium-sized businesses in the UK. Â
One thing to note is that if you do apply for a Barclays business account, Barclays Bank will consider your financial circumstances and borrowing history before approving your application. Ultimately, the approval of your application will depend on your financial circumstances.Â
FAQs
What is Barclaycard?
Barclaycard is the business-focused part of Barclays. It processes payments made to your business on your behalf, opening the door to a more modern way of interacting with your customers.Â
Which is the best Barclaycard card machine?
The Barclaycard Smartpay Touch topped our best card machines list and offers more than the average mobile card machine. Its large touchscreen and intuitive interface make it a good choice for businesses seeking a modern payment solution with added benefits. Its screen allows you to manage stock, take customer bookings, and view real-time, insightful sales reports.Â
These added features essentially make the card machine an all-in-one EPOS system that your staff can carry around with them.
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