Barclaycard launches virtual replacement for lost or stolen credit cards

Customers will be able to replace a missing card instantly on their

Barclaycard is introducing an upgrade to its mobile app that will allow customers to instantly replace a lost or stolen credit card.

The new service will allow customers with a Visa card to have it immediately replaced onto their mobile phone if it is lost or stolen by simply calling the customer service centre from the Barclaycard app. They will then be able to download a virtual replacement card that can be used for contactless payments. A physical card will follow in the post.

Forgetful during the festive period

Barclaycard estimates that in the aftermath of the Christmas festivities millions of us will have had to visit a pub or bar, not for a quick drink but to retrieve a forgotten debit or credit card.

According to its research, 2.5 million people left their cards at bars or restaurants over Christmas, after starting a tab and then forgetting to close it. A sixth of people questioned admitted to forgetting their card after opening a tab.

Of those people 46% realised their mistake when they went to pay for something else, but 29% didn’t realise until the next day.

As a result of a forgotten card 24% of us have had to wake up a spouse or housemate to pay for our taxi home.

“It’s amazing that nearly three weeks after Christmas, half a million Brits are still retrieving forgotten cards from their favourite bars and restaurants. With cards increasingly being used to pay for everything from the morning coffee to an evening meal, going about your life while your card is somewhere else can lead to potentially awkward situations,” says Tami Hargreaves, commercial director of digital consumer payments at Barclaycard.

Higher contactless limit

Barclaycard’s upgrade of its app will also see users able to pay for larger items with contactless mobile payments. At present there is a £30 payment limit on contactless but people using the Barclaycard app will be able use ‘touch and go’ technology to pay for transactions of up to £100 by entering their PIN into the app.

“Barclaycard’s new Android Contactless Mobile feature is the first in the market that allows you to immediately download a new card to your mobile, and use it to make contactless payments,” says Hargreaves. “With contactless spending now over a billion pounds a month, we may even be witnessing the beginning of the end for the bar tab as we currently know it.”

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