Barclays Blue Rewards

ElwoodBlues

I went into a branch of Barclays a few weeks ago to pay in a cheque. Did that at the counter, and the cashier then said "I'll just enable Blue Rewards for you while you're here, it'll give you loyalty discounts on purchases." Wasn't told any more than that, or even asked if it was something that I was interested in, just that she would 'enable' it.

A few days letter I got an email with a bit more of an explanation about what it's about, and I noticed that it said to be eligible I'll need to pay the monthly fee of £3. That definitely wasn't mentioned in the branch, and I've not signed or agreed to anything, or setup a payment/dd for this £3 per month. So I assumed that I just wouldn't be eligible and left it at that.

Now I've noticed that they've just taken the £3 payment from my account. From what I can gather, they pay a £3.50 bonus for the first two direct debits that leave my account each month? I've definitely got more than 2 going out regularly, so I should get £7/month cashback/bonus on them. Which does make it appear that the monthly fee is covered and I'm getting a little bit back on top. But I probably wouldn't have agreed to it at the counter if I'd been told there was a fee, doesn't seem worth it for the hassle/complication.

I'm a little taken aback at the way I was signed up for it, with no explanation or even being asked, just told. Feels a bit like sharp practice. Are the staff earning commission for signing people up to it or something?

EarthBoy

Blue Rewards doesn't cost you anything. They charge you £3, but pay you £7, so you're £4 better off.

They probably saw that you already have two direct debits and pay in at least £800 per month, so having Blue Rewards is a no-brainer, really. There's no hassle or complication involved. I agree with you that they should have explained it properly, but if you don't want it you can easily cancel it.

Ballard

I’m not sure what hassle/complication you’re worried about but if you feel it’s not worth the £48 annual profit you can just cancel.

chanz4

no hassle at all, better than Halifax who give £2

Flobberchops

It's a bit off that you were (or have perceived to have been) pressure-sold Blue Rewards, but as long as you meet the criteria it's really only a good thing. Staff have no sales quotas and at any rate this is cashback, not a paid financial product.


The effect of the £3 fee is to encourage customer engagement (i.e. by checking they're meeting the criteria, not being laissez-faire with their finances) and also enables the £7 cashback to be paid tax-free.


If you decide you don't want Blue Rewards you can opt out at any time through the app or online banking.

Katiehound

You can also earn blue rewards on other services from the bank ie household insurance, so you might want to look & see if what they provide is a competitive price.

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