Barclays Gift Card

Terms & conditions

Please note that Barclays Gift Card was taken 'off-sale' from February 2010. If you have an existing Gift Card, we will continue to provide you with support and service as normal.

These are the terms and conditions for Barclays Gift Card.

Please read these terms and conditions (the "Terms") carefully and keep a copy for your records.

1. Meanings
1.1 In these Terms:
"We" or "us" or "our" means Barclays Bank PLC.
"You" or "your" means the person who has purchased the Barclays Gift Card ("the Card") and/or the person ("the user") named on it and nominated by the purchaser to use it.
1.2 These Terms will apply between you and us in relation to the Card.

2. About the Card
2.1 The Card is a prepaid card and should be treated just like cash in a wallet or purse. If you lose the Card or it is stolen, you will lose any funds held on the Card just as if you lost your wallet or purse.
2.2 The Card is not a debit or a credit or a charge card. It cannot be used to obtain cash via any machine or over any counter (though these Terms provide for the redemption with us of unspent funds). No interest will be paid on unspent funds. The Card cannot be topped up or reloaded. Payment made with the Card cannot be stopped.
2.3 At points of sale the Card can only be used via an electronic on-line card reader. For remote or mail order transactions the user will be required to provide the 16-digit card number, the security number and possibly the start and/or expiry date. The access code is used only for activation of the Card and to obtain information on-line or by telephone. You should take care to keep the Card and the numbers on it safe and secure for the user's own personal use. Any misuse by a third party will be at your risk (see also Term 5 below).
2.4 The purchaser of the Card must be a UK resident paying (by means of a UK debit or credit card) the Card issue fee of £3, together with the funds (an amount between £10 and £300 in whole pounds) to be loaded to the Card.
2.5 The currency of the Card is Sterling. Any transaction in a different currency will be converted to sterling at the exchange rate used by Visa on the day it processes the transaction and deducted along with a fee of 2.75% of that amount.
2.6 It is expected that the Card may be used at points of sale where Visa Electron cards are usually accepted; but we will not be liable if you cannot use the Card with any seller and we will not be liable in any way for goods and/or services purchased from any seller using the Card.
2.7 The Card will be valid for two years from its start date after which it will expire and may not be used.
2.8 The Card may not be used for illegal transactions, or for gambling transactions or the purchase of fuel from automated dispensers. Some other types of transaction may also be restricted.
2.9 The Financial Services Compensation Scheme does not apply to the Card, nor would any equivalent compensation scheme in the event that we became unable to meet our financial obligations to you-in such an event you could lose your funds.

3. Using the Card
3.1 We will send the Card by post to the purchaser or at his or her request to the user (if the gift value is below £50), normally within one week of purchase.
3.2 The purchaser should provide the access code personally, securely and confidentially to the user.
3.3 Only the user may use the Card for transactions. The user must:

• Sign the card upon receipt
  
• Activate the Card via 0870 010 0059 ¹ or www.barclaysgiftcards.co.uk using the access code, having the Card and a copy of these Terms to hand. In activating the Card the user agrees to accept these Terms.

3.4 If the user is under 16 years of age, the purchaser agrees to ensure that these Terms are understood by the user and that use of the Card is supervised if required.
3.5 You are responsible for keeping track of the available balance on the Card. To check your balance at any time or to check your previous transactions, you can, using your 16 digit card number and access code log onto www.barclaysgiftcards.co.uk or call us on 0870 010 0059 ¹

4. Cancellation Rights
The purchaser will have 14 days beginning on the date of purchase to withdraw from the purchase and cancel the Card, without any penalty or charge (except the £3 fee already incurred for issuing the Card). The purchaser must contact us within these 14 days and inform us that he or she wishes to withdraw. If so, we will cancel the Card and reimburse any funds held on the Card to the purchaser. It is the purchaser's responsibility to inform the user (if any). If the Card has been activated we will first hold any balance of funds for up to 15 business days from receiving the purchaser's cancellation instructions to ensure that details of all spending have been received. Reimbursement will be to the card used for the purchase.

5. Loss, Theft, Damage, Misuse
If any of the above should occur to the Card, contact us immediately on 0870 010 0059 ¹ with your card number and access code. We will on your request then cancel your Card and replace it with a new Card. Any balance then remaining will be transferred to the new Card. We will reissue only after a period of up to 15 business days following your request to ensure that we have received details of all transactions up to cancellation. A reissue fee of £3 will be deducted from the balance.

6. Redeeming Unspent Funds
6.1 You may redeem the full balance of any unspent funds on the Card (less a redemption fee of £3 deducted from the balance) at any time while the Card is valid or within 90 days after its expiry, by so requesting. The minimum balance which may be redeemed is the Sterling equivalent at the time of 10 Euros.
6.2 Once the Card has been activated, the right to the funds on the Card and to redeem them applies in favour of the user rather than the purchaser, subject to the purchaser's cancellation rights (see Term 4 above).
6.3 We will pay the balance of unspent funds to you by way of electronic transfer to a UK bank account in your name specified by you but only after a period of up to 15 business days following your request to ensure that we have received details of all transactions, and to allow for any cancellation by the purchaser (see Term 4 above).
6.4 Any balance left on the Card after the right to redeem has ceased to apply will be donated to a charity selected by us.

7. Actions and Changes by Us
7.1 We may from time to time take such actions and/or make such changes as we reasonably consider to be necessary for any of the purposes of protecting electronic funds from misuse, fraud prevention, overcoming operational difficulties, complying with applicable law or regulation, or making more efficient the working of the Card or Barclays Gift Cards generally. These may include (but are not restricted to):

• Making changes to these Terms;
  
• Cancelling the Card and refunding any balance due;
  
• Declining to authorise transactions;
  
• Suspending or restricting all or part of the operation of the Card and/or the access code;
  
• Instructing a seller to retain the Card.

7.2 If we do any of the above,we will give you as much notice and in such manner as is reasonably practicable (unless circumstances are exceptional).
7.3 If, to your disadvantage, we make any material changes to these Terms, we will usually give you at least 30 days' notice.

8. Ownership/Return/Destruction of the Card
We retain ownership of the Card at all times. It should be returned to us or destroyed as soon as it has no spending or redemption value, or if replaced but available, or if cancelled, or if required by us pursuant to Term 7 above.

9. Using Information About You
9.1 In order to provide you with services we need to collect,use,share and store personal and financial information about you ("your information").This includes information which we:
a) obtain from you or from third parties when you apply for or validate the Card, or
b) learn from the way you use the Card and from the transactions you make such as date, amount, currency and the name and type of supplier (eg supermarket or retail services).
9.2 We and other companies in the Barclays Group will use your information to provide our services, for assessment and analysis (including behaviour scoring, market and product analysis), to develop and improve our services to you and other customers and to protect our interests.
9.3 We and other members of the Barclays Group will use your information to inform you by letter, telephone, text (or similar) messages, digital television, email and other electronic methods, about products and services (including those of others) which may be of interest to you. You may tell us at any time if you do not wish to receive marketing communications from us and/or other members of the Barclays Group by writing to us providing your full name and address.
9.4 We may give information about you and how you manage your Card to the following:

• other companies within the Barclays Group;
  
• people who provide a service to us or are acting as our agents, on the understanding that they will keep your information confidential;
  
• anyone to whom we transfer or may transfer our rights and duties;
  
• any third party as a result of any restructure, sale or acquisition of any company within the Barclays Group, provided that any recipient uses your information for the same purposes for which it was originally supplied to us and/or used by us;
  
• we may also give out information about you if we have a duty to do so or if the law allows us to do so or in connection with the use, loss, theft or possible misuse of the Card or the access code, or in order for us to meet our obligations as a member of the Visa Electron card scheme. Otherwise we will keep your information confidential.

9.5 If we transfer your information to a person, office, branch or organisation located in another country, we will make sure that they agree to apply the same levels of protection as we are required to apply to your information and to use your information strictly in accordance with our instructions.
9.6 We will retain information about you for as long as permitted for legal, regulatory, fraud prevention and legitimate business purposes.
9.7 You can ask us for a copy of the information we hold about you by writing to us. A fee will be charged for this service.

10. Telephone calls
Calls to and from us may be monitored and/or recorded.

11. Law
These Terms are governed by English law and are subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

12. Complaints
If you have a complaint, please contact us either in writing or by telephone. If you cannot settle your complaint with us, you may be entitled to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service, Customer Contact Division, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR. Telephone 08000 234 567. Any complaints may be raised without prejudice to your right to take legal proceedings.

Barclays is committed to The Banking Code, which sets out the governing principles of a bank's dealings with its customers. As such we ensure that our products and services comply with the terms of the Code. You can obtain a free copy of The Banking Code by phoning the Barclays Information Line free on 0800 400 100 ¹ . Available in Braille, large print and audio tape/CD by calling 0800 400 100 ¹ (via TextDirect if appropriate).