Barclaycard Avios Plus holder – the ‘signing up for Barclays Premier’ thread

[qc]

VerdantBacon wrote:

qc wrote:

I’m confused on whether we will get the 100k bonus Avios

This is our situation –

We both have the Barclays Premium Avios credit card
We don’t earn £75k
We do have £100k in savings

My questions are –
1) do we have to put the £100k in a Barclays account which we don’t want to do as we’re getting a better rate elsewhere?
2)can we both go for this offer if we pass the £100k test?

As mentioned in several articles and in the Premier banking requirements-

To join and remain eligible for Premier Banking you need to have an income of £75,000 or more paid into a Barclays current account or at least £100,000 invested with Barclays. T&Cs apply.

This is from the Barclays Website so I think we can get it by paying £20 a month

To be eligible for free Premier Banking, you’ll need to have a current account with us and

An annual gross income of £75,000 or more paid into it – that’s at least £3,330 each month or £40,000 over the last 12 months, or
At least £100,000 in savings with us and/or in Barclays UK investments
If you don’t meet the criteria for free Premier Banking, there’ll be a £20 monthly fee. We’ll review your eligibility regularly and if at any point you don’t qualify, we’ll contact you to explain your options.

[Luca M]

Once again:

To be eligible for Premier Banking YOU must meet the criteria of earning £75k per year or have £100k invested with Barclays (does not have to be a saving account, it could well be spread across ISA, Investment platform and other forms of investments as well as saving). Barclays has a history of indeed checking proof of income after triggering random account reviews.

The £20 fee is secondary to be the eligible in the first place but not putting your income/enough of your income through the Account. Rob (Head for Points) has had this also confirmed by Barclays.

However, right now it looks like Barclays are letting everyone upgrade and then In the welcoming letter, they have words to the effect of will confirm eligibility after one Year. Now as long standing Premier customer I see this as product worsening of an already weakened product, but I guess Barclays rather get in the news again for downgrading customers after all (already happened some years ago when Premier was indeed a pay for service, which they then decided to make it free but remove it from those not earning at least £75k).

@qc if you and your wife both manage to open/upgrade to a premier account before the 30th November and both hold also the Avios plus card, and hold it until March, then you will get the 100k Avios. After that, if they review your account and want to downgrade you, they will, but you would already have banked the 100k Avios.

Edited: I am pretty sure that the wording has been indeed changed as the previous version, also seen on the back page of the Evening Standard last Thursday, clearly separated the eligibility criteria from the account fee criteria (as did the welcome letter I have seen from last week), but the latest website and app condition, merged the Free condition with the eligibility … maybe worth for Rob to ask further clarity on this.

[smblcklck]

So frustrating. I left it late due to having a load of travel over the past few weeks but I thought I would have a go – went through the process in app, and truthfully (or is it foolishly) stated my salary as well over the £3,300 monthly listed in multiple places, but just shy of the 75k annual requirement and it told me I wasn’t eligible because of it.

Managed to restart the process and my ID verification somehow failed on the 2nd try and I need to go to a branch.

Really don’t think I can be bothered to try and rush this through and wish I’d trusted my gut instinct not to trust Barclays awful IT

[billyrayvalentine]

Thanks – I’ve never had the app before so will give this a try.

[JamesF300]

Grant wrote:

I think I have now managed to complete the process of opening a Premier Account, initiating a switch from a donor account and signing up for Avios Rewards. The only thing I can’t seem to do is add my Avios plus card to the Barclays app, it is still managed through the separate Barclaycard app. Will this be a problem come bonus time?

It might be worth a call to the Premier banking line, you may have two separate accounts not linked to one another.

My timeline:

1. Sign up for Barclaycard during the 50k bonus Avios promo
2. Sign up for Premier Banking (Via the Barclay’s app) early this month
3. Barclaycard app starts crashing, giving error code 00002
4. Barclays app crashes after ID verification at FSCS stage
5. Book appointment in branch, but Barclays app starts to work, not showing Barclaycard
6. Premier Banking line (Much shorter queue than the regular help desk) deregister both accounts from online banking, the two aren’t linked to one other
7. Uninstall both apps, reinstall one, re-register, and both accounts appeared
8. Email received showing I’ll receive 100k Avios next March

Hope this helps

[Grant]

JamesF300 wrote:

Grant wrote:

I think I have now managed to complete the process of opening a Premier Account, initiating a switch from a donor account and signing up for Avios Rewards. The only thing I can’t seem to do is add my Avios plus card to the Barclays app, it is still managed through the separate Barclaycard app. Will this be a problem come bonus time?

It might be worth a call to the Premier banking line, you may have two separate accounts not linked to one another.

My timeline:

1. Sign up for Barclaycard during the 50k bonus Avios promo
2. Sign up for Premier Banking (Via the Barclay’s app) early this month
3. Barclaycard app starts crashing, giving error code 00002
4. Barclays app crashes after ID verification at FSCS stage
5. Book appointment in branch, but Barclays app starts to work, not showing Barclaycard
6. Premier Banking line (Much shorter queue than the regular help desk) deregister both accounts from online banking, the two aren’t linked to one other
7. Uninstall both apps, reinstall one, re-register, and both accounts appeared
8. Email received showing I’ll receive 100k Avios next March

Hope this helps

Thanks – much like my earlier experience, however, after I had left it for another couple of days, my Barcalays app refreshed again to show both products. I’ve also received my debit card, the 100k Avios email and confirmation that my account switch is being processed.

[Carlos]

by any chance do you know which email (as mine are different for both products) they email you about the 100k
is it the last product? i.e. if you had avios plus already, then do they email the premier account on record?

[Grant]

Carlos wrote:

by any chance do you know which email (as mine are different for both products) they email you about the 100k
is it the last product? i.e. if you had avios plus already, then do they email the premier account on record?

Easiest way in this instance would be to check your documents in the app. Click the three dots ‘more’ > ‘statements and documents’ > ‘documents’ tab at the top. If Barclays have issued the email then it will be in the list of documents.

[smblcklck]

smblcklck wrote:

wish I’d trusted my gut instinct not to trust Barclays awful IT

Decided to explain the situation to a very helpful advisor on the Premier phone line, who’s view was not to worry and it was possible the applications hadn’t been made due to where the app crashed / kicked me out.

His advice was to try again via the web link, which I did, this time opting down the route of standard account figuring I could go to premier via the upgrade route that many have reported here.

But no joy! “We’re sorry but an error has prevented your account from being opened online. We’ve sent your details to our processing team who’ll complete your application. We’ll be in touch within 5 business days to give you an update”. Also an email saying it will take 48 hours but I need an appointment. I’ll wait the 48 hours / 5 days and see what further comms I receive but I can’t help but think this is going to be a mess to sort out and threads like this are concerning

[Birdy]

smblcklck wrote:

wish I’d trusted my gut instinct not to trust Barclays awful IT

+1. I opened my account in Sept but couldn’t access the app this morning because there was a message saying I needed to go to a branch to do ID check. I went to a branch and was offered an appointment on 26 Jan 2023. I’ve already switched and my salary is paid in so can’t really wait two months to be able to access it. I was told I could use telephone banking in the meantime (for the next two months?) or withdraw cash (!) before they agreed to let me wait to see someone. I ended up waiting over 90 mins. They told me my previous ID check had been removed from the system.

If I hadn’t already switched accounts then I would have just left. I’m not eligible for 100,000 avios but I’d think twice about whether even that is worth all the hassle with old fashioned processes and rubbish IT. As soon as I get the 25,000 avios switch bonus next month I will close the account.

[Smudgerman]

Current Avios Plus cardholder who tried to sign up for Premier account … acknowledgement email suggests it could take up to 5 weeks for confirmation … is this the experience of others pls ?

[qc]

I opened a regular current account via the App this afternoon and then upgraded to the Premier Account – maybe try it that way.

[RebeccaLondon]

I’ve upgraded my credit card to the avios plus card and set up the Premier account. However they’ve not been properly linked in the background, somehow I’ve ended up with two customer id’s. I’ve called them on 14th November and today and they don’t know why its not been linked or fixed yet. Apparently this means I won’t get the avios as their system thinks it’s two different people (with identical details). Sigh. It’s been escalated, again.

[RebeccaLondon]

RebeccaLondon wrote:

I’ve upgraded my credit card to the avios plus card and set up the Premier account. However they’ve not been properly linked in the background, somehow I’ve ended up with two customer id’s. I’ve called them on 14th November and today and they don’t know why its not been linked or fixed yet. Apparently this means I won’t get the avios as their system thinks it’s two different people (with identical details). Sigh. It’s been escalated, again.

Edit: when I log in on a browser they both show together but the app doesn’t show the bank account. I can’t add avios rewards without the bank account showing in the app. Its not available as an option on the browser, only Blue rewards.

I was going to do a bank account switch from my main account to barclays but this has really put me off. Think I’ll sacrifice the Starling account instead. Assuming they sort this in time anyway.

[Tom2]

RebeccaLondon wrote:

RebeccaLondon wrote:

I’ve upgraded my credit card to the avios plus card and set up the Premier account. However they’ve not been properly linked in the background, somehow I’ve ended up with two customer id’s. I’ve called them on 14th November and today and they don’t know why its not been linked or fixed yet. Apparently this means I won’t get the avios as their system thinks it’s two different people (with identical details). Sigh. It’s been escalated, again.

Edit: when I log in on a browser they both show together but the app doesn’t show the bank account. I can’t add avios rewards without the bank account showing in the app. Its not available as an option on the browser, only Blue rewards.

I was going to do a bank account switch from my main account to barclays but this has really put me off. Think I’ll sacrifice the Starling account instead. Assuming they sort this in time anyway.

Same thing happened to me. Had to go in for them to check my ID and merge the accounts. When they merged them a few days later I was suddenly not able to access the account at all and had to go back in for them to KYC me again despite being in there with the same proof a week before.

Within half an hour of leaving I got the email saying I was eligible for the 100,000 bonus so I guess it was worth it but very annoying. I will probably raise a complaint because it wasted over 3 hours of my life speaking with the phone team and then having to go in brand twice.

[roz]

Partners has had so many issues trying to get the premier current account from the app and website. Given how late this is, I doubt we’ll get a branch appointment for the weekend, and if we do – would this even go through and register in time?

[trueneutral]

My OH tried opening a regular account using the app (successfully), but when trying to upgrade to Premier via the App an error then appeared.

Did anyone face the same issue and did you manage to resolve it?

[cmcp]

trueneutral wrote:

My OH tried opening a regular account using the app (successfully), but when trying to upgrade to Premier via the App an error then appeared.

Did anyone face the same issue and did you manage to resolve it?

If you have multiple profiles, applied more than once, or any historic / obsolete accounts; you’ll get in for a short while but when the Matrix catches up and thinks it’s found a duplicate, your accounts could be locked and the app will throw weird error codes blocking your access.

I had to phone them multiple times to try and get it all working. https://www.headforpoints.com/forums/topic/help-avois-plus-cardholder-trying-to-apply-for-premier-current-account/#post-425368

[VALittleRed]

qc wrote:

I opened a regular current account via the App this afternoon and then upgraded to the Premier Account – maybe try it that way.

Also managed to set up regular account today after doing branch ID check. Now if I upgrade via app does it ask for income and do you have to prove this to Barclays?

[Tom2]

VALittleRed wrote:

qc wrote:

I opened a regular current account via the App this afternoon and then upgraded to the Premier Account – maybe try it that way.

Also managed to set up regular account today after doing branch ID check. Now if I upgrade via app does it ask for income and do you have to prove this to Barclays?

You will need to have your salary paid into the account and according to Barclays this has to be directly from your employer and not just a transfer from another bank account you control.

With the poster from the other day saying that Barclays had placed a CIFAS marker on him I would be very careful about fraudulently opening a Premier account if you do not earn either the £75k a year. 100,000 avios is not worth a CIFAS mark.

[RebeccaLondon]

Same thing happened to me. Had to go in for them to check my ID and merge the accounts. When they merged them a few days later I was suddenly not able to access the account at all and had to go back in for them to KYC me again despite being in there with the same proof a week before.

Within half an hour of leaving I got the email saying I was eligible for the 100,000 bonus so I guess it was worth it but very annoying. I will probably raise a complaint because it wasted over 3 hours of my life speaking with the phone team and then having to go in brand twice.[/quote]

I have a mortgage with them so I assume that’s why they haven’t had me in with ID. I don’t mind going in, I’d rather do that than miss out on 100k avios. They said to call again on Monday if its not fixed. I’ll definitely be complaining if I miss out due to their mistakes.

[Dave1234]

How long does it take to receive your debit card? I opened the account last Monday and it has still not arrived. I’m not going to switch my banking over or start paying in my salary while I’m going to be unable to make any withdrawals!

Barclays, why is it so difficult to do even the most basic things like open an account!

[VerdantBacon]

Dave1234 wrote:

How long does it take to receive your debit card? I opened the account last Monday and it has still not arrived. I’m not going to switch my banking over or start paying in my salary while I’m going to be unable to make any withdrawals!

Barclays, why is it so difficult to do even the most basic things like open an account!

Do not switch your main bank over to Barclays Premier, it’s not worth it, their systems are all complete trash. Unless you hate your current bank where your salary is deposited into, don’t switch it!

Instead open a Monzo account and switch that, you will still get the 25k bonus even without and DDs being switched over.

This is what I’ve done and I can confirm the 25k bonus is showing.

[robato]

VerdantBacon wrote:

Do not switch your main bank over to Barclays Premier, it’s not worth it, their systems are all complete trash. Unless you hate your current bank where your salary is deposited into, don’t switch it!

Instead open a Monzo account and switch that, you will still get the 25k bonus even without and DDs being switched over.

This is what I’ve done and I can confirm the 25k bonus is showing.

I would second this. The huge Avios bonus attracted me to Barclays but they have not helped themselves with the countless problems they’ve given me. I was sold and pay for a premier service but I get the worst banking experience I’ve ever had in my life. I fully intend on ditching the Premier account as soon as the 4 months are up.

[smblcklck]

I’ve been locked out of the Barclays and Barclaycard app so had to get them on the phone again. As far as my application goes I do need to go into branch. I’m going to do that regardless of whether I get the account or not in case something has gone awry

Offered me 5th January (!) on the phone and then hung up on me.

Found an appointment at something called ‘Barclays Local’ on Monday so hoping they can help