Cannot switch from existing Barclaycard

[richwebb]

Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere – I couldn’t find anything when searching.

I have been a Premier customer for a number of years and joined Avios rewards very soon after launch.

I also have a Freedom Rewards card with Barclaycard, as a backup when AMEX isn’t accepted. When I go to the app to try to change the card type to Avios, it tells me there are no options. This has been the case for a number of months. Recently I tried increasing the credit limit on the Freedom Rewards card, and it was granted instantly.

Anyone else facing the same challenge? Anyone else solved it?

I tried calling and making a complaint, but I got the official answer that they have no way of knowing why I am not being offered the card change and no way of changing it.

[JDB]

richwebb wrote:

Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere – I couldn’t find anything when searching.

I have been a Premier customer for a number of years and joined Avios rewards very soon after launch.

I also have a Freedom Rewards card with Barclaycard, as a backup when AMEX isn’t accepted. When I go to the app to try to change the card type to Avios, it tells me there are no options. This has been the case for a number of months. Recently I tried increasing the credit limit on the Freedom Rewards card, and it was granted instantly.

Anyone else facing the same challenge? Anyone else solved it?

I tried calling and making a complaint, but I got the official answer that they have no way of knowing why I am not being offered the card change and no way of changing it.

I’m not sure what the of your complaint would be. There is no obligation on Barclays to offer you any particular card and they have a policy that you can only hold one card. If you cancel a card you need to wait six months before applying for another, so unless there is an offer to move to Avios Plus in the app, that’s it.

[Rich_A]

Yeah, it’s frustrating but if they’re not targeting upgrades from that card, there’s nothing to be done. I’m in the same position with my Hilton card.

Cancel it, wait six months, and hope there’sa decent offer next year.

The agent asked why I was cancelling, so I told her I wanted the Avios, but she didn’t make any offer.

[Luca M]

I was lucky as both my wife and I have offers to swap our cards at all the time (been with Barclays for so many years that we both have two cards each, from a time when this was allowed).

I also did product swap many times over the years and usually I was able to do it over the phone (standard to gold, gold to platinum, platinum to cashback), so I am sure that the could manage it from the CS side but you would probably need to try to involve a UK Premier Relationship Manager rather then the foreign CS department.