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Persistent debt means you’ve been paying more in interest, fees, and charges on your Barclaycard than towards paying back what you’ve borrowed over an 18-month period. This can happen if you’ve been making minimum or low monthly payments.
It’s an expensive way to borrow as it takes longer to pay back what you owe and costs more in interest and charges.
We follow rules set by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to make sure people in persistent debt get the help they need. As part of this, we’ll get in touch to offer support with reducing your balance quicker.
Your guide to persistent debt.
In this short video, you'll learn more about what persistent debt means for you and the ways we can support you. We'll also share examples of managing persistent debt, to show you how you could begin to reduce your balance.
So, what is persistent debt?
It's when you've been paying more in interest, fees and charges on your Barclaycard than towards paying back what you've borrowed over an 18-month period.
This can happen if you've only been making minimum or low monthly payments. It's an expensive way to borrow for two reasons. One, it takes you longer to pay back what you owe. And two, it costs you more in interest and charges. Increasing your monthly payments, or making extra payments when you can, will help you to reduce your balance quicker and pay less in interest.
When will you know you're in persistent debt?
We may first get in touch if we can see that you're regularly making low or minimum monthly payments. We'll recommend that you try to pay more if you can afford to.
To see the difference increasing your payments can make, you can use our repayment calculator, which you can find on our website. If you've paid more towards interest, fees and charges than reducing your balance for 18 months, we'll send you an email or letter to let you know you're in persistent debt. We'll suggest a monthly payment amount that you should aim to pay or we'll increase your minimum monthly payment to help you reduce your balance quicker. If you're struggling with your payments, we’ll offer lots of support. You can see our contact details at the end of this video.
After 27 months, we'll send you a reminder to update you on your progress towards getting out of persistent debt. We'll let you know if you need to change your monthly payments to stay on track. If you're still in persistent debt after 36 months, we'll offer you more support. This could be a paydown plan which helps you clear your balance sooner and reduce the interest you pay. We may also suspend your card, so your balance doesn't increase.
Three things to remember.
Now you know more about what you can expect to receive from us and when, here are three things to keep in mind.
One. Use our repayment calculator to see the benefit of increasing your payments. You can also use tools like our app and budget planner to help you stay on top of your money.
Two. Try to pay more than the minimum monthly amount when you can. This will help you to reduce your balance quicker and pay less in interest.
Three. If you're worried about your payments, please get in touch with us as there are ways we can support you. We'd never ask you to pay more than you can afford to.
Let's hear some examples of managing persistent debt. While the names and stories are made up and the photos are of actors, these show you how you could begin to reduce your balance.
Meet Cindy.
She was paying the minimum amount every month, but didn't realise that her balance wasn't going down very fast. She got a letter saying she needed to pay more, or extra when she can. Cindy had a look at the repayment calculator and tapped in a few amounts to see what would happen if she paid more. The results were really surprising — she could afford to pay more, so she changed her Direct Debit to a higher amount in the app. She started to use the app more often and could see her balance going down much faster than before. Cindy then got another letter 9 months later that said she was on track. She felt great. Cindy stuck to the higher payment amount, and before long, she was free of persistent debt.
This is Rav.
He uses his credit card to pay for bills, groceries and anything that pops up day-to-day. When he read the email about being in persistent debt, he was embarrassed. He knew his spending had gone up and he was aware that he needed to pay more. He worked out a budget, cut back on some things and tried to pay more. He made some progress, but just couldn't pay extra every month and needed support. Rav got in touch and was offered a paydown plan. It really helped to speak to someone. The plan made things easier, by paying a set amount based on what he could comfortably afford. When he could see his balance going down, his confidence started to grow again. The plan's working. Rav's in a much better place and feels positive about reducing how much he owes.
Support available to you.
If you find yourself in persistent debt, we're here to help. We'll work with you to find the best way forward for you and your money.
You can call us on 0800 151 0900. Take a look at the website for our opening hours.
Or you can get in touch using our app. Go to 'Help' and choose to either 'Call us' or 'Send us a message'.
If you'd prefer to speak to someone else about your situation, that's okay. Some organisations offer free and confidential debt advice. These include MoneyHelper, StepChange, National Debtline, and Citizens Advice.
If you need emotional support, you can call the Samaritans free at any time on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
You’ll get an email or letter from us to let you know when you’re in persistent debt. Here’s a timeline of when we’ll contact you.
If at any time you’re worried about your finances, there are ways we can help, please get in touch.
If you’ve been making low or minimum payments, we may contact you to let you know you’re close to persistent debt. We’ll show you how increasing your payments could help you avoid it.
If you’ve been in persistent debt for 18 months, we’ll get in touch to recommend you pay more if you can. We’ll suggest a monthly payment amount or we will increase your minimum monthly payment to help you reduce your balance quicker.
We’ll send a reminder 9 months later to update you on your progress towards getting out of persistent debt. We’ll let you know if you need to change your monthly payments to stay on track.
If you’re still in persistent debt after 36 months, we’ll offer you more support.
This could be a Paydown Plan, which helps you clear your balance sooner and reduce the interest you pay. We may also suspend your card, so your balance doesn’t increase.
Use our budget planner to calculate your regular monthly commitments and work out how much disposable income you’ll have left for repayments on your Barclaycard.
Visit Money Mentors and try our interactive money workouts and bite-sized budgeting guides.
Keep an eye on your balance in our app*. You can see how much you’re spending – and compare this across weeks and months.
Explore all of our money management guides . These include tips on budgeting, spending, borrowing and debt.
If you’re worried about managing your money when costs are going up and feel you need support, see how we can help with money worries .
Here’s some examples stories of persistent debt, while the names and stories are made up and photos are of actors, these show you how you could begin to reduce your balance.
Hello, my name’s Cindy. I was paying the minimum amount every month, but didn’t realise that my balance wasn’t going down very fast. I got a letter saying I needed to pay more, or extra when I can.
I had a look at the repayment calculator and tapped in a few amounts to see what would happen if I paid more. The results were really surprising, and I could afford to pay more so I changed my Direct Debt to a higher amount in the app.
I started to use the app more often and could see my balance going down much faster than before.
I then got another letter 9 months later that said I was on track. It felt great.
I stuck to the higher payment amount, and before long I was free of persistent debt.
Hi, I’m Rav. I use my credit card to pay for bills, groceries and anything that pops up day-to-day. When I read the email about being in persistent debt, I was embarrassed. I knew my spending had gone up and aware that I needed to pay more.
I worked out a budget, cut back on some things and tried to pay more. I made some progress, but just couldn't pay extra every month and needed support.
I got in touch and was offered a paydown plan. It really helped to speak to someone. The plan made things easier by paying a set amount based on what I could comfortably afford. When I could see my balance going down, my confidence started to grow again.
The plan’s working. I’m in a much better place and positive about reducing how much I owe.
We’ll get in touch if you’ve been making minimum or low monthly payments on your Barclaycard. This means you’ve been paying more in interest, fees and charges than towards paying back what you’ve borrowed, and it’ll take a long time to pay off your balance. This is called persistent debt. It’s an expensive way to borrow money and we want to work together to help you get out of persistent debt.
We’ll contact you to let you know you’re in persistent debt. We might also explain we’re increasing your minimum monthly payment or provide a personalised amount, so you know how much to pay.
If we haven't given you a recommended payment amount, you’ll need to increase your payments to pay at least double the amount of interest, fees and charges each month. This will mean that you’ll be reducing more of your balance. You’ll find the amount of interest, fees and charges under ‘Your activity’ on the first page of your monthly statement. Don’t forget to check this each month as the amount will change.
No, you don’t, but you need to pay off more of your balance than you pay towards interest, fees and charges.
Yes, you can make extra payments at any time, if you can afford to. By paying more, you’ll clear your balance quicker and pay less in interest. To see the difference an increase could make, check out our Repayment Calculator .
Making low or minimum payments over time can affect your credit score, which helps other lenders decide whether to lend you money. So paying more each month can help with that.
Yes, as long as your account’s open, you can carry on using it. If you spend more on your card, it’s important to make sure you can still afford your payments, as your minimum payment will increase.
If you’re still in persistent debt after 36 months, we might suspend your Barclaycard, which means you wouldn’t be able to spend on it. We do this to help you avoid adding more to your balance, and we’d let you know before we did this. We’d look at ways to support you, which will include an option to take out a Paydown Plan to repay your balance within four years.
We understand that it’s not always easy to increase your payments and we don’t want you to pay more than you can afford. However, if you can’t increase your payments, you’ll remain in persistent debt. It’s important that you continue to pay at least the minimum payment each month.
We’ll continue to review how you’re doing. If you stay in persistent debt, this may lead to your Barclaycard being suspended and you wouldn’t be able to spend on it. We do this to help you avoid adding more to your balance, but we’d let you know before we did this. We’d look at ways to support you, which will include an option to take out a Paydown Plan to repay your balance within four years.
If your account is closed, you won’t be able to use the card. If you’re still in persistent debt after 36 months, we’ll get in touch to discuss the next steps for your account.
By increasing your minimum monthly payment, you’ll pay off more of your balance. This means you’ll pay less interest overall, pay off your balance sooner, and get out of persistent debt. Your minimum payment should go down as you reduce your balance. You’ll find the minimum amount you need to pay each month on your statement. If you spend more on your card, this amount will increase.
We set your minimum payment at a level to give you flexibility over how much you pay each month. But we recommend that you always aim to pay more when you can to reduce the amount you pay in interest and pay off your balance quicker. Credit cards are designed for short-term borrowing – it’s best not to keep debt on credit cards for a long time.
We understand it’s not always easy to increase your payments and we don’t want you to pay more than you can afford. If you feel you can’t make this change, let us know by following the steps in your email or letter and we’ll keep your minimum payment the same. If you’d like to talk to us about your payments, please call us on 0800 151 0900.^ We’re here Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, and on Saturdays from 9am to 5pm.
If you can’t increase your payments, you’ll remain in persistent debt – so it’s important to try and pay more whenever you can.
We’ll review how you’re doing. If you stay in persistent debt, this may lead to your Barclaycard being suspended and you wouldn’t be able to spend on it. We do this to help you avoid adding more to your balance, but we’d let you know before we did this. We’d look at ways to support you, which will include an option to take out a Paydown Plan to repay your balance within four years.
We’ve worked out how much you need to pay each month to help you pay more off your balance and get out of persistent debt. This personalised amount is calculated to make sure you pay at least double what you pay in interest, fees and charges. This will mean that you’ll be reducing more of your balance. You may need to pay more if you haven’t been able to afford your personalised amount some months or if you spend more on your card.
Your minimum payment is set at a level to give you the flexibility to pay lower amounts for a short time, but we always recommend that you aim to pay more when you can. We’ve worked out this personalised amount which will help you get out of persistent debt.
You’ll need to increase your payments to pay at least double what you pay in interest, fees and charges each month. This will mean that you’ll be reducing more of your balance and will help you get out of persistent debt, pay less in interest and potentially take years off the time it takes to pay back what you’ve borrowed.
You’ll find the amount of interest, fees and charges under ‘Your activity’ on the first page of your monthly statement. Don’t forget to check each month as the amount will change.
You’ll need to increase your payments to pay at least double what you pay in interest, fees and charges each month. This will mean that you’ll be reducing more of your balance. This will help you get out of persistent debt, pay less in interest and potentially take years off the time it takes to pay back what you’ve borrowed.
You’ll find the amount of interest, fees and charges under ‘Your activity’ on the first page of your monthly statement. Don’t forget to check each month as the amount will change.
A Paydown Plan helps you clear your balance sooner and reduce the amount of interest you pay. We’ll lower your current interest rate and work with you to find a fixed monthly payment that’s affordable and suitable for your circumstances.
You can pay off your plan earlier if it’s right for you, or work with us to revise your plan if it becomes unaffordable.
If you’re ever struggling financially or would like some impartial and confidential advice, you can get in touch with organisations below, who might be able to support you. They can help you prioritise your debts and work out budgets, which is an essential starting point to help tackle debt problems.
Samaritans – call them free at any time on 116 123 or email
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Check your balance and transactions, pay your monthly bill and confirm online payments securely. The Barclaycard app helps you manage your card – whenever and wherever you want. You need to be 18 or over to access this product or service using the app. T&Cs apply.
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+The results you’ll get are a guide calculated on approximate minimum spend rates, which vary by product. We assume no additional spend on the card, no fees are incurred and the same static interest rate is paid on all balances.
*You need to be 18 or over to access this product or service using the app. T&Cs apply.
^All Barclaycard customer service lines are non-premium rate numbers. Calls to 0800 and 0808 numbers are free from UK landlines and personal mobiles, otherwise call charges may apply. Please check with your service provider. Calls may be monitored or recorded in order to maintain high levels of security and quality of service.
