Barclays upgrades mobile banking app

This will give them the ability to turn off spending with certain types of retailers. According to the UK high street bank, the idea is to give vulnerable customers control over their money.

Barclays says for its feature it is working with a range of advisors such as the Money Advice Trust and building on published evidence from organisations such as the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, the bank has identified a group of customers who would particularly benefit from being able to decide how and where their money is spent.

These include those with mental health issues, addictions, and those who rely on carers or a guardian to handle their finances.

A button within the app now allows the customer to choose which types of retailers they are able to spend with, meaning any attempted payments that fall within the “turned off” category will be automatically declined.

Barclays identified five core retailer groups which customers can control. These are groceries and supermarkets; restaurants, takeaways, pubs and bars; petrol and diesel; gambling (to include gambling websites and betting shops); and premium rate websites and phone lines.

According to the bank, this follows on from other safety features introduced for debit card holders over the past year, such as the ability to set a daily cash machine withdrawal limit and turning off the ability to make purchases online and via the phone.

The new feature is available to all Barclays debit card customers, and will be rolled out to credit card holders in the near future.