Barclaycard, which processes nearly half of the UK’s credit and debit card transactions, today announces that it will start accepting cards that run on the Discover Global Network across its UK merchant network.
Barclaycard and Discover Global Network have reached an agreement whereby Barclaycard’s merchants are now able to accept Discover, Diners Club International and affiliate network cards both in-store and online.
Accepting these payment methods allows Barclaycard’s merchants to process transactions from the customers of Discover Global Network’s more than 10 network alliance partners and 55 countries where Diners Club cards are issued.
Cardholders are now able to pay at over 110,000 of Barclaycard’s UK merchants both in-store and online, with thousands more merchants set to start accepting Discover Global Network cards over the course of the year.
With growing numbers of overseas tourists and business travellers coming to the UK, Barclaycard’s extensive business customer base - which covers hotels, restaurants, travel providers, retail outlets and many other sectors - stand to benefit by offering these additional payment methods.
Overseas visitors and international shoppers are an ever-increasing customer segment for merchants. In 2017, the 39.2 million overseas visitors to UK spent a record of £24.5 billion, which marked a nine percent increase in value compared with the previous year.
Rob Cameron, CEO of Payment Acceptance at Barclaycard, said: “This partnership marks an important milestone for our business. Following the significant investment we have made in our platform, UK merchants are now able to seamlessly accept new payment methods.
“For the first time, Discover Global Network’s extensive cardholder base will be able to purchase from our UK merchants whether they’re in-store visiting the UK or shopping online from abroad. It also benefits our business customers as they can serve a wider audience, which ultimately could boost sales.”
Amy Parsons, senior vice president of global acceptance at Discover, said: “The UK continues to be a top destination for our cardholders who travel from around the world. Partnering with Barclaycard will provide merchant acceptance at the places where they are most likely to shop and create a more positive experience.”
Discover Global Network has more than 44 million merchant acceptance locations and two million ATM cash access locations across 190 countries and territories. Discover has established network to network alliances across the globe, including relationships in China, Japan, Korea, India, Brazil, Turkey, Nigeria and throughout Europe.