GuideLast checked 8 November 2026

Barclays alternatives

A high-street business current account for sole traders, limited companies and LLPs, with free UK electronic payments and card spending, and a monthly fee after the first year. If it doesn't fit, here are 31 accounts that share its market, starting with Incard, our pick for businesses whose main costs go on cards.

By the editorial team. How we make money. Our Barclays profile.

Why Incard is our pick instead of Barclays

Incard lists a £0 plan, which Barclays's pages don't
Incard lists card cashback, which Barclays's pages don't
Incard lists cards for your team, which Barclays's pages don't
Card cashback on Incard: Free: 1% on ads, software and travel, 0.5% on other eligible spend. Higher on Grow and Plus. Uncapped. Barclays: Not listed

cashback a year on Incard's £0 Free plan from £5,000 a month of eligible ads, software and travel spend. Simple arithmetic, not a forecast.

£600

Apply for Incard on incard.co

We may earn a commission if you apply.

What a year of card spending earns you

Incard Free against Barclays's cheapest plan, at your monthly spend on ads, software and travel.

Monthly card spend on ads, software and travel£5,000

£702 a year better off with Incard

Incard Free: £600 cashback, £0 fees
Barclays's cheapest plan: no cashback, £102 fees

Simple arithmetic, not a forecast: 1% on eligible ads, software and travel spend at merchants on Incard's eligible brand list, and each plan's published monthly fee. Other fees, such as FX and ATM charges, aren't included. Barclays's cheapest plan: Free for 12 months, then £8.50 a month.

The alternatives

**Table notes:** correct as of 8 November 2026, from each provider's own pages. Incard is first as our pick for card spend (we may earn a commission from it); the rest are alphabetical, not ranked. “Lists” means the provider's pages mention it and Barclays's don't.
Account	Cheapest plan	Lists, unlike Barclays	Compare
IncardOur pick for card spend	Free: £0 a month	card cashback, cards for your team, Swiss GmbHs and AGs, Swiss sole traders	Compare Incard and Barclays
AirwallexE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS	Explore: £0 if you deposit or hold at least £10,000 a month, otherwise £19 (excluding VAT)	card payments from customers, cards for your team, Swiss GmbHs and AGs	Compare Airwallex and Barclays
Allica BankBank · FSCS cover	£0 a month with an average balance of £10,000 or more; otherwise £25 a month	card cashback, cards for your team	Compare Allica Bank and Barclays
AmexCredit card · no deposits held	Business Gold: £195 a year (£0 in the first year)	cards for your team
ANNAE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS	Free: £0 a month, pay for what you use	invoicing	Compare ANNA and Barclays
Bank of ScotlandBank · FSCS cover	No account fee for 12 months on a business's first account, then £10 a month	card payments from customers
BarclaycardCredit card · no deposits held	Select Cashback: £0 a year	card cashback, cards for your team
Capital on TapCredit card · no deposits held	Free: £0 a year	card cashback, cards for your team
CountingupBank · FSCS cover	Free for 3 months, then £5 a month while you pay in up to £750 a month	card payments from customers, invoicing	Compare Countingup and Barclays
Danske BankBank · FSCS cover	Small Business Digital: free for 2 years for eligible new Northern Ireland businesses, then £9 a month	Nothing extra listed
Equals MoneyE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS	Business: £25 a month (£250 a year)	cards for your team
HSBCBank · FSCS cover	£0 a month	cards for your team	Compare HSBC and Barclays
LloydsBank · FSCS cover	Free for 12 months for businesses new to Lloyds, then £10 a month	card payments from customers	Compare Lloyds and Barclays
Metro BankBank · FSCS cover	£8 a month, or £0 in any month your balance stays at £6,000 or more; 12 months fee-free for businesses new to Metro Bank, 31 months for full switchers	invoicing
MettleBank · FSCS cover	No fee for maintaining the account	invoicing	Compare Mettle and Barclays
Monzo BusinessBank · FSCS cover	Lite: free	cards for your team, invoicing	Compare Monzo Business and Barclays
NatWestBank · FSCS cover	No monthly fee; 2 years' free everyday banking for start-ups (turnover up to £1 million) and full switchers (turnover up to £2 million)	card payments from customers	Compare NatWest and Barclays
PayhawkE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS	Growth program: £149 a month	cards for your team
PleoE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS	Start: £8 per user a month	cards for your team
Revolut BusinessBank · FSCS cover	Basic: £10 a month	card payments from customers, cards for your team	Compare Revolut Business and Barclays
RBSBank · FSCS cover	No monthly fee; 2 years of free everyday banking for start-ups (turnover under £1m) and full-switch customers (turnover up to £2m)	Nothing extra listed
SantanderBank · FSCS cover	Free for 12 months for start-ups and switchers, then £9.99 a month	card payments from customers	Compare Santander and Barclays
SoldoE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS	Standard: £27 a month + VAT	cards for your team
StarlingBank · FSCS cover	£0 a month	card payments from customers	Compare Starling and Barclays
Co-op BankBank · FSCS cover	£0 a month	card payments from customers
TideBank · FSCS cover	Lite: £0 a month	card cashback	Compare Tide and Barclays
TSBBank · FSCS cover	Free for 30 months, then £5 a month (not charged if your average balance is £10,000 or more)	card payments from customers
Virgin MoneyBank · FSCS cover	25 months' free day-to-day banking for eligible start-ups and switchers, then £6.50 a month	card cashback, card payments from customers
Wise BusinessE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS	No subscription or monthly fee	Nothing extra listed	Compare Wise Business and Barclays
WorldFirstE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS	£0 a month	card cashback, cards for your team
Zempler BankBank · FSCS cover	Business Go: £0 a month	card cashback, card payments from customers, cards for your team, invoicing	Compare Zempler Bank and Barclays

What Barclays does well

Before you move, check that you won't lose something you use. Barclays suits you if:

You want a high-street bank with counter services and FSCS cover
You pay in cash at the Post Office or a self-service device
You need a separate EUR or USD account at the same bank
You mostly make UK electronic payments, which are free

Many businesses keep their existing account and add a second one for card spending. Our switching guide covers both routes.

When Incard isn't the answer

Incard isn't the right account if

Your business is registered outside the UK and Switzerland. EEA onboarding is paused until an expected restart in 2027
You're a charity, cooperative, foundation, trust or public body, or work in one of Incard's restricted industries

Our pick for card spend

Incard: 1% cashback on ads, software and travel, on a £0 plan

Our pick for UK and Swiss businesses whose main costs go on cards, as long as you don't need bank deposit protection.

E-money · safeguarded, no FSCS

Read Incard vs Barclays Business Work out your cashback Check eligibility

Apply for Incard on incard.co

We may earn a commission if you apply.

a month on the Free plan, with team cards: £0
cashback on ads, software and travel; 0.5% on other eligible spend: 1%
IBANs in three currencies: GBP, EUR, USD

Sources

All checked on 8 November 2026. Where a provider's help centre or legal terms differ from its marketing pages, we follow the help centre and terms.

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