ComparisonLast checked 8 November 2026

Incard vs Barclays Business: which suits your business?

Barclays is a high-street bank: FSCS cover, branches, cash and cheques, free UK electronic payments and £8.50 a month after the first year. Incard is an e-money account that pays uncapped cashback on eligible card spend on a £0 plan, with GBP, EUR and USD IBANs. Barclays doesn't list cashback on the debit card.

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Incard suits you if

Ads, software or travel are a big part of your card spending
You want cashback with no monthly fee, now and after year one
You pay in other currencies: 1.8% on Incard Free against 2.75% at Barclays
You're a Swiss GmbH, AG or sole trader

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

What a year of card spending earns you

Incard Free against Barclays after the free first year, 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 after the free first year: 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 is free for the first 12 months for new business customers, then £8.50 a month. It doesn't list cashback on the debit card.

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At a glance

**Table notes:** correct as of 8 November 2026, from each provider's own pages listed under Sources. “Not listed” means the provider's pages we checked don't say.
	Incard	Barclays
Type and protection	E-money · safeguarded, no FSCS	Bank · FSCS cover
Who can open one	UK sole traders, UK limited companies, LLPs, Swiss GmbHs and AGs and Swiss sole traders	UK sole traders, UK limited companies and LLPs
Cheapest plan	Free: £0 a month	Free for 12 months, then £8.50 a month
Plans (monthly)	Free £0, Grow £49, Plus from £199	One plan: £8.50 a month after 12 months free
Card cashback	Free: 1% on ads, software and travel, 0.5% on other eligible spend. Higher on Grow and Plus. Uncapped	Not listed
Card payments in other currencies	1.8% on Free, 1.5% on Grow and Plus	2.75% non-sterling transaction fee
Domestic transfers	100 included on Free, 250 on Grow, then £0.30 each	Free in Online Banking and the app
International transfers	3 included on Grow; otherwise from £5 (SHA) or £20 (OUR)	SEPA £0.35, other international payments £15 online; receiving over £100 costs £6
ATM withdrawals	2% in the UK, 2.5% abroad	Free in the UK; 2.75% in a foreign currency
Cash deposits	Not listed	60p per £100 at the Post Office or a self-service device; £1.20 per £100 at the counter
Currencies you can hold	GBP, EUR and USD, with IBANs	GBP; separate Foreign Currency Accounts in 17 currencies, including EUR and USD
Accepting card payments	Not listed	Not listed

The biggest difference: bank vs e-money

Barclays is a bank (Barclays Bank UK PLC). Eligible deposits are protected by the FSCS up to £120,000 per depositor, added together across Barclays brands including Tesco Bank.

Incard is an e-money institution (FCA firm reference number 1027309). It safeguards your money, kept separate from its own and not lent out, and it isn't covered by the FSCS. Is Incard safe? explains what that means.

Monthly and everyday fees

Barclays has one account: free for the first 12 months for businesses new to it, then £8.50 a month. Faster Payments, Direct Debits, standing orders and debit card payments are free. Cash paid in costs 60p per £100 at a cash machine, Post Office or self-service device and £1.20 per £100 at the counter; cheques cost 60p each.

Incard Free costs £0 a month and includes 100 local transfers, then £0.30 each. It doesn't list cash or cheque deposits, so if you handle cash, Barclays is the practical choice.

Cashback: only Incard pays it

Barclays doesn't list cashback on its business debit card. Incard pays 1% on advertising, recurring software and travel and 0.5% on other eligible spend on Free, uncapped. On £5,000 a month of ads and software, that's about £600 a year on Incard, against £102 a year in fees on Barclays after year one. Simple arithmetic, not a forecast. See which brands count.

Spending and paying abroad

Barclays charges 2.75% on debit card payments and cash in a foreign currency, £15 for international payments in the app or Online Banking and £0.35 for SEPA. It offers separate Foreign Currency Accounts in 17 currencies, including EUR and USD.

Incard charges 1.8% on foreign-currency card payments on Free, and gives you GBP, EUR and USD IBANs in the same account, with £5,000 a month of exchange at the interbank rate.

Who can open each account

Barclays accepts sole traders, limited companies and LLPs, with applicants aged 18 or over and at least one UK resident on the application. Incard accepts UK limited companies, LLPs and registered sole traders, and Swiss GmbH, AG and sole-trader businesses.

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 verdict

Incard is the better fit for card-heavy businesses: cashback on ads, software and travel, lower foreign-currency card fees and no monthly fee. Barclays is the better fit if you need a bank with FSCS cover, branches, cash and cheques. Many businesses keep Barclays for reserves and cash and put card spending on Incard.

Our pick for card spend

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E-money · safeguarded, no FSCS

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