Barclays Launches First Service for Sending Money by Mobile Phone Number

    BRIGHTON, ENGLAND, February 25, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Barclays Pingit service will be available to current account customers of all UK banks and building societies, not just those with Barclays current accounts. At launch, only Barclays current account customers will be able to send money via the app, but all current account customers (UK residents and over 18), will be able to register online to receive money. The app will be available to all by early March.

The service, which is free to use, links the user's current account with their mobile phone number. This enables payments to be sent directly to that account but without the sender needing to know anything more than the recipient's mobile phone number. Money is sent using the Faster Payments service. To send money, customers can use the free Barclays Pingit app available on iOS, Android and Blackberry, or they can register online to receive payments. Transfers are as safe as any other banking transaction and the app is protected by a five-digit passcode, set by the user.

It is expected that this will prove particularly popular for friends and family sending money to each other. Barclays Pingit can also be used by some small business customers of Barclays and other banks, for example sole traders such as window cleaners or plumbers, meaning customers can pay them quickly, easily and securely.

Antony Jenkins, Chief Executive, Barclays Retail and Business Banking said: "Barclays Pingit could revolutionise the way people send and receive money. For friends splitting the cost of dinner, repaying a borrowed GBP10 or people sending money to a son or daughter at university, it's free, quick, convenient, secure, and easy to use. You can send and receive money in seconds, without having to enter account details.

"We're committed to making customers' lives much easier, giving them more choice in how they manage their money, and Barclays Pingit absolutely does that. But it is not just Barclays customers who benefit as it's available to current account customers of all the other UK banks too. I'm sure we'll soon be wondering what we did before it."

The Barclays Pingit app can be downloaded for free now from the Apple App Store, BlackBerry App World and Android Market. Currently only Barclays current account customers can use the app to send money, but a second release of the app, available soon, will enable non-Barclays current account customers with smartphones to register via the app and send money. UK current account customers of any bank can register to receive payments with a UK mobile phone number at barclays.co.uk/pingit regardless of what type of mobile phone they use.

Notes to Editors:

Additional service information:

- Users must be registered to receive payments - pending payments will be held for 24 hours and instructions cancelled if the recipient has not registered in that time.
- Senders and recipients will be notified about sent, received, pending and cancelled payments with an SMS from Barclays.
- UK residents over 18 only.
- Minimum payment GBP1, maximum payment GBP300. GBP300 total daily send limit, GBP5000 total daily receive limit.
- Normal transaction charges may apply for business customers - only sole beneficiary accounts are eligible at present.
- The Barclays Pingit app works with Android 2.2 and above, iOS 4.2 and above, Blackberry OS 4.6 and above.
- Users must download and register via the Barclays Pingit app to be able to send payments. Currently this functionality is only available to Barclays current account customers. A later version of the app (expected by early March) will enable this functionality for current account customers of all other UK banks and building societies.
- Alternative registration via the website at www.barclays.co.uk/pingit allows customers from all banks to register to receive payments.
- Barclays customers can view their live account balance on the app, making it even easier to manage their spending.

Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, including credit cards, isas, home insurance, loans, bank accounts, cash ISA, savings bonds, corporate and investment banking and wealth management with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs nearly 147,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for 48 million customers and clients worldwide.

Website: http://www.barclays.co.uk

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