A number of readers have reached out to us to let us know that they applied for a Barclays business credit card, were approved, received & activated the card only to try to use it and be informed that the card has been blocked and can’t be used. After calling Barclays helpline they were told that a security block had been put on the card until they could prove that they own a legitimate business. These people applied as a sole proprietor using an SSN and Barclays is now saying that this does not qualify and the card will be unusable until they can prove their business.
I imagine a lot of readers have applied for Barclays recently with the increased business card bonuses available. At this stage it’s not entirely clear how common this actually is, so please share your experiences in the comments below. I do find it weird that Barclays is requesting this documentation after approval, if it’s necessary it would make sense to request it during the application process. I’m also not sure how they can claim that as sole proprietor isn’t a legitimate business but I’m not a legal expert.
