If you and your partner are thinking about pooling money or managing shared expenses, you’ve probably looked at opening a Barclays joint account. Barclays is one of the biggest and most established banks in the UK — with a trusted reputation, physical branches across the country, and decades of financial stability.
But while Barclays offers reliability, newer digital banks — and even smarter alternatives — are reshaping how couples share their finances. So is the Barclays joint account still the best option? Let’s take a closer look.
A Barclays joint account works just like a regular current account, except it’s shared between two people. You can both deposit money, make payments, set up direct debits, and withdraw funds.
It’s designed for couples, housemates or family members who want to manage shared spending — for example, rent, groceries or bills — from one account.
To open one, both partners must already have a Barclays current account, pass a credit check, and apply together.
1. A trusted, established bank
Barclays has been around for more than 300 years. It’s one of the UK’s largest high-street banks, meaning your money’s in a secure, regulated environment.
2. FSCS protection up to £85,000 per person
Because Barclays holds a full UK banking licence, joint account holders are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). That means your shared funds are protected up to £85,000 each — £170,000 total.
3. In-person support at physical branches
Unlike app-only banks, Barclays still has a nationwide branch network. That’s reassuring for people who prefer to handle some banking in person.
4. Familiar features
Direct debits, overdrafts, and cash deposits are all available — something some digital challengers don’t yet offer for joint accounts.
While a joint account with Barclays is secure and traditional, it doesn’t offer the same flexibility or modern features you’ll find with newer digital banks.
1. Outdated user experience
The Barclays mobile app works well enough, but it lacks the slick, intuitive design and real-time insights offered by Monzo, Revolut or Starling. You won’t get instant spend notifications, automatic expense categorisation or built-in bill-splitting tools.
2. Slower setup process
Opening a Barclays joint account requires both people to already hold Barclays accounts, pass a credit check, and go through ID verification. With digital banks, setup often takes minutes — not days.
3. Costly foreign spending
If you’re using your Barclays joint account abroad, you’ll both pay around 2.99% in FX fees on every transaction. That’s far from ideal if you travel together frequently.
4. Equal ownership only
Like all traditional joint accounts, both partners legally own the funds equally — even if one contributes more. There’s no option to split spending by income or share costs unevenly.
Over the past few years, digital-first banks like Monzo, Starling, and Revolut have introduced app-based joint accounts with instant setup, budgeting insights, and sleek user experiences.
You can see every transaction in real time, categorise spending automatically, and use built-in tools to split bills or track expenses.
But even these digital joint accounts have a big limitation — you still both need to be with the same bank. That’s where Cino comes in.
If you like the idea of sharing expenses with your partner but don’t want to open another joint account, Cino offers a completely new approach.
Instead of merging finances, you each keep your existing bank accounts — whether you’re with Barclays, Monzo, Revolut, or any other bank — and simply connect them to Cino.
Cino gives you a shared group card that automatically splits payments the moment you pay — no manual transfers, no “who owes what” conversations, and no need to chase repayments.
You can even change your split ratio anytime, track every shared expense in the app, and map your spending together.
The Barclays joint account is reliable, regulated, and backed by one of the UK’s most trusted banks. If you value in-person service, traditional banking features, and full FSCS protection, it’s a solid option.
But if you’re after flexibility, instant setup, and fee-free travel spending, Cino is a smarter alternative. It connects your personal bank cards, splits payments automatically, and works with any bank — including Barclays.
Download Cino — the modern way to share expenses without a joint account.
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