Money saving mogul Martin Lewis has warned against throwing away Barclaycard letters.
A woman got in touch with Mr Lewis on his ITV Money Show after she received £980 via a bog-standard letter from Barclaycard.
The woman, called Debbie, thanked him for his warning to people over binning letters.
According to The Express she said: “I received what seemed to be a ‘circular’ letter from Barclaycard - £980 later I want to thank you so much because I would have thrown it out.
Mr Lewis added: “Yeah remember Barclaycard are sending people recompense cheques, or they are putting money in their bank accounts.
“If you get a letter from Barclaycard at the moment, do not throw it away.
“Make sure you open it, could be a cheque for £980.”
On Money Saving Expert, the consumer website he founded, Mr Lewis explained why Barclaycard was sending out refunds.
After a recent review, Barclaycard found that, because of an operational issue, customers who took out a repayment plan in the few years leading up to and including 2018 were overcharged.
The lender admitted that these customers on repayment plans, who had fallen behind with repayments, had been charged default fees and interest incorrectly. The company said it had not provided the service it should have and is therefore contacting those affected to explain and provide a refund.
Barclaycard "apologises unreservedly to those customers" who it affects and it "has taken, and continues to take, significant steps" to review and improve its "systems, processes and training".
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While it is unclear exactly how many customers have been impacted, Barclaycard said that those who are owed money will be written to in "due course" and refunded.
Both current customers and past customers who took out a repayment plan in the aforementioned period will be eligible for compensation.
The redress due will depend on the impact the issues had on the customer, but according to Barclaycard the average payout is roughly £70.
However there have been reports on the Martin Lewis Money Show and the website of people getting much more.
Some Britons have contacted the Money Saving Expert site confirming refunds of more than £1,200.
They said they hadn't received any communication from Barclaycard, and that the payment was a "complete surprise" – so it's worth checking.
Britons should make sure that their email and home address that Barclaycard has on file are up to date in case it needs to contact them.
People can do this by logging into their online banking via the app or the website then selecting 'your contact details', or by phoning customer service on 0800 151 0900.
