1966: The first UK credit card

While everyone else was watching the World Cup, we were working hard on the UK's first all-purpose credit card, introduced in 1966.

1986: The first credit card loyalty scheme

They may be all the rage now, but back in 1986 we launched the UK's first credit card loyalty scheme, called Profile Points. One in ten of our customers signed up.

1995: The first UK card online

To help our customers manage their accounts, we were the first UK credit card company to offer online services. Today hundreds of thousands of our customers choose to bank online with us.

2007: The first environmentally friendly card

We launched the UK's first environmentally friendly card, Barclaycard Breathe, which rewards greener choices and donates 0.5% of everything customers spend to projects that tackle climate change.

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2007: The first contactless cards

The first contactless cards in the UK were issued by Barclaycard in 2007 and, within the first year, there were over a million contactless Barclaycards in circulation.

2009: Our first iPhone game

Waterslide Extreme, a gaming spin-off of our hugely successful TV ad, became the most popular iPhone app in 57 countries achieving over 20 million downloads.

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2009: A new way to apply

The introduction of our pre-application process meant customers could check whether they'd get a card, without affecting their credit score.

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2010: A new way to reward loyalty

Our Barclaycard Freedom loyalty scheme offers customers the chance to earn Reward Money that they can spend right away at selected retailers. No vouchers. No points.

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2010: A new .mobi site

mybarclaycard on the move gives customers control over their finances when they're out and about, allowing them to track balances, view transactions and see when the next payment is due - all from their phone.

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2011: The first to introduce contactless via mobile in the UK

In partnership with Orange, Barclaycard has launched new technology which means customers can tap their mobile phones over a contactless reader and enjoy instant payment for purchases up to £15.

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Bartering

Barter existed long before currency as we know it came along. It was a simple system of exchange. If you had something your neighbour wanted, and they had something you wanted, you would have just swapped. Thousands of years later Noel Edmonds resuscitated the idea with the introduction of his Multicoloured Swap Shop.

The shekel

In 3000BC the Mesopotamians introduced a unit of weight, and a unit of currency, using barley. One shekel equalled 180 grains of barley or around 11 grams. Can you imagine standing behind someone in the queue while they counted out 180 grains of barley?

The cowry shell

At the dawn of Chinese civilization a new medium of exchange was introduced – the cowry shell. The shells were portable, durable, divisible, recognisable and, most important, difficult to counterfeit. Plus, they were also rather pretty.

Precious metals

Eventually, precious metals came to be used as currency: the 'bullion economy'. The value was based on weight and purity of the precious metal, not the form it took. So, the richer you were, the more weight you had to carry around.

Early coins

Sometime between 700 BC and 550 BC, coins quickly became popular because they made it easy for people to see exactly how much precious metal they were getting in exchange for their goods or services. This was the first time gold was used as money. The coins were stamped lumps of a 63% gold and 27% silver mixture known as 'electrum'.

Higher denominations

The Romans struck coins from gold, silver, bronze and copper. To give themselves a bit of publicity, and spread their influence throughout the empire, they featured portraits of Roman ancestors, gods and emperors. They even issued coins to commemorate the conquest of Britain.

Introduction of 'change'

Vikings used a combination of precious metals and coins plundered from their conquests. They were the first to introduce the concept of 'change' too. They'd often cut silver jewellery, ornaments and tableware into pieces known as hack-silver.

First grooved edges

People wised up to the idea that if they clipped the edges off coins, they could melt the clippings down for jewellery or to make new coins, a crime punishable by death. As Master of The Mint, Isaac Newton was having none of it. So he introduced the process of milling grooves into the edges of coins to put them off.

Paper money

The Chinese were the first to introduce paper money in the 7th century AD, beginning life as a type of receipt. It would be another 1000 years before the newly-formed Bank of England issued notes in return for bank deposits.

Cashless money

In 1966 Europe's first all purpose credit card was launched, by Barclaycard. This gave consumers and businesses a completely new way to pay without coins, paper money or shells.

Contactless technology goes mobile

In 2011, there was yet another money milestone. Barclaycard introduced contactless mobile payments. By tapping your mobile against a contactless reader, you can now pay at the till faster and more simply than ever before. If you want to find out more about the different methods of payment Barclaycard has introduced over the decades, take a look at the 'Our innovations over time' tab.