Credit Card Debt Help With Illness

John's story

John was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago and had to give up work. As a result, his family had to get by on benefits whilst John underwent treatment. Meanwhile, the list of unpaid bills continued to grow and his wife was really struggling to look after him.

John felt as if his life was falling apart. He could see that his illness was putting a huge strain on his wife and kids, and having to worry about money on top of everything else was making the situation worse.

Noticing that he appeared very anxious, John's nurse convinced him to call Barclaycard and let us know what was happening.

How Barclaycard helped

When he rang us, John got through to one of our support team, Steve.

• Steve gave John time to explain things in his own words and wasn’t judgemental or demanding, as John had feared
• Together they created a repayment plan that John could afford, and put a longer term plan in place for when he was in a better place. Steve explained what information he needed for this, as well as how it would affect John's credit score and what could be done to help
• He checked that John knew he could access his Barclaycard account online or via the Barclaycard app to make debit card payments, change payment due dates and, when he could afford to, set up a Direct Debit
• He also advised that there is free help and advice available and that he should also check out the government website for information and services available to him. We’ve included links to organisations that offer independent help and advice in the ‘Other ways to get help’ section below

John was very apprehensive about ringing Barclaycard, but felt relieved once the call was over. Steve was reassuring, acknowledged John's situation and gave him the advice he needed to take back control of his finances and put his mind at rest.

Does your story sound like John's?

Falling ill can cause a lot of anxiety, and if you have to stop working, the loss of income can make a difficult time feel almost impossible to deal with.

You're not alone - we're here to help

We know your debts aren't going to disappear on their own, but we really can help. If you get in touch, we'll ask you about your income and outgoings so you can feel confident you're only repaying what you can really afford. And your priority payments – Council Tax, rent/mortgage repayments and household bills – will always come first.

It's probably the last thing you want to do, but giving us a call won’t make anything worse. We won't spring any surprises on you; our advisers are here to listen, understand and agree a solution with you – not demand payments you can’t afford.

You can rest assured, we’ll ask your permission before we do anything and check how you feel about your other finances.

We'll try to provide you with help that’s clear, practical and easy to understand. Also, we'll advise you where to find free and independent help.