Barclaycard - helping the business travel boom

The latest Barclaycard Business Travel Survey has revealed that despite pressures on business travel budgets and advancements in communication, business travel has continued to move ahead

The 11th Annual Barclaycard Business Travel Survey has shown that 44 per cent of business people travelled more in 2006 than in 2005, half of which cited business expansion in the UK or abroad as their reason for travel - suggesting that the economy has grown over the last 12 months. The survey also found that businesses are still covering many miles to conduct their business needs. One in five business people (21 per cent) travelled more than 500 miles per week, with 16 per cent travelling up to a 1000 miles.

The Barclaycard survey questioned more than 4,000 respondents across the UK (CEOs, company directors, managers and executives) regarding all aspects of business travel, from airlines and hotels to online bookings - ultimately gauging a comprehensive view on business and travel behaviour within the country.

The research confirmed that people generally still hold travel as an essential part of business. An overwhelming number of business travellers (79 per cent) believed that their business had benefited from business travel, with only 3 per cent stating that they could have achieved the same success for their company without travelling.

Denise Leleux, Commercial Director of Issuing at Barclaycard Business, said:

“It is clear that despite modern communications such as video conferencing people still believe that travel is an essential part of business. The vast majority of business people accept that travelling is still efficient and effective and that without it they could not produce the same results.”

Barclaycard Business was created by Europe’s number one issuer of Visa Commercial Credit Cards, with over 152,000 corporate customers and more than 565,000 credit card holders, to service the specific needs of business users. Barclaycard services businesses of all sizes, from multi-national companies and Government departments to small and medium enterprises, with Barclaycard Business credit cards usable at more than 24 million places worldwide.

To further empower business travellers Barclaycard even offers specialised travel services, travel insurance and exclusive deals suited to frequent business.

About Barclaycard

Barclaycard is a multi-brand international credit card and consumer lending business; it is one of the leading card businesses in Europe.

In the UK, Barclaycard manages the Barclaycard branded credit cards and other non-Barclaycard branded card portfolios, including Monument, SkyCard and Solution Personal Finance. In consumer lending, Barclaycard manages both secured and unsecured loan portfolios, through Barclays branded loans, being mostly Barclayloan, and also through the FIRSTPLUS and Clydesdale Financial Services businesses.

Outside the UK, Barclaycard provides credit cards in the United States through Barclaycard US, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Scandinavia and across Africa.

Barclaycard Business processes card payments for retailers and issues purchasing and credit cards to business customers.

Barclaycard Contact Details:
Andrew Bond
Barclaycard Press Office
Barclaycard
1234 Pavilion Drive
Northampton
NN4 7SG
01604 251229
Andrew.Bond@barclaycard.co.uk