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Barclaycard's absorption of the Goldfish card brand left some customers unable to access the United Kingdom issuer's Web site. Barclaycard gained about 1.7 million cardholders when the issuer's parent, Barclays PLC, in February bought the Goldfish brand from United States-based Discover Financial Services. Barclaycard is moving those customers to its own technology and Web site. The move, though, left some customers unable to log into the Barclaycard Web site for at least a week, according to press reports and customer complaints posted on the Internet. Barclaycard on Monday did not say how many customers were unable to log on to the Web site nor how long the problem would last. "We are aware that there have been problems with access to our online accounting servicing for several days," a Barclaycard spokesperson said Monday. "We fully understand how frustrating this must be for our customers and are doing all we can to solve the issue." The spokesperson said that, while Barclaycard had "planned for this increased demand, the volume has been much higher than anticipated." Barclaycard plans to distribute some 1 million contactless cards to those new customers, adding to the 100,000 or so Barclaycard already has issued (CardLine Global, 11 Sept). The move, if successful, could provide a jolt for contactless payments in the UK.
