Barclays to close Pingit app and services in June

Barclays first launched Pingit in February 2011 as a mobile payments app, and it's since evolved into a service which can be used by both Barclays and non-Barclays customers in a number of different ways:

• You can use Pingit to make mobile payments. You can ‘Ping’ money to someone's account via their mobile number, if it's either held on the Barclays database (eg, the number someone gives when they join Pingit or when they register to a Barclays current account) or registered with an industry-wide mobile number payment service called Paym. 

• You can save with Pingit's 'jars'. These are linked to your current account, whether it's with Barclays or another bank.

• You can make contactless payments via Pingit's wearable technology. Pingit has its own range of wearable payment technology, such as key fobs, bracelets and watches, that you can link to your Pingit savings jars to make contactless payments in stores.

Pingit is now closed to new sign ups, and all the above services will shut for existing Barclays and non-Barclays customers at 11.59pm on 30 June. All Pingit customers (including non-Barclays account holders) will be alerted by SMS, email, and post. If you're thinking of switching bank as a result, see our Best Bank Accounts guide -three banks now offer a bonus of £100 or more to switch. 

Accounts will close automatically and cash in jars will be returned by 9 July

All Pingit accounts will be automatically closed on 30 June. If you don't use Pingit's savings jars then you don't need to take any action. If you do use Pingit's savings jars and have money in them at the point your account closes, then:

• Any funds in your savings jars should be automatically returned by 9 July. After 30 June, Pingit will automatically transfer funds from jars to your Barclays current account or other linked current account. You'll receive the money by 9 July, alongside a closing statement within 10 working days. You'll see a separate payment into your account for each jar which has funds in and the payment reference on your current account statement will include the nickname you gave your jar.

• If your account details have changed, you can provide new ones, or you'll be sent a cheque. If the account linked to Pingit has changed and the funds in your jars have a combined balance of £50 or less, you can complete this online form to advise of your new account details. If the combined balance is over £50 and your account details have changed, contact Pingit on 0333 200 1012. If you don't do this, your Pingit account will close and Barclays will post you a refund of your balance by cheque. 

• Any top-up payments into your savings jars will be cancelled from 30 June. You may want to cancel these earlier though to avoid any unwanted top ups near the date of closure. 

Got a Pingit device? You may be able to get a full refund

Pingit offers an array of wearable technology that allows you to make contactless payments from your Pingit savings jars. You won't be able to use these devices to make payments after 30 June - you may be able to get a full refund, though this depends on a number of different factors:

• Pingit will offer automatic refunds on most 'active' devices regardless of where they've been purchased. Refunds will be paid between 1 and 11 June, though you'll still be able to use your device until 30 June. You'll be refunded the full cost you paid, plus any postage costs.

• You don't need to do anything to get this refund. Refunds will be processed to the Pingit jar your device is linked to, so DON'T close your Pingit account before you get this refund. Even once you've got your refund you can still use your device until 30 June.

• Refunds will be processed to the person who activated the device. This means it's not necessarily the person who bought the device who'll get the money back. Devices don't need to be returned to get a refund. 

• If you have a Pingit device which isn't yet activated, you should activate it by 16 May to get a refund. See the Pingit website for more info on how to do this. If you miss the 16 May deadline, Barclays says for devices purchased from the Pingit eStore you should contact it at app-support@barclays.com, and for devices purchased elsewhere you should contact the retailer. Barclays says it will offer refunds on a case-by-case basis for purchases from theStore, while for purchases made elsewhere it's at the retailer's discretion.

You can close your account before 30 June if you want

You can close your account before 30 June, so long as you're not waiting for a refund for a Pingit device. If you have access to the Pingit app, you can log in, select the person icon (top left), select the settings icon (top right), and then select 'Cancel Pingit Registration'. You will need to make sure you transfer out any funds beforehand.

If you don't have access to the app and you want to close your Pingit Account before 30 June, you can email app-support@barclays.com.

Still want to make mobile payments? You can use Paym instead of Pingit

In addition to Pingit payments, which use Pingit and Barclays' databases of mobile telephone numbers, Pingit also allows customers to register for the separate Paym service to make and receive payments using mobile numbers in the wider Paym database. Paym customers with nine out of ten banks or building societies can use the service to send payments using just someone's mobile phone number.

If you want to continue making mobile payments, you can use Paym instead. The Paym functionality is available within the Barclays app, if you have that. If you were a non-Barclays Pingit customer, you'll need to separately register with Paym to use it.