Barclays to shut a further 15 bank branches this year - check if yours is closing and what your options are

Alternative ways to bank face-to-face with Barclays

Here are some alternative ways to access face-to-face Barclays banking services if your local branch is closing:

Book an appointment on the Barclays van

Barclays runs an educational and support van that enables Barclays and Barclaycard customers in England and Wales to access certain advice and help in their local area at specific times and dates each month. You can check if a nearby town is covered on Barclays' website.

Under the 'Barclays van' service customers can get advice on:

• Buying a new home.
• Online banking.
• Saving for the future.
• Setting up a business.

However, the Barclays van service has no cash or counter services, so you won't be able to manage your money here. If you need to access to these services you can use a Post Office branch. 

You can access some Barclays services via the Post Office

Barclays customers can access certain services from any of the Post Office's 11,500 branches. Use the Post Office's branch finder tool to locate your nearest. Services available include the following:

• Cash/cheque deposits. 
• Check your balance. 
• Withdraw money. 

If you need branch access and don't have alternative services nearby, consider switching

If you no longer want to stay with Barclays, you might want to consider switching to a bank that does have a local branch nearby – although bear in mind there's no guarantee that too won't close. Top switching offers from banks with branches include the following:

• HSBC Advance is offering newbies £170 free cash. There's no minimum monthly pay-in to keep the account, though you will need to deposit a one-off £1,500+ to get the bonus.

• Club Lloyds is offering new or existing customers a free £125. You also get to choose one of these four perks each year: six cinema tickets, 12 digital movie rentals, a Gourmet Society membership, or an annual magazine subscription. You must pay in £1,500+ a month or pay a £3 monthly fee.

• Nationwide FlexDirect is offering existing customers a free £125 and newbies a free £100 (though we've an easy trick for all to get the boosted £125 – this link has full details). In addition to the free cash, you get 5% fixed interest on up to £1,500 and many get a 0% overdraft – both last for the first 12 months, unless you've had this account before, in which case you'll get just 0.25% in-credit interest and no 0% overdraft.

See our Best Bank Accounts guide for the full list of banks offering switching incentives.

Of course, if you want to switch to banking online or via an app, Barclays has a step-by-step guide on how to set up online and app banking.