I just had my first experience with the Barclays dispute department and they are basically useless. It was so bad I'm seriously considering switching cards. The 2.2% is great, and the website is easy to use, but their buyer protection is basically zero.

My wife made some photo purchase online. Apparently in doing so, she agreed to a subscription plan and the company never notifies you of when the trial period ends and the subscription starts, they just start billing you. I call the company trying to cancel but was unable to get through. So I called Barclays and get to their dispute department. The rep was actually yawning on the phone while she told me that there was nothing she could do. She said I'd have to call the merchant and work it out with them. Luckily after a few more calls, I was able to get through to the merchant. And through a good deal of back and forth and threats of a chargeback (they didn't know Barclays didn't care) they agreed to refund the subscription fee since it had never been used and the trial period wasn't clear.

Obviously this could have all been avoided had my significant other unchecked the small box which was prechecked agreeing to the subscription. But in the past under similar situations, other CC providers have been much more user friendly. Over the years, I've had to file disputes with AMEX, Discover, and Citi and each one was easy to deal with and helpful. Not a ton, maybe 1 a year, and a couple didn't end in my favor, but each company at least pretended that they were on my side. They would at least begin the process and put a hold on the transaction while getting more details from the merchant and myself. I've never been told, "sorry, we can't help you, you have to call the merchant and work it out". So their buyer protection effectively is the same as if I had paid cash.

Fortunately this charge was small so even if it had not worked out, no big deal. But I will definitely think twice before using the Barclays card for any significant purchases.