New card design guidelines to make everyday payments easier for everyone

Everyday banking tasks are becoming easier, with better support and smarter tools. Now, new guidance from UK Finance is improving payment cards themselves, especially for people with visual impairments, disabilities, and learning difficulties like dyslexia.

What’s changing?

The Accessible Cards Code of Practice sets out straightforward design improvements, making the UK the first country in the world to set national accessibility guidelines for standard payment cards.

Here’s what to expect:

• notches you can feel
• round for debit cards
• square for credit cards
• triangle for other cards, like prepaid
• Clearer text and numbers
• bigger and easier to read
• better colour contrast

It’s not mandatory, but UK Finance says at least 10 firms plan to use the code, covering around 80% of the card market.

The design has been shaped with input from organisations including the Royal National Institute of Blind People and the British Dyslexia Association, alongside industry experts and consumer groups.

Part of a bigger plan

These changes support the government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, which aims to make financial services easier to access for everyone.

It focuses on:

• better digital access
• support with saving and borrowing
• tackling debt
• improving financial education

Accessibility, mental health, and vulnerability are all part of that wider effort.

Why it matters

The aim is consistency, so payment cards are easier to recognise and use, whatever the provider.

As MP Lucy Rigby said:

“People shouldn’t have to struggle to do something as routine as paying with a card. This code is a practical step that will make it easier for people with sight loss, dyslexia or other needs to use their cards day to day.”

Support already available

Banks already offer a range of services to help make banking more accessible:

Accessible documents

• braille
• large print
• audio or screen-reader formats

Talking ATMs

Plug in headphones and hear step-by-step instructions.

High-visibility cards

Clearer colours, bigger text, and tactile markers.

Helpful tools

• signature guides
• writing templates
• note gauges for identifying cash

Digital banking options

• apps that work with screen readers
• fingerprint or face ID login
• voice-enabled security tools
• services like Relay UK and SignVideo
• some apps offer direct calls to support teams

In-branch support

• notes added to accounts to flag accessibility needs
• quiet spaces and longer appointments
• trusted person cards for support from family or carers
• branch guides showing things like step-free access

These updates are about making everyday banking simpler and more consistent.

Small changes, like a notch on a card or clearer text, can make a real difference when it comes to using payment cards with confidence.