Barclaycard Freedom has signed its first national retailers to join 30,000 companies that were invited to participate in the new reward scheme.

Jeweller Goldsmiths and gifts etailer Firebox.com are the first big names to join the scheme, which will launch next month and be open to over 8 million Barclaycard holders.

Last month Barclaycard wrote to 30,000 merchants that use its payment terminals, telling them to opt-out if they did not want to participate. The launch will give small and medium-sized retailers the chance to participate in such a reward scheme for the first time.

The scheme will allow cardholders to earn “reward money” in pounds and pence at the till.