The Carers Shopping Card

The Carers Shopping Card provides a convenient, safe and secure way for carers to access smaller amounts of money that they will need to undertake shopping and other purchases for the person they are caring for.

Our Carers Shopping Card service is continually developing and as such will also include enhancements such as individual alerts for irregular transactions and separate purchasable options such as 'spot audits' to see how the card has been used if the cardholder would like us to do so.

We provide two different types of carers card programs depending on whether the individual requiring a card has mental capacity or not. The Corporate Program is for organisations that act as Corporate Appointee or Court of Protection Deputy or their Attorney. This could be a law firm or a care provider or a local authority that are managing the financial affairs of an incapacitated person for example.

The Consumer Program is for individuals that have the mental capacity to make the decision to apply for a carers card so their carers can have access to spending money that the individual will transfer onto the card account so that they can buy shopping or other items for them. An example might be an older person who has mental capacity but is housebound due to their frailty and as such relies on their carers to do their shopping for them.

Apply for a Carers Shopping Card Account Below:

• Individuals (Consumer Program) -        Download Application Form Here

• Organisations (Corporate Program) -    Download Application Form Here

Developed exclusively with our banking partner for this purpose the Carers Shopping Card protects the vulnerable person and their carers in a modern, robust and auditable way and was launched back in 2012 when the service won a care innovation award. The Money Carer Foundation, as a national social enterprise introduced this important service to protect our own clients and the carers that support them.

► Quick Bullet Points      ►Fees

Given the success of the service we have over the years been contacted by many law firms who asked us if they could also access our card system so that it could solve the problems they had in providing shopping money to the carers of their own vulnerable clients in a safe, modern and secure way. We have enabled those Solicitors and other professionals such as Chartered Accountants and Financial Controllers, to provide their clients and their clients carers with the same level of convenience, protection and support.

Indeed, we also encourage these professionals to inform their clients carers of our free Income Maximisation Calculator to make sure they themselves are accessing all of the financial support they are entitled to in their important supporting role. The Carers Shopping Card is as much about supporting and protecting carers as it is about the people they provide care for.

2017 - The Carers Shopping Card Goes National

Throughout 2016 The Money Carer Foundation had been working with our banking partner (APS) to get the correct mechanisms in place to introduce our carers card system to the wider population of individuals that would benefit from this important innovation. As the UK's pioneer in the area of daily money management we wanted to share our expertise to benefit those individuals that are typically in receipt of care in their own homes but find it difficult to provide their carers with access to smaller amounts of money for them to perform shopping tasks. Having been approached by large national charities that support older people or people with other disabilities we met and discussed their own experience of people they support and how the Carers Shopping Card might assist them.

A Typical Scenario

It is unfortunately the case that many frail older people in receipt of care hand over their bank cards and PIN numbers on a regular basis so that a carer, family member or neighbour or friend can perfom shopping tasks or get cash out for the individual. This is often done with the best intentions and no actual harm or abuse occurs however on many occasions this is an open invitation for theft and other forms of financial abuse to happen.

Indeed, the danger is not just for the individual who chooses to hand over their card and PIN number but also to a well meaning carer or friend that might subsequently be putting their employment contract at risk or being faced with accusations further down the road. The Carers Shopping Card removes the need for this to happen providing greater protection for individuals and carers alike.

Who Can Request To Receive A Carers Shopping Card?

• Any person that would benefit from having access to this service and has the capacity to request it (e.g. an older person with capacity being supported at home by carers)

• An individual that holds an LPA (Lasting Power of Attorney) for a person they are providing financial care for (e.g. a family member looking after a loved ones finances)

• An individual that holds a Court of Protection Deputyship Order for a person they are caring for (e.g. a family member looking after an incapacitated loved ones finances)

• An individual that acts as DWP Appointee for a person they are managing the benefit payments for (e.g. a family member looking after an incapacitated loved ones finances)

• An organisation that act as Corporate Appointee for a person they are supporting (e.g. a Care Provider authorised by the DWP to be Corporate Appointee for a client they support)

To Apply Please Contact Us By Clicking Here 

Or Call Us On 0800 083 0616 And We Will Be Happy To Help

*Subject to terms and conditions. Accounts available to applicants aged 18+ years and being resident in the UK and/or businesses being based in the UK. Some features and services are only available to customers who have been fully identified and verified. Find out more. Cashplus is issued by APS Financial Ltd (AFL) pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated. AFL is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 for the issuing of electronic money. Cards are serviced by Advanced Payment Solutions Ltd (APS) which operates the card on behalf of AFL. AFL & APS registered address is 6th Floor, One London Wall, London EC2Y 5EB. Registered in England and Wales under company numbers 06029941 & 04947027 respectively. Credit facilities are provided by APS and are subject to prepaid account being in good standing. APS is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for consumer credit activities (Registration No. 0608377).

MasterCard, the MasterCard Brand Mark, PayPass and Tap & Go are registered trademarks of MasterCard International Incorporated. The Post Office^® and Post Office symbol are registered trademarks of Post Office Ltd. Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Android is a trademark of Google Inc. Google Play is a trademark of Google Inc. Data charges from your mobile network provider may apply when using the Cashplus Mobile App. ^♦Calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to a 01 or 02 number and will count towards inclusive minutes in the same way as 01 and 02 calls.