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Delegated spending cards
Cards you can give to others to use for you, but you stay in control
Some specialist cards allow others to spend on your behalf while you stay in control – for example, by setting spending limits. These can be useful if you rely on others to shop for you, or if you assist a vulnerable person and want them to be able to spend safely.
Why would you need a card like this?
Banking is not always straightforward, particularly if personal circumstances such as old age or disability mean you need others to reliably assist you or spend on your behalf.
The same is true if you need to help a vulnerable friend or relative to access their banking without worrying about them being scammed and/or overspending.
To do this safely, there are a number of bank accounts and specialist cards which allow others to safely access banking on your behalf, but only in certain ways and on certain types of spending.
Who might find these bank accounts and specialist cards useful?
- Mobility issues mean you need a friend, relative or carer to do your shopping on your behalf and you want to ensure they don’t overspend on your card.
- You are looking after a relative with dementia and want to ensure they can use their banking without being vulnerable to scams and/or unwanted overspending.
- You have a Lasting Power of Attorney over a friend or relative who's not in a position to safely manage their finances, and want to get them a card they can use with some supervision.
Do I need a specialist card?
This depends on your circumstances. If you're happy to share full access to your finances, most banks allow you to add additional account or card holders to your bank accounts or credit cards – so you may not need a specialist card.
However, if you or the person assisting you are uncomfortable sharing full access to your finances, a specialist card could be a good option. Some banks offer cards you can give to others where you can control how much can be spent, while many prepaid cards can do this too, plus offer other useful features, such as setting constraints which limit the cardholder to where and how much they can spend.
Option 1: Get a secondary debit card with your existing bank
Some banks allow current account customers to add secondary debit cards and card holders to the account. You can typically add funds to the cards (meaning you can decide the maximum you want to be spent), and track the outgoings via your online banking. While not all banks do this, here are some examples, all of which are fee-free...
Starling's Connected card
Existing Starling customers can apply for a secondary debit card that can be given to a friend, neighbour, relative or carer, to pay for groceries or other essentials. Only you can add money to the card, allowing you to control how much can be spent. The card can't be used at ATMs, and has a separate PIN, cutting the risk of fraud.
You'll need to set up a 'connected card space' in the 'spaces' tab of your app, then transfer money into it (max £200). You can apply through the app, and it'll take three to five working days.
Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland's Trusted Person card
If you can't get out to shop for yourself or if you want to grant a vulnerable person access to limited banking, you can order a second debit card on your account, and give it (and the PIN, which is different to yours) to the person who needs access.
The card has weekly £100 limits for spending and cash withdrawals, and you can see all transactions they make in your account and statement. You can also set up alerts where you (or someone you nominate) receive text messages from the bank about the account activity.
For more information, head to the 'Trusted Person' info for Lloyds Bank, Halifax or Bank of Scotland (click 'types of access', then select your region, then you'll see it in a dropdown menu).
Barclays' authorised user
There are two types of 'authorised users' which you can add to your account (you'll both need to be Barclays customers). You can add them via app, by phone or in branch.
- Additional cardholder – you can give a someone else their own debit card, they won't be able to see the balance or your transactions, but you will be able to see their transactions plus set limits on how much can be spent per transaction and where they can spend.
- Account supervisor – you can allow someone else to see your balance and transactions, set controls on where and how much you can spend, and remove access if needed.
Santander's Carers Card Account
Existing Santander customers can open one of these accounts, which allow you to choose two designated 'carers' (can be a friend, family member or trusted person) who will have separate cards and PINs.
There's a maximum account limit of £1,500, and you can track spending via online banking (and branch/phone) without the additional cardholders accessing your main account. Cardholders will be able to withdraw cash. To open an account, you'll have to arrange an in-branch appointment.
Beware of adding additional cardholders to credit cards
While you can't get a joint credit card, you can add additional cardholders to an existing one. This is risky, as it means other people can spend on the credit card, but legal responsibility for the debt belongs solely to the main cardholder.
Be careful if going down this route and only add someone you trust completely. If they overspend and accumulate debt, you're the one who'll have to pay it off. If anything goes wrong, it could have a negative impact on your credit file.
Option 2: Get a specialist pre-paid card
These are essentially pay-as-you-go debit cards, where you load up cash onto the card whenever you need, and can use it to pay for everyday spending – including online and cash withdrawals. You can ensure the user won’t overspend – as they can only spend what you load onto the card, and some also allow you to set spending limits.
The downsides are that some (not all, we list the free ones below) charge monthly fees. Plus, your spending won’t be protected in the same way as with a credit card or bank account. Though this may be less of an issue if the card is primarily being used for small, everyday expenditure.
Below are our two top picks, which are fee-free.
HyperJar*
Similar to above, HyperJar's app lets you load funds, plus there's a debit card for spending. The app has a variety of payment controls, such as setting limits on how much and where you can spend. It also offers budgeting features, such as separate 'jars' for spending and saving.
There are some (possible) fees to be aware of – you can transfer money out to a bank for free four times a month, any more then it costs 50p/time. It's free to load money onto the card if it's at least £10, but loading less than £10 is only free once a month and then costs 50p/time.
Tesco Clubcard Pay+
Tesco's Clubcard Pay+ app lets you load funds, plus comes with a debit card which can be used for spending at Tesco and elsewhere. You’ll need a Clubcard account first to get one, but it gives ongoing rewards – you get 1 Clubcard point per £1 spent at Tesco and per £8 spent elsewhere.
Option 3: Volunteer and gift e-cards
If you specifically need a safe way to pay someone digitally to do your shopping on your behalf, you could consider getting an e-gift card or a volunteer e-card on their behalf.
Volunteer e-cards
During the pandemic when many were helping vulnerable people with their shopping, a few major supermarkets launched volunteer e-cards, where you buy the gift card online for the amount you want, then you choose to send the email to yourself or direct to your volunteer.
A couple of these 'volunteer cards' remain on the market, including Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda. You can still buy regular e-gift cards from many supermarkets too (see below).
E-gift cards
You choose the amount you’d like to add to the card, then add details of the person you want to send the card to. They then receive an email with the digital gift card, with a barcode which they can print out and hand over when they're paying for your shopping, or just show the barcode on their phone, or quote the number.
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Option 4: Transfer money directly
This could be the easiest option if you're not interested in the extra features and spending controls, for example if you have someone you trust helping you with your shopping and just want to get them the money to do so. You've a few options...
Pay them online
Ask for their bank details, then you can set them up as a payee and pay them via online banking. This is especially helpful if the same person will shop for you week after week, as then you can just transfer the right amount each time, or set up a standing order if it'll be the same every time.
Pay them through PayPal
Here you don't even need to swap bank details with someone else, as you can pay someone if you have the email address they've signed up to PayPal with. Setting up an account is easy, though you will need to give PayPal your card or bank details so it can access money to send to the person you're paying.
When you make a payment, just enter their email address and the amount. Select it's going to 'friends and family', as this avoids fees.
Pay them via phone
If you don't have internet access, you can set up telephone banking, which allows you to check your balance and pay people. You will need to speak to someone at the bank to set telephone banking up. Once it's set up, make sure you have the full name, sort code and account number of the person you want to pay.
How is my money protected?
This depends on what type of product you go for, as how your money is safeguarded works in slightly different ways.
Secondary debit cards with bank accounts
If you choose to open a bank account or get a secondary debit card on an existing bank account, your money will be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £85,000 per person, per UK-regulated financial institution.
Prepaid cards
Pre-paid card providers aren't banks and any money stored on one is classed as 'electronic money'. However, all prepaid card providers are required to hold your cash in a 'ringfenced' bank account, separate from their own operating cash. This means that if a card provider went bust, your money would still be safe and you could get it back.
The only risk is if the bank or building society your money is stored in goes bust, as then your money is not protected. So it's worth checking which bank the card provider uses for these 'ringfenced' accounts and making a judgement on the risk then. Either way, these cards are better used for small deposits and small, everyday spending. See pre-paid cards for full info.
Volunteer and e-gift cards
Money on gift cards isn't protected. Unfortunately, if the company issuing the gift card goes into administration, they may decide to stop honouring gift cards. In this event, it's unlikely you'll be able to get your money back, as it's not treated in the same way as money in a bank or savings account (and therefore doesn't get FSCS protection). See gift card rights for full info.
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