If an illness or disability means friends or family rely on you to do your shopping, withdraw cash or pay for bills, then a Carer’s Card account might be useful for you.
What is a Carers Card Account?
A Carers Card Account is a special feature on a bank account offered by many high-street banks that allows the account holder to give restricted access to money in their bank account to a trusted person who provides care.
What each bank offers is slightly different, but typically:
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you and the person you’re sharing access with needs to be 18 or older and a UK resident
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the account holder needs to have a personal current account with the bank chosen for the Carer’s Card
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no overdraft will be available, and interest won’t be paid on the balance
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the account will be in the account holders name and the carer will not have full access
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the carer will receive their own debit card for the account holders account with limited access
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the person you give a card to will only have a limited access to funds that the account holder can control
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the card can usually only be used for limited cash withdrawals or spending in physical shops – not online or over the phone.
Check with local bank/ building society branches if they offer this service and find out more here.