Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

PayPoint applauds government’s £500m pledge to poorest households

PauPoint has lauded the government's announcement of a £500m grant to help vulnerable households in the UK, and is lauding the decision and is now calling on local authorities to provide convenient and immediate access to much needed cash to the financially vulnerable.

During the pandemic more than 100 local authorities benefitted from PayPoint’s Cash Out service to help deliver emergency funds to those in need, with over two million vouchers issued with a total value of over £100 million. Cash Out works in real-time to seamlessly enable eligible households to receive vouchers via email, letter or SMS to then be presented to obtain cash or energy credit payments at one of PayPoint’s 28,000 retailers. These include Sainsburys, Asda, The Co-op, Spar, and One-Stop, as well as more conveniently placed local shops.


Over 99 per cent of urban households are within one mile of a PayPoint location, and 98.3 per cent of rural households within five miles.

Demonstrating the speed at which people can benefit from the service, a PayPoint Cash Out voucher was recorded as having been presented to obtain cash just over a minute from receipt.

PayPoint has also recently joined forces with the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) to deliver payments to those without access to a standard bank account. Previously, many UK benefits recipients, who choose to receive their benefits in cash, collected their payments using a paper-based voucher system or a Post Office Card Account, which is coming to an end.

“Since March 2020, we have seen various government support mechanisms created, and while there has been success, local authorities faced challenges in providing straightforward access to funds." said Danny Vant, Client Services Director at PayPoint. "To help with this issue, we made use of our Cash Out solution and network of retailers.”

For local authorities, access to the Cash Out facility is via an online portal which removes the need for any development. Not only does this ease the burden on local authorities already facing significant challenges but enables them to utilise Cash Out as a solution immediately.

In South Lanarkshire, the solution was successfully used with the distribution and redemption of school meal vouchers. Stephen Pendrich, Benefits and Revenue Advisor for South Lanarkshire Council explains: “We knew we needed to find a fast and efficient solution to deliver school meal payments to all of our eligible residents in need of financial support. eGift vouchers for large supermarkets were not inclusive enough, particularly considering the geographical challenges in South Lanarkshire.

“To this day, PayPoint’s Cash Out remains a vital service for our residents, alongside bank transfer which we later introduced to offer as an alternative way of providing financial support.”

Family Fund Business Services used CashOut to meet its ambition of delivering £7.5m to local authority beneficiaries. The organisation was also able to provide access to emergency cash 24/7, 365 days a year.

“Our clients and their beneficiaries are at the heart of everything we do, so any solutions we utilise must ultimately best serve them, not just improve our own practices," said Jill Wheeler, Managing Director of FFBS. "Importantly, this ethos is mirrored by PayPoint, so when lockdown came into force, we were united in stepping up plans to fully digitise our offering and deliver flexible, friction-free payment options.”

More for you

Nick’s experience will drive growth for our Manchester depot and Northwest customers

Nick Edwards

New manager for Hancocks in Manchester

Confectionery wholesaler Hancocks has a new manager at its Manchester store.

Nick Edwards has taken over at the helm of the store in Gorton, overseeingten staff and working closely with existing and new customers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rachel Reeves delivers Spring Statement 2025 as retail costs rise with no relief
Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Spring Statement fails to address independent retailers' concern

Costs are set to continue rising amid a difficult economic outlook following the Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement, which brought no significant change to major tax plans announced in the October budget despite urgent calls for support.

The Spring Statement released today (26) made no specific provisions for the independent retail sector, which is facing unprecedented challenges including rising business rates, an increase in employer national insurance contributions to 15 per cent above £5,000 per annum and an above-inflation increase in the minimum wage to £12.21.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dubai style chocolate bar with pistachio and knafeh, popular in UK supermarkets

Dubai style chocolate bar featuring a blend of pistachio and knafeh

iStock image

Dubai style chocolate takes UK by storm

Dubai style chocolate has taken the UK by storm with many shops stocking dupes of the popular flavour while some supermarkets are forced to impose limits on how much a shopper can buy at once.

Shoppers have been clearing the shelves of the chocolate bar which is filled with pistachio and the Arab dessert Knafeh - a shredded crispy pastry.

Keep ReadingShow less
Government tax increases on retailers impacting local businesses

Chancellor Rachel Reeves leaves 11 Downing Street to deliver her spring statement to Parliament on March 26, 2025 in London.

Photo by Peter Nicholls/Getty Images

Spring Statement: Reeves severely criticised for ignoring retail

Representatives of UK's convenience sector as well as those of independent retailers have heavily criticised Chancellor Rachel Reeves for ignoring the pleas of retail in her Spring Statement, thus pushing some local store operators towards closure.

Delivering the Spring Statement today (26), Reeves did not budge in reduction in business rate relief, National Insurance hike and in minimum wages.

Keep ReadingShow less
VApril 2025 UKVIA campaign poster promoting vaping as a quit-smoking tool
Photo: iStock

Vape awareness campaign to begin amid record-high misperceptions

VApril, the largest and most successful vape awareness campaign in the world, is returning for its eighth year amid record-high misperceptions around vaping and stop smoking tool.

Created by the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), the initiative comes at a critical time for the UK vaping sector, with half of smokers wrongly believing vaping is as harmful - or worse - than smoking.

Keep ReadingShow less