What is a Carers Card?
A carers card identifies us as an unpaid carer. It’s a physical ID that lets others, such as shops or attractions, know that we’re looking after someone.
Carers Cards
At Mobilise, we do not offer Carers Cards. But there are many carers cards available to those of us looking after someone.
Although there isn’t one national scheme, there are different local cards. Some carers card act solely as an Emergency Carers Card, whilst others may also offer perks, such as money off.
With different carers cards doing different things, it can get a little confusing! We’ll do our best to guide you. 😉
What does a carers card do?
So what can a carers card help us with? 🤔 A carers card’s main job is to prove to others that we’re looking after someone. This is particularly helpful in situations where we might need to prove this (such as for free entry to participating attractions).
Depending on our council, a carers card (sometimes called a ‘Carer passport’) may also offer discounts and exclusive access to community activities. It can also act as a Carer Emergency card - or all of the above!
Be careful not to confuse a carers card with an Access Card. An Access Card is designed for a disabled person and shows that they need support from a carer, with the +1 symbol. Some places will accept Access Cards as proof to receive a carer discount.
How do I get a carers card?
At Mobilise, we do not offer Carers Cards. The first place to try would be your local carer support organisation. You should be able to find them by entering your postcode on the Carers Trust website. However, not all areas have a carers card scheme.
Or simply check out our list of Carers Cards by region, plus what they offer.
What is an emergency carers card?
An emergency carers card is also a form of identification for unpaid carers looking after someone vulnerable. It's particularly useful in cases of an emergency as it helps services such as hospitals, schools or rescue services know that we're caring for someone who depends on us.
The emergency carers card will often include our name, information about the person we care for and sometimes a phone number that others can reach, if we're not able to be there.
Some local councils offer an emergency carers card. We've included a list of local council's who offer any type of carer's card - be it a discount or emergency card below.
Carers Cards near you
We’ve created a quick list to help you find what carers cards are offered in your area.
If you can’t spot your local council (which is responsible for social care), it might be that they don't have a carers card.
However, if you do know of a carers card we haven't mentioned, please do let us know at info@mobiliseonline.co.uk
Carers Cards in England
B
Barking and Dagenham - Carers Card
Barnet - Free leisure pass for carers
Birmingham - Carers ID and Discount card
Bedfordshire - Carers Discount Card
Blackburn and Darwen - Carers Discount card
Blackpool - Carers Emergency card
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole - Carers Discount card
Bracknell Forest - Carers Emergency card
Brighton and Hove - Carers Discount card
Bristol - Carers Emergency card
Bury - Active Lifestyle Discount card
P
T
Thurrock - Carer Friendly Card Scheme
Trafford - Carers Emergency Card
Torbay - Carers Emergency Card
Tower Hamlets - Carers Emergency Card
Tyne and Wear - Carer Card leaflet
C
Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Norfolk - Emergency and Carer ID card
Central Bedfordshire - Carers Discount card
Cheshire West and Chester - Carers Emergency Card
City of York - Carers Discount card
Cornwall - Carers MAX Card scheme and Carers Emergency card
Coventry - Carers Emergency card
Croydon - Carers Emergency card
Cumbria Council - Companion passes and Carer Card leaflet
G
K
Kensington and Chelsea - Carers Emergency card
Kingston Upon Thames - Carers Emergency Alert Card
N
H
Hammersmith and Fulham - Carers Emergency card
Hampshire - Carers ID Card with access to community activities and schemes
Haringey - Advantage+ Card and Carers Emergency Alert Card
Harrow - Carers ID and Discount card
Hartlepool - Carer Access Card includes discounts
Havering - Carers register and alert card (emergency planning)
Hertfordshire - Carers Passport Discount card
Hounslow - Carers Emergency card
Hull - Carers ID and Emergency card
L
Lambeth - Carers Card includes discounts and emergency planning
Lancashire - Carers Go2 Discount Card
Leicester - Carers Passport (includes discounts)
Leicestershire - Carers Passport (includes discounts)
Lincolnshire - Carers Emergency card
Liverpool - Carer Passport and Carers Emergency Card
S
Sandwell - Carers Emergency card
Sefton - Carers Emergency card
Sheffield - Carers Discount card
Shropshire - Carers ID and emergency card
South Gloucestershire - Carers Emergency Card
Southend-on-Sea - Advantage Card
Stockport - Connecting Carers Card
Stockton-on-Tees - Carers Emergency card
Surrey - Carers Card
Swindon - Carers Emergency card
Carers Cards in Scotland
Carers Cards in Wales
Carers Card in Northern Ireland
Other carers cards we may be able to apply for
If we are unable to find a carers card in our local area, there are other options we can explore. We’ve listed a few below but do let us know if there are any you’d like us to add to the list.
1. Carer Card provided by Access Card
The Carer Card provided by Access is available to unpaid carers across the UK as a means of evidence that we have care responsibilities for a disabled person.
2. Max Card
A Max Card is the UK’s leading physical discount card for foster families and families of children with special needs. With a Max Card, we can access venues for free or at a discounted price. Check to see if your local council offers a Max Card here.
3. National Carers Card
A National Carers Card is also a physical ID card for carers. It can be helpful when we need special assistance when travelling abroad, or through airports. It costs £18 for two years (plus £1.45 postage).
There is also something known as a National Disability Card which can give the person we care for access to the Disneyland Paris Priority Card.
Carers Card for Cinema
You may have heard (or not!) that carers can go to the cinema for free. And it’s true! A CEA Card lets us do exactly that. For £6, we can get unlimited free access to the cinema with the person we look after. So that we can provide our loved ones with the assistance they need and both enjoy a good film!
When applying for a CEA Card, the person we care for must be receiving either:
-
Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
-
Attendance Allowance (AA)
-
Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
-
Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP)
Movies-fiend, are you ready? 🤓 📺 Simply apply for a CEA Card here.
What are digital carers cards?
Digital carers cards identify us as carers electronically, through an app or an online membership. There are now several digital versions of carers cards available, at both a national and local level.
We’ve listed some below but do feel free to let us know any that we’ve missed.
1. Forward Carers
Forward Carers offer virtual carers card. They have different packages that we can buy, starting from £10 which last two years. This can save us over £400 a year using the online discount. And even more on the high street.
2. The Carers Community App
The Carers Community App is a UK-wide carers ID app with a simple sign-up process. It also provides helpful resources for unpaid carers, from a carers community to local carers news and events.
3. Carer Smart
Carer Smart, a club from Carers Trust also offers carers cash back, discounts and many more benefits. These include the best rates from energy providers and reductions on our insurance renewals. Register here to see how much you can save.
Carers Cards with our banks
Did you know that many banks now offer cards for carers (or a similar version)? These are special accounts that allow us to easily manage a set amount of money for care-related tasks.
It makes it easier for us to do the shopping, arrange for prescriptions (if they are paid) and manage and track finances with ease. Hopefully saving us time and making things simpler.
Which banks offer a Carers Card (or a similar version)?
The cards go by different names at different banks. Have a look below to see if you spot your own bank.
1. Companion Card
These are physical cards that are linked to an account, that the person we care for can apply for, and give to a trusted person. This gives us access to manage care-related spending. Participating banks include Natwest, Ulster Bank, and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
2. Trusted Personal Card
Just as the name suggests, this is also a physical card for a trusted person to have access to a special account for care-related spending with that bank. Participating banks include Lloyds, Halifax, and the Bank of Scotland.
3. Carers Card Account
So far, Santander is the only bank in the UK that offers an account type specifically for carers - a Carers Card Account. This type of account includes a physical card and pin, and the person we care for can transfer up to £1,500 into the account. Up to two carers can be added.
4. Third-party mandate (or third-party access)
Simply put, the third-party mandate (or access) means giving someone else other than the bank and the person holding the account, access to the bank account. With this, it means as carers, we may be able to manage the finances of the person we care for.
We will need a Lasting Power of Attorney to put a third-party mandate in place. The criteria for what we can and cannot do with a third-party mandate (or access) will also depend on the bank so do check.
We hope you have managed to find a Carer Card that could work for you. Our list is continually growing. So please do let us know if you would love to add to our list by emailing us at info@mobiliseonline.co.uk.