PayPoint offers Counter Cash for free with no ATM fees
As bank branches close and many ATMs bring in fees, getting at your cash for free is increasingly difficult in many areas. So called 'cash deserts' have sprung up in many villages and residential areas, as large stretches have no access to cash - or only ATMs that charge - often fees of around £2, even for a withdrawal of £10.
Now, convenience shops may have the answer. Around 30,000 shops across the UK now have PayPoint terminals, where customers can pay bills, drop off parcels, use energy credit vouchers, top up gas cards, electricity keys or Smart Meter cards.
Now, a growing number are also offering cash - from 1p to £50 - without a charge, and without customers even needing to make a purchase. It's particularly useful for account holders who may have less than £10 or £30 in an account, as they can get smaller amounts out in coins, a bit at a time.
PayPoint Counter Cash gives access to cash at thousands of shops across the country, as parenting blogger Men Behaving Dadly shared this week.
He said: "If you're anything like me, you really lose your s*** when you finally find an ATM and it's one of those that fleece you for a £1.85 fee before you can get your own money out. Somehow, I've only just discovered that loads and loads of convenience stores with PayPoint (they're literally everywhere, only outnumbered by vape shops and Costa) offer something called 'Counter Cash.'
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Glasgow Times
12 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
PayPoint offers Counter Cash for free with no ATM fees
As bank branches close and many ATMs bring in fees, getting at your cash for free is increasingly difficult in many areas. So called 'cash deserts' have sprung up in many villages and residential areas, as large stretches have no access to cash - or only ATMs that charge - often fees of around £2, even for a withdrawal of £10. Now, convenience shops may have the answer. Around 30,000 shops across the UK now have PayPoint terminals, where customers can pay bills, drop off parcels, use energy credit vouchers, top up gas cards, electricity keys or Smart Meter cards. Now, a growing number are also offering cash - from 1p to £50 - without a charge, and without customers even needing to make a purchase. It's particularly useful for account holders who may have less than £10 or £30 in an account, as they can get smaller amounts out in coins, a bit at a time. PayPoint Counter Cash gives access to cash at thousands of shops across the country, as parenting blogger Men Behaving Dadly shared this week. He said: "If you're anything like me, you really lose your s*** when you finally find an ATM and it's one of those that fleece you for a £1.85 fee before you can get your own money out. Somehow, I've only just discovered that loads and loads of convenience stores with PayPoint (they're literally everywhere, only outnumbered by vape shops and Costa) offer something called 'Counter Cash.'
The Sun
14 hours ago
- The Sun
UK's biggest energy supplier is paying customers to use less electricity again from this week
THE UK's biggest energy supplier is paying customers to use less electricity again from this week. Octopus Energy is bringing back its popular Saving Sessions for customers. 1 The scheme is a way for customers to earn rewards by reducing their electricity consumption during specific times when the national grid is under pressure. Over the summer, households have a chance to use their washing machine and charge their devices for free if they shift their usage from peak times. Octopus said the free electricity will be available during one hour slots that will usually be held in the early afternoon. To be eligible for the scheme, you must be an Octoplus member, which is a free rewards program for the smart meter customers. The energy supplier said nearly one million eligible customers from last year have been automatically opted in. New customers can sign up via the Octopus Energy app or online Households will get a notification the day before a Saving Session letting them know the event is about to start. Octopus will use historical smart meter readings to work out a customer's typical energy use at that time of day. If the session is on a weekday, the calculation will look at half-hourly usage over the last 10 weekdays. Families can get FREE washing machines, fridges and kids' beds or £200 payments this summer – and you can apply now If the session is at the weekend, then it will look at half-hourly usage over the last four weekend days. The figure is then used as a baseline - any power used above that baseline will be free. Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, chief product officer at Octopus said: 'Calling all spenders and savers, grab your kettles and get those toasters ready cause we're bringing back 'Saving Sessions'. "This time, we're chuffed to offer even more fun, flair and fabulous prizes." Customers also have a chance to win prizes if certain targets are met, including a pink octopus toy and an electric car. This isn't the first time Octopus Energy has introduced innovative schemes to help its customers save money while supporting the energy grid. Last year, the company launched 'free electricity sessions' during periods of negative wholesale prices. ENERGY SAVING SCHEMES ScottishPower offers half-price electricity at weekends to its smart meter customers on both Saturday and Sunday. Those registered for Power Saver will receive the discounted rate every Saturday and Sunday between 11am and 4pm. Scottish Power will then credit your bill with money you've saved. To join the scheme you will need to have a smart meter and then register for the scheme online. You can register online by visiting / For every month a customer's peak energy usage is less than 15% they are entered into a prize draw. Five customers win the top prize of £2,000 worth of energy to use over one year, with 200 winning £50 prizes and 22,850 receiving £2 of free energy. Meanwhile, British Gas offers half-price electricity through its PeakSave scheme on Sundays between 11am-4pm. The scheme rewards customers for shifting their electricity usage to times when there's less demand. To sign up customers need to be a British Gas customers, have a smart meter and then register online for the PeakSave scheme. 4 ways to keep your energy bills low Laura Court-Jones, Small Business Editor at Bionic shared her tips. 1. Turn your heating down by one degree You probably won't even notice this tiny temperature difference, but what you will notice is a saving on your energy bills as a result. Just taking your thermostat down a notch is a quick way to start saving fast. This one small action only takes seconds to carry out and could potentially slash your heating bills by £171.70. 2. Switch appliances and lights off It sounds simple, but fully turning off appliances and lights that are not in use can reduce your energy bills, especially in winter. Turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use, can save you up to £20 a year on your energy bills 3. Install a smart meter Smart meters are a great way to keep control over your energy use, largely because they allow you to see where and when your gas and electricity is being used. 4. Consider switching energy supplier No matter how happy you are with your current energy supplier, they may not be providing you with the best deals, especially if you've let a fixed-rate contract expire without arranging a new one. If you haven't browsed any alternative tariffs lately, then you may not be aware that there are better options out there.
Rhyl Journal
16 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Sainsbury's shoppers urged to lock Nectar card points
Back in February, the supermarket introduced a new 'Spend Lock' security feature to its Nectar loyalty app. The move was put in place as a way to prevent points from being spent by anyone other than the primary account holder. This meant loyalty members could 'freeze' their points while also choosing to set where their points could be spent. It comes as in January, an investigation by the Daily Mail's This Is Money, found Sainsbury's customers had lost an estimated 12.5 million Nectar points (worth more than £63,000 over the past year) by fraudsters accessing their accounts. But now, Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at Eset is urging shoppers to monitor their account activity "frequently to detect and report any unauthorised actions promptly". He told The Sun: "It is especially important to monitor accounts more often just before Christmas as this is usually when criminals target accounts with points that have been accumulated over the year." Elsewhere, consumer expert Martyn James explained to the publisher that many people will be "unaware" that their Nectar points have disappeared. He shared: "That's because we rarely look at the app or check the total on our receipts." Martyn continued: "Download the latest version of the app and activate the lock feature.' If you haven't locked your Nectar points yet and are wondering how, it's easy - you can do so on the Nectar card app (available for free on the Apple store or Google Play). Once logged in, on your profile icon, head to 'settings' and then tap 'lock or unlock spending'. You then swipe the bar to either 'unlock' or 'lock', depending on your preferences. Have you chosen to lock your Nectar points? (Image: PA) Sainsbury's customers can change whether they want to lock or unlock Nectar points any time through the app – to spend them, they must be unlocked. Additionally, customers can continue to earn points as they shop even when spending is locked. A Nectar spokesperson said: "Nectar is one of the UK's biggest loyalty schemes, with over 23 million members. Recommended reading: Shoppers can get free money at thousands of sites with Counter Cash - here's how Christmas in June? Shoppers say 'must be a wind up' as festive stock hits stores Expert issues petrol pump warning on forecourts at Tesco, Asda, Morrisons & more "The security of our customer accounts is our highest priority and the proportion of those impacted by fraud each year is very small. "We have a range of measures which detect, and in many cases prevent fraud, including our Spend Lock feature. "Our Nectar Helpline team are on hand to support any customer who suspects they may have been a victim of fraud.'
