The discounts you can get if you’re an emergency worker

The start of a new year tends to be an incredibly busy time for the thousands of emergency workers around the UK. The festive period as a whiole often brings busier emergency rooms and more calls being made to police and emergency services, putting increasing strain on already overstretched workers. Workers including nurses and ambulance staff in Wales have recently gone on strike in a row over pay and conditions.

But while low pay and cost increases are causing worry for many households there is a way you can save a little more money through the Blue Light card for emergency workers. The card offers thousands of discounts including clothes, holidays, insurance, and restaurants. Here is everything you need to know about the Blue Light scheme, how you qualify, and the discounts you can get.

Read more: All the money being paid over Christmas to help with food and bills

How do I apply for the Blue Light card?

You can apply for a Blue Light card if you’re an emergency worker online here. The Blue Light scheme costs GBP4.99 to join for two years and you’ll need your work ID or a recent payslip to prove you’re eligible for the service. You will be asked a few questions when applying such as where you work and your job title. It can also take 10 to 14 days to process your application as there is currently high demand.

There is a digital card available on the Blue Light Card app via Google Play or the App Store. It has a useful interactive map feature to help you find local discounts closest to your chosen location as well.

How do I know if I am eligible?

Only those in certain emergency service or key worker roles can apply for a Blue Light Card. They are:

  • Ambulance service
  • Blood bikes
  • Fire service
  • Highways traffic officers
  • HM armed forces
  • HM armed forces veteran
  • HM coastguard
  • HM prison and probation service
  • Home Office (borders and immigration)
  • Independent lifeboats
  • MoD civil servant
  • MoD fire service
  • MoD police
  • NHS
  • NHS dental practice
  • Pharmacy
  • Police
  • Red cross
  • Reserved army forces
  • RNLI
  • Search and rescue
  • Social care
  • St Andrews ambulance
  • St John ambulance

What discounts can I get?

Around 15,000 retailers offers discounts on the Blue Light scheme.

It is important to note that the discounts on the scheme change often and you can keep up to date with the latest deals online. Here are the main discounts as of Thursday, December 22, according to the Mirror. Supermarkets

  • Asda – 10%
  • Iceland – GBP6 off a GBP45 plus shop with free delivery if your shop is more than GBP40 (or GBP2 off if you spend more than GBP60)

  • Morrisons – free Anytime Delivery pass when you do an online shop for more GBP40

Clothes and shoes

Schuh offers a 10% discount while New Look offers Blue Light Members a 20% discount on a purchase of full-priced items both online and in-store. Other retailers listed by Blue Light as offering a discount for members include Apple, Body Shop, Boohoo, Charlotte Tilbury, Halfords, Rayban, Go Outdoors, and many more. Mobile phone discounts

O2, EE, and Vodafone all have discounts for Blue Light members with both O2 and Vodafone giving 25% and 15% discounts on specific plans. For O2 NHS staff can get 25% off their 3GB plans or 15% off their 1GB+ airtime plans and for Vodafone the offer is 25% off selected airtime plans or 15% off sim-only or tablet plans. If you register online at EE with your NHS email address or NHS photo ID card you’ll receive a code for 20% off selected 24-month pay monthly phone, sim, or broadband plans.

With EE’s Blue Light offer you can extend the benefit to up to four of your friends and family. Motor discounts Blue Light members also receive discounts on their cars too with Green Flag giving NHS workers, excluding volunteers, an extra 10% off new breakdown policies.

JustPark, the car park space-finding platform, also gives a 10% discount when signing up to the service with an NHS email address. Eating and dining out Significantly more eateries are offering discounts to NHS staff through Blue Light with Pizza Hut, Beefeater, and Bella Italia giving 25% off meals to healthcare workers.

Nandos, Yo-Sushi, and Frankie and Bennies offer discounts while staff who find themselves at motorway service stations a lot will enjoy the 20% discount on Welcome Break service shops. This 20% is valid at all Welcome Break services and gives discounts at retailers such as Burger King, Chopstix, KFC, Pizza Express, Pret, Subway, Starbucks, and The Good Breakfast. Blue Light card has announced a range of new discounts for December and January including:

  • Avon

  • Beauty Bay

  • Boohoo

  • Butlins

  • Eurocamp

  • Flannels

  • Haven Holidays

  • Hotpoint

  • Lovehoney

  • New Look

  • Ninja

  • Pooch and Mutt

  • Shark

  • Sports Direct

  • The Fragrance Shop

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