FINANCIAL ADVICE

Financial services firm Genistar has seen a sharp rise in key and essential workers contacting them for support. As a result, they are now offering free financial coaching on how to be smarter with money and become debt free, as well as offering financial planning advice to these workers. Other financial firms, such as Quilter’s dental and medical division, are operating weekend and evening video appointments to fit around long NHS staff shifts.

CREDIT SCORE

Normally arranging a payment holiday because of temporary financial difficulties would lead to credit score damage. However credit reference agencies and lenders have agreed an emergency payment freeze to ensure people’s credit scores are protected for the duration of an agreed credit change. Consumers will not have to worry about their credit scores being harmed, providing their lender has approved the payment holiday.

GENERAL RETAIL

There are, of course, already discount schemes such as Blue Light Card, which gets emergency and NHS workers discounts on a huge range of brands, including fashion chain New Look (left) as well as Apple, Hotpoint and Lenovo among many others. Key workers should also check out Health Service Discounts and Discounts For Teachers which also have hundreds of offers on electronics, utilities, clothing, insurance, motoring and more. The My VIP card scheme, which is a discount card supporting local shops, is launching a Key Worker Card. Instead of £25, key workers pay £15, of which £5 is donated to the NHS. The scheme includes all essential workers including farmers, refuse collectors, funeral workers, caretakers and

journalists.

NHS and social care workers can get free emergency home repairs from HomeServe. The company will be sending engineers free of charge to fix plumbing, drainage and heating emergencies until lockdown is over. It aims to provide the service on the same day and has set aside £1million to cover the cost of repairs.