How to save money with the Blue Light Card
The Blue Light Card scheme offers discounts to workers in emergency services. It can be a great way to make your money go further and comes in handy for thousands of frontline staff across the country. The card can be used in a wide range of shops and it’s available for a really wide range of emergency workers. So, who’s eligible and how do you go about getting one?
Who is eligible for a Blue Light Card?
The Blue Light Card can be used by anybody who works in any of the following emergency services:
- 4×4 Response
- Ambulance Service
- Blood Bikes
- Border Force
- British Army
- Cave Rescue
- Community First Responders
- Fire Service
- Highways England Traffic Officer
- HM Armed Forces Veterans
- HM Coastguard
- HM Prison Service
- Immigration Enforcement
- Lowland Search and Rescue
- MoD Fire Service
- MoD Police
- Mountain Rescue
- NHS
- Police
- Red Cross
- Reserve Armed Forces
- RNLI
- Royal Air Force
- Royal Marines
- Royal Navy
- Search and Rescue
- Social Care Workers
- St Andrews Ambulance
- St John Ambulance
- UK Visas and Immigration
So, as you can see, contrary to popular belief, the Blue Light Card is available to far more than just the police force and NHS.
So, if you’ve discovered that you are eligible for one of these discount cards, you may be wondering whether it’s worth signing up.
How much does a Blue Light Card cost?
If you want to take advantage of one of these discount cards, then there is a fee to pay when you register. At the time of writing, it costs £4.99 for a two-year membership. The card gives you a discount at a really wide range of retailers, so it’s highly likely that you’ll easily make that £4.99 back in discounts pretty quickly.
Where can you use your Blue Light Card?
You can use your card in a really wide range of shops, restaurants, attractions and venues. In order to get your discount, you’ll need to show your actual card in just the same way as you would show a loyalty card such as the Tesco Clubcard. Or, you can show your eligibility via the Blue Light Card mobile phone app. The card can be used to get discounts in lots of big named stores including Asda where you’ll receive 10% off across all ASDA, ASDA George and ASDA Optical. If you do your weekly shop at ASDA, then you can see just how quickly you’ll make back that £4.99 membership fee. In some stores, such as Argos, you can’t get a discount when buying products, but you can get a discount on their gift cards. So it’s a good idea to work out how much you want to spend, knock off the discount, buy a gift card to that amount and then make your purchase. It might seem like a faff, but it could save you a fortune, particularly if you’re buying a high-value item or doing the big Christmas present shop! It’s worth double-checking whether you can get a discount whenever you’re out and about spending money.
Blue Light Card Discounts List
The Blue Light Card discount service is available in a huge range of retailers and eateries and these can change on a daily basis with both big and small companies adding themselves to the list.
Here is a list of some of the places currently offering BLC discounts. This includes a Blue Light Card shops list as well as big brands, takeaways, pubs and restaurants too, so there are plenty of discounts to choose from.
- Acer
- Adobe
- Alton Towers
- AOcom
- Apple
- ARGOS
- Arnold Clark
- ASDA
- AXA Health
- Bargain Foods
- Beats by Dr Dre
- Beefeater
- Beko
- Bella Italia
- Bike Shop
- Blacks
- Bloom & Wild
- Body Shop
- Boohoo
- Cafe Nero
- Cafe Rouge
- Charlotte Tilbury
- Chessington
- Cineworld
- Clinique
- Comedy Shows
- Craft Gin Club
- Crocs
- Currys PC World
- Dell
- Domino’s Pizza
- Dunelm
- EasyJet
- EE
- Emma Mattress
- Enterprise
- Ernest Jones
- Expedia
- Fat Face
- Foot Asylum
- Foot Locker
- Frankie & Benny’s
- Garmin
- Go Outdoors
- Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK)
- Greene King
- Greggs
- Halfords
- Haven
- Hello Fresh
- Hewlett Packard
- Hoover
- Hotel Chocolat
- Hotels.com
- Hotpoint
- Hungry Horse
- Hyundai
- Iceland
- JD Sports
- JD Williams
- Jojo Maman Bebe
- Just Eat
- Kaspa’s
- KFC
- Kwik Fit
- LEON
- Levi
- Liz Earle
- Look Fantastic
- Love Honey
- MAC Cosmetics
- Maplin
- Marks & Spencer
- Missguided
- Monsoon
- Morrison’s
- MyProtein
- Nando’s
- National Express
- National Trust
- Neal’s Yard
- New Look
- Ninja Kitchen
- Nursem
- O2
- Oasis
- ODEON Cinemas
- Peacocks
- Perfume Shop
- Pizza Hut
- Pretty Little Thing
- Pure Gym
- Prezzo
- RAC
- Rayban
- Revolution Beauty
- Richer Sounds
- River Island
- Rosa’s Thai Cafe
- Samsung
- Schuh
- Seat
- Shark
- Simba
- Simply Be
- Sky
- Sports Direct
- Starbucks
- Stonehouse Pizza & Carvery
- Sunglass Hut
- Superdry
- Ted Baker
- The Athenian
- Timberland
- Toby Carvery
- Travelodge
- TUI
- UGG
- Under Armour
- Urban Outfitters
- Village Hotels
- Virgin Experiences
- Virgin Wines
- Vision Express
- Vodafone
- Volkswagon
- Vue
- Wetherby Races
- Wickes
- Yorkshire Wildlife Park
- YO! Sushi
As you can see, these are really handy to have as they offer you discounts at lots of national retailers as well as discounts on family days out, meals out, takeaways and trips to the cinema. If you’re eligible for a Blue Light Card, and many of you will be if you’re reading here, then in my opinion it is definitely worth registering.
Blue Light Card App
The Blue Light Card app has loads of great features and is really worth downloading if you’re a cardholder. You can access up-to-date offers, search for offers in your area, and even shake your phone for a new offer.
Blue Light Tickets
Blue Light Tickets was created as a way to say thank you to frontline service providers for their work during the Covid-19 pandemic. Venues and attractions can add free tickets to their events via the Blue Light website and these are then distributed to eligible emergency workers. Blue Light Tickets was recently merged with the Blue Light Card so it’s all accessible in one handy place making it much easier to see where you can use your discount.
Blue Light Card FAQs
Whether you are an existing card holder or you’re just wondering whether you’re eligible, here are some of the most frequently asked questions from essential workers about the cards.
Am I eligible for a Blue Light Card?
Take a look at the list of eligible workers provided above to see whether you qualify for a membership card.
Am I still eligible when I retire?
If you have retired from one of the following services then you will still qualify:
- Armed Forces Veterans
- Retired Police Officers
- Retired Fire Fighters
- Retired NHS
There are various different ways that you will need to prove that you’ve retired from one of these professions, so contact BLC directly for clarification.
How do I apply for a Blue Light Card?
You will need to register for an account on the BLC website and you can then request a card from there.
Why was I declined for a Blue Light Card?
If you have been declined, then this is usually because you either don’t work in a qualifying role or you have already registered.
Do you get a physical card or a virtual card?
When you register, you can choose to buy a physical card, but you will also have access to a virtual card which is really handy to access on your mobile phone when you’re out and about.
Is there a Blue Light Card app?
Yes, there is an app.
Apple – https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/blue-light-card/id689970073
Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bluelightcard.user&hl=en_GB&gl=US&pli=1
Where do I find Blue Light offers?
You will be able to see a full list of current offers when you log into your account.
How do I renew my card?
You will be contacted 30 days before your account expires so that you have plenty of time to renew. You can renew either on the website or on the app.
Does ASDA do Blue Light Card discount?
Yes, you can get a 10% discount at ASDA.
Can I use Blue Light Card at TESCO?
No, TESCO are not currently taking part.
Can I use my Blue Light Card at Sainsbury’s?
No, you cannot get a discount at Sainsbury’s with a card.
Do Iceland offer Blue Light Card discounts?
No. Iceland are not currently listed.
Can I use my card in B&M?
No. You cannot use your card in B&M.
Do Aldi do Blue Light Card discounts?
Aldi are not currently offering BLC discounts.
Will my Blue Light Card work at McDonald’s?
McDonald’s restaurants are run as franchises, so they don’t all offer the same discounts. However, at the time of writing, they don’t offer a Blue Light discount, but they do often have deals and offers available, particularly on their app, so it’s worth checking there.
If you’re eligible for one of these cards, then it’s definitely worth the £4.99 fee. You’ll soon make that back and you can save a small fortune over the course of the two-year membership.
