winter fuel allowance stopping cheques

surfsister

hi there just a quick query about the winter fuel allowance paid every now and then and is about £110. A friend has had a letter saying that they no longer will be sending cheques, as she does not have a bank account how will it be paid??

richard9991

As above or get a simple payment account giros are being/have been phased out.

https://www.gov.uk/simple-payment

surfsister

she gets a cheque I think its about £100 or £110 and cashes it somewhere.

I'm just wondering what are the options as it will be putting her out to go to a bank and open an account. It seems to be a big secret.

the simple payment card seems a possible.

missapril75

We used to have a sweet old lady call at our (then) DSS office saying "I'd like to say I'm a person without any money."

We'd ask how much she wanted and the answer was usually something like "8 shillings" - this was well past decimalisation and through to the 90s. We'd convert it and pay her 40p from petty cash. Try to give her more and she'd refuse it.

Telling her she was due a lot more, every week was just our "little joke" according to her.

I remember one time she had a supermarket receipt for items which included a tin of something that she said was off, so could she have the cost back from us.

We literally gave her something like £1.68.

The first time I saw her, nobody had prepared me so I was asking questions as her opening gambit didn't make sense.

"Well, you're a funny one aren't you" she said. :rotfl:

I wonder how someone like her copes with the system these days.

sammyjammy

surfsister wrote: »

she gets a cheque I think its about £100 or £110 and cashes it somewhere.

I'm just wondering what are the options as it will be putting her out to go to a bank and open an account. It seems to be a big secret.

the simple payment card seems a possible.

It will put her out to go to a bank and open an account? She can do it online, perhaps you could help her. if it really puts her out so much she could just return the money.

pebbles88

surfsister wrote: »

she gets a cheque I think its about £100 or £110 and cashes it somewhere.

I'm just wondering what are the options as it will be putting her out to go to a bank and open an account. It seems to be a big secret.

the simple payment card seems a possible.

If she gets it paid into an account... She won't have to go elsewhere to cash it.... & not sure what you mean by cashing it somewhere.... Money shop for example perhaps?? But with an account she won't lose any of the payment on charges just to cash it. :money::money:

There's no secret, all cheque payment methods are being withdrawn... Been getting told about this for ages.

Depending on how she is.... If she has a basic account... & gets a debit card.... She could possibly order her shopping online & have it delivered to her door. Which if its bad weather means her not having to worry about going out in it.

It's so much easier to just have a basic account. She'll be grand with it

surfsister

thanks all yes Miss april she's much like your old lady!! I will have to take her into a bank and open one as she won;lt cope with online banking at all!! She can't even turn a computer on, whereas we can't bring ourselves to turn it off! lol!

richard9991

surfsister wrote: »

thanks all yes Miss april she's much like your old lady!! I will have to take her into a bank and open one as she won;lt cope with online banking at all!! She can't even turn a computer on, whereas we can't bring ourselves to turn it off! lol!

so you could apply for the account online you dont have to run account on line

p00hsticks

surfsister wrote: »

I'm just wondering what are the options as it will be putting her out to go to a bank and open an account. It seems to be a big secret.

I'd be surprised (and disappointed) if the DWP have spent money sending your friend a letter to say that they will no longer be paying her by cheque without also suggesting some alternatives and/or asking her to provide details of a bank account or similar to receive the money in the same letter.

I'd suggest you ask your friend to show you the letter and see what options it suggests.

I can't see that the alternatives are going to be any more inconvenient than cashing a cheque

seven-day-weekend

She can have it paid into the same bank she has to pay her cheques in to cash them. Surely that has to be done via a bank account?

Nada666

surfsister wrote: »

she gets a cheque I think its about £100 or £110 and cashes it somewhere.

I'm just wondering what are the options as it will be putting her out to go to a bank and open an account. It seems to be a big secret.

the simple payment card seems a possible.

If she does not want the inconvenience of an account where she cashes her cheque once a year then she is quite free to not accept the money.

Does she not have any other income? What is "a big secret"?