m&s egift card

Source: Twitter/M&S News

Self-isolating shoppers can buy the vouchers online and give them to volunteers to use on their behalf

  • Asda’s scheme was designed to create a “contact-free” and safe way for people to provide funds to those shopping on their behalf
  • M&S customers can place up to £500 on the cards, while Asda’s vouchers have a £150 limit
 

Asda and M&S have launched new shopping cards to help volunteers collecting food for people self-isolating.

The cards are aimed at the many customers relying on friends, neighbours and community volunteers to get their groceries for them.

They allow self-isolating shoppers to buy a voucher online to give to volunteers to use on their behalf in store.

Asda customers can go to asda.com/volunteercard to sign up and buy a voucher for up to £150. The customer or their volunteer will then receive a barcode via email that can be used to pay in store.

Asda said the scheme had been designed to create a “contact-free” and safe way for people to provide funds to those shopping on their behalf, and created a mechanism for the millions of volunteers pledging help across the country, including 750,000 that have signed up for the NHS. “We are continuing to work around the clock to look for new ways to support communities through Covid-19,” said Asda CEO Roger Burnley.

M&S’s similar ‘E-gift card’ has a £500 limit. M&S said it “provides an easy payment method for volunteers shopping on behalf of our most vulnerable, older and self-isolating customers.

“Customers, or their family or friends, simply purchase the card online and provide the barcode to the volunteer shopper who uses this to pay in-store.”

It’s available at www.marksandspencer.com/all-in-this-together/p/p60282075.