Starling, the UK’s leading digital bank, is paving the way for accessible banking, ensuring the disabled community are able to safely and securely control their spending while sheltering, thanks to the Connected card.
Committed to ensuring customers are financially safe and covered during the pandemic, and beyond, Starling Bank offers a free second debit card – the Connected card – which can be given to people you trust to buy essential items for you.
Be it a neighbour, carer or NHS professional, this card is simple to use, giving the account holder spending control in their Starling app.
Unique features include blocks on spending online, ATM withdrawals and gambling transactions. Spending is capped at £200 and can be set lower.
SECURITY
Launched in April 2020, three weeks into the initial lockdown, the Connected card has been a huge success with over 62,000 people using the card to aid their spending.
Toby Mildon, a diversity and inclusion expert who lives with spinal muscular atrophy has found the card to be a huge help.
“It has made a big difference,” says Toby, who has 24-hour support and has relied on his support workers whilst he shields due to lockdown.
“Before the Connected card I would have been breaking banking rules by giving my debit card and PIN to my carers.
“The Connected card removes a lot of the risk because instead of giving someone your debit card, where they have access to everything in your bank account, with the Connected card you can just put a small amount of money to one side so you know that you are secure.”
With a designated Space where you can manage the amount of money put onto the card, you simply have to order your free Connected card to spend securely.
Toby adds: “Everybody wants financial security, but the difference is if you’re disabled and relying on somebody to go shopping on your behalf and pay on your behalf, that introduces an element of risk. This is removing some of that risk.”
USER FRIENDLY
As an app-based fully-regulated UK bank, Starling has many features that mean their banking has ease of use at the core for disabled customers.
With 24-hour customer service over the phone or via text on the app, ideal for people who are D/deaf/HoH or have speech difficulties, and voice control Starling is a smarter more human alternative to banks of the past.
“Accessibility was one of the reasons I started an account with Starling,” says Toby.
Previously a member of a bank that required physical tokens in order to make and accept transactions it did not meet his banking needs.
Toby emphasises: “Accessibility is a key selling point for a bank, it boils down to making life easy. The fact it removes the risk when giving your card to people, then it is definitely worth looking into; you might as well just give it a go.”
Starling personal account customers can apply for a free Connected card on their Starling Bank app. To learn more about the Connected card, and to sign up, visit Starling Bank, here.