Guernsey Community Savings, the charity that supports people who have been financially excluded, has moved to a new prepaid card provider, allpay, to give clients a better, more flexible service at no extra cost.

One of the UK’s leading end-to-end payment specialists, allpay has more than 30 years’ experience of making payments simple, secure and reliable and supports 4.5 million customers in the UK. 

The move to a new provider gives clients greater independence and convenience. Through allpay’s secure online cardholder portal, they can check their balance and view transactions 24/7. In addition to the support offered by the GCS team, allpay has a call centre open 8 to 8 on weekdays, and 8 to 12 on Saturdays.

Clients can also now receive payments such as wages directly into their account via BACS and set up direct debits.

Joe Brown, GCS chief executive, said, ‘Working in close partnership with allpay, we’ve delivered a smooth and reassuring transition from VFX mimoney for our clients. It’s been a pleasure to meet every client face to face to complete the necessary paperwork and issue new cards. 

‘The enhanced security features of the new platform initially limited a small number of transactions, but with allpay’s proactive support these were resolved swiftly. Overall, the transition has been very successful, and we’re delighted with both the outcome and the collaborative approach taken.

‘As well as improving the service we offer to existing and future clients, we can also now develop bespoke schemes for local organisations, enabling us to support more people. And we can now give access to people aged 16 and over, helping younger clients build their financial resilience.’

Peter Neville, chair and founder of GCS, added: ‘We are very grateful to Nick England, chair of VFX Financial, and until recently a member of our Board. Without his support and hard work, we would never have got Guernsey Community Savings off the ground. Over the past five years, we have been able to provide life-changing support to 200 clients — something we are immensely proud of.’

Michelle Pacey, Managing Director at allpay, said, ‘Financial inclusion is most effective when solutions are practical, supportive and designed with the end user in mind. Guernsey Community Savings does vital work in the community, and we’re proud to support its move to a more flexible prepaid card service. By giving clients greater independence and choice at no additional cost, this partnership helps ensure more people can manage their money in a way that suits them.’