Page 7 | Do you think this fair, blue light discount?

Tomikka · 29/03/2025 22:16

PinkSour · 29/03/2025 21:43

There is the Defence Discount card for military but I qualify for both and am pretty sure it's the same mob running them both.

This is annoying for those of us that can't be carting our ID around and showing it outside of work for security reasons.

Edited

They are

When the Defence Discount Card was introduced it was contracted to be provided by the Blue Light Discount scheme with a new logo.
Initial benefits were identical, but subsequent benefits may have diverged being offered to both as core scheme benefits or to one or the other depending on the discount providers preference.

I have DDS membership for free, and was subscribed to the card at extra cost - it was worthwhile at the time. I no longer shop & eat in the places that I was using the card so now only have the free membership (and rarely even check if I can get a discount)
I am a MoD civil servant therefore I am not eligible for the Blue Light Scheme, but the Armed Forces are

As a mature student a short while ago I was a member of the NUS and had student discounts through that

Cyclingmummy1 · 29/03/2025 22:42

We were refused BL in Asda - the assistant said that we could only have it if DH paid as it was his card. She had allowed the woman in front to show her BL card and her husband to pay - that was fine as it was cash(!), but I couldn't pay by card.

DH wrote to their head office who confirmed that the discount was valid provided he was there, which caused a rumpus in store the following week 😆

fashionqueen0123 · 29/03/2025 22:46

That wouldn’t work anyway because not everyone has ID. My husband is ex army so entitled to a blue light card and has one. He doesn’t have military ID because they take it off you when you leave!

fashionqueen0123 · 29/03/2025 22:46

Cyclingmummy1 · 29/03/2025 22:42

We were refused BL in Asda - the assistant said that we could only have it if DH paid as it was his card. She had allowed the woman in front to show her BL card and her husband to pay - that was fine as it was cash(!), but I couldn't pay by card.

DH wrote to their head office who confirmed that the discount was valid provided he was there, which caused a rumpus in store the following week 😆

Madness. You may have a joint account anyway!

TheJinxMinx · 29/03/2025 23:35

I had one once that wanted to see my nhs i.d. I displayed the card. I looked at them confused why would I carry my work pass with me off duty not in work and f.y.i. no one else asks for this. But yes I agree with you if companies sign up to blue light then all those entitled to a card are entitled to discount in saying that I didn't know teachers where also entitled I always thought It was just nhs and military.

Dodgyormymind · 30/03/2025 05:16

@skintasabint how does that work for military veterans? My DH produced evidence to BLC that he was eligible but he would never carry that around.

Dodgyormymind · 30/03/2025 05:17

@fashionqueen0123i just posted almost the same.

TickingAlongNicely · 30/03/2025 07:43

Veteran ID card

https://www.gov.uk/veteran-card

THisbackwithavengeance · 30/03/2025 07:52

BLC is shit now. Too many people from ridiculous associate industries have been allowed to join so the discounts have been cut back massively.

saraclara · 30/03/2025 08:54

The blue light card is fuck all to do with rewarding people for being “angels” or “superheroes”. It’s literally a company trying to make a profit by getting you to spend money by offering you a discount at a range of stores.

Your full post is excellent @blackbird77 . The way people are talking it's as if it was a charity or a government reward.

It's just a private company that hit on a way to get customers and shops/restaurants to buy in to something that stores think will increase their custom and the card holders think they're getting a reward. Clearly the data had been showing that not enough people were on their books, so this profit making company needed to widen the criteria.

There are many ways of getting the same discounts through one's union or membership of things like the AA etc. No-one has to be 'worthy' to get a discount. It's a commercial decision.

T00manyweeds · 30/03/2025 09:08

I think it’s by pretty shit by the restaurant given that when NHS office workers were being hailed as hero’s they were comfortably working from home and still sending their kids into school which teachers and minimum wage TAs had to drag themselves in for every single day regardless of risk.

Hols23 · 30/03/2025 09:27

blackbird77 · 29/03/2025 21:35

Why are people on here arguing about the merit or morality of their public sector job?! Trying to outcompete with each other about who is the most “deserving” of the card or who suffers the most or who serves the public more or who needs food banks the most or who gets paid the least?! It’s ridiculous.

The blue light card is fuck all to do with rewarding people for being “angels” or “superheroes”. It’s literally a company trying to make a profit by getting you to spend money by offering you a discount at a range of stores. Within a few years it will pretty much be expanded to most public sector jobs. It’s got nothing to do with who “deserves” it more. It was a nice feel-good marketing gimmick upon launch to give a little discount to some front line workers post-Covid to get them to spend their money in dying sectors.

You can literally find a promo code to anything online if you look hard enough. Almost every worker in any industry can get some sort of discount scheme or rewards card. Loads get heavy discounts at the company they work for. Every student in the country gets a similar student discount and it’s nothing to do with how nice they are as a person. Most students are a PITA. Companies offer student discounts because students have disposable income, love spending and a small discount will get their business over another.

The gatekeeping over who should benefit from the scheme is bizzare. They way people are going on about it you’d think it was the Olympic torch or something instead of an utterly mid discount card. I cannot believe anyone could possibly care about a teacher getting 20% off at Nandos! The blue light scheme is a private company making a profit, they’re not your mate.

This!

It's like a company setting up a Blue Eye Card discount scheme and then everyone getting incensed when they widen it to include people with green eyes. It doesn't actually mean those included deserve it more than others, it's just a business decision.

Enjoy your discount while it lasts. The scheme will collapse eventually as businesses get fed up with it being extended to more and more people, and withdraw from it.

MrsMurphyIWish · 30/03/2025 09:34

blackbird77 · 29/03/2025 21:35

Why are people on here arguing about the merit or morality of their public sector job?! Trying to outcompete with each other about who is the most “deserving” of the card or who suffers the most or who serves the public more or who needs food banks the most or who gets paid the least?! It’s ridiculous.

The blue light card is fuck all to do with rewarding people for being “angels” or “superheroes”. It’s literally a company trying to make a profit by getting you to spend money by offering you a discount at a range of stores. Within a few years it will pretty much be expanded to most public sector jobs. It’s got nothing to do with who “deserves” it more. It was a nice feel-good marketing gimmick upon launch to give a little discount to some front line workers post-Covid to get them to spend their money in dying sectors.

You can literally find a promo code to anything online if you look hard enough. Almost every worker in any industry can get some sort of discount scheme or rewards card. Loads get heavy discounts at the company they work for. Every student in the country gets a similar student discount and it’s nothing to do with how nice they are as a person. Most students are a PITA. Companies offer student discounts because students have disposable income, love spending and a small discount will get their business over another.

The gatekeeping over who should benefit from the scheme is bizzare. They way people are going on about it you’d think it was the Olympic torch or something instead of an utterly mid discount card. I cannot believe anyone could possibly care about a teacher getting 20% off at Nandos! The blue light scheme is a private company making a profit, they’re not your mate.

This!

It’s just a business discount card - companies offer these to increase their business. I have discounts through NEU, AA, my insurance firm, O2 and of course BL.

If you want a discounts, they are out there - just have to look for them.

Anyway OP, I agree. If a company signs up to a marketing company, they must honour the card. It’s not up to them to impose criteria. They should leave the scheme and offer their own discounts - and of course, pay for their own advertising of it.

bakebeans · 30/03/2025 09:40

Basically they no longer accept blue light. Either an NHS ID or military. Superdrug don’t accept blue light either. Only NHS I.D.

Offtobuttonmoontovisitmrspoon · 30/03/2025 09:43

It’s no different from a supermarket reward card. You have to spend to save. It’s not some golden nugget that some people believe it is.
They’ve changed it so much over the years that the discounts aren’t that great anymore.

I’m not carrying my work ID with me, I would loose it.

GrumpyWombat · 30/03/2025 09:47

I get it as a pre-school worker on £12 an hour. I regularly get coughed and sneezed on, get parents refusing to pick their poorly children up etc all while spreading viruses around us all. If anyone begrudges us that feel free to look after your own kids.

Locutus2000 · 30/03/2025 10:18

Katypp · 29/03/2025 19:45

Yes I am aware. Nurses start on just under £30k, teachers on just over £31,500.
That's starting salaries for the newly-qualified.
For comparison, accountants start on £28,500 and solicitors around the £35k mark.
Journalists start on £24k, social workers on £32k.
The rhetoric of teachers,and nurses being low-paid angels needs to stop. It's utter nonsense.

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Starting salaries are a bit of a red herring when comparing public sector and professional private sectors.

The nurse on just under 30k will only be on 33k or so at the top of their band, where most nurses stay for their whole career. Progression has become a dream for newly qualified nurses and teachers.

Remuneration after five years is a fairer comparison.

Locutus2000 · 30/03/2025 10:21

Vinvertebrate · 29/03/2025 20:34

Yes, this tbh. DH uses blue light scheme - mainly for DS’ Nando’s habit! - and it strikes me as a bit ridiculous when he’s a consultant in the top 5-ish% of earners. A nurse, whether NHS employed or not, otoh…. 🤔

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What sort of consultant is he? Nandos don't offer the blue light scheme, though they do offer a discount for police/fire/ambulance and military.

DollydaydreamTheThird · 30/03/2025 10:23

latetothefisting · 29/03/2025 20:45

literally nobody on this thread has said that teacher's aren't "front line" though...

whatever front line actually means.

but it's not called a front line, card, is it? It's a blue light card. Teachers are important but they aren't an emergency service.

besides which it's irrelevant what we think 'counts', BLC can add whatever roles they want, and it's then for those individuals to apply, if they want, and business to sign up, if they want.

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I work part time in admin in the NHS and I qualify for the card. I wouldn't call myself frontline. I would call myself underpaid though so the card helps me a lot.

category12 · 30/03/2025 10:33

TENSsion · 29/03/2025 18:34

@category12

Because people who were unable to work didn’t get any discounts while those whose income and career future remained unchanged did.
In June 2021, we didn’t know if we would survive the month. We were on the brink of collapse and could have lost everything, including our home.
Those who made lots of money and possibly even managed to get paid more than usual got the discount while people going out to work on low pay didn’t.
It’s an example of the inequity of the scheme.

It is not a fair scheme. That’s my only point. There are many people who “deserve” a discount but don’t get it. Complaining only NHS medical workers get it is just the same.

Blimey. I wasn’t expecting to have to explain absolutely every point.

Anything else?

Edited

I don't know why you think it's unfair that a discount scheme exists that you're ineligible for?

You/your business wasn't eligible because it doesn't provide an essential, not for profit service (or whatever criteria Blue Light uses).

Your MIL is eligible because she does work for an organisation that falls under the criteria and she pays the fee to be part of it.

If you wanted to make an argument about it being unfair that MIL only works part-time vs someone who works full-time in an organisation that falls under the criteria, that would make more sense.

But your hard times with your business over covid, sad as they are, are irrelevant to fairness or not of a discount scheme you were never eligible for in the first place.

TENSsion · 30/03/2025 10:38

category12 · 30/03/2025 10:33

I don't know why you think it's unfair that a discount scheme exists that you're ineligible for?

You/your business wasn't eligible because it doesn't provide an essential, not for profit service (or whatever criteria Blue Light uses).

Your MIL is eligible because she does work for an organisation that falls under the criteria and she pays the fee to be part of it.

If you wanted to make an argument about it being unfair that MIL only works part-time vs someone who works full-time in an organisation that falls under the criteria, that would make more sense.

But your hard times with your business over covid, sad as they are, are irrelevant to fairness or not of a discount scheme you were never eligible for in the first place.

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The question was “is this fair”… my answer was “the scheme is not fair”

It’s really not that hard.

TwentyTwentyFive · 30/03/2025 10:40

TENSsion · 30/03/2025 10:38

The question was “is this fair”… my answer was “the scheme is not fair”

It’s really not that hard.

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But that didn't answer the question.

The question was is it fair for a company to say the offer the blue light discount but for them to then not offer the discount for all those entitled to the card.

No one was asking if the scheme was fair.

TENSsion · 30/03/2025 10:41

TwentyTwentyFive · 30/03/2025 10:40

But that didn't answer the question.

The question was is it fair for a company to say the offer the blue light discount but for them to then not offer the discount for all those entitled to the card.

No one was asking if the scheme was fair.

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😂😂😂

Of course it does!

It’s only you who is struggling with it.

Nanny0gg · 30/03/2025 10:43

MrsWaltonGoggins · 29/03/2025 15:54

I tried to use my blue light card in a restaurant today, and they say they only accept it now if you have an nhs or military id. They said this is because they have teachers using the blue light and they believe it should be for healthcare workers only. I said that I am a nurse, I just don’t work for the nhs and don’t really think that’s fair.

Has anyone else come across this? Surely if you offer blue light discount it should be for anyone with a blue light card.

I think that should be reported to the suppliers of the Blue Light Card

Not everyone in the NHS who uses one is medical. What do they think about that?

TwentyTwentyFive · 30/03/2025 10:44

TENSsion · 30/03/2025 10:41

😂😂😂

Of course it does!

It’s only you who is struggling with it.

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You saying the scheme is unfair doesn't answer the question the OP asked. I'm not the one not comprehending the question here...