Healthy start card

[girlmum1996]

Hi,

So I ordered a healthy start card last October and forgot about it. I've used it once at Tesco with the cashier and she asked me to split the shop into 2 (healthy start items and normal items).

However I went Tesco yesterday and only had a basket full so went self checkout, I asked if I needed to split the shop and the guy at self checkout said no when you go to pay the card will deduct the necessary items and then pay the rest on normal.

So I scanned everything (totalling around £25 with Clubcard) and paid with the healthy start card, and it covered the whole shop?

I wondered if healthy start somehow can see what I've purchased or just that I used the card? Obviously don't want to get into trouble for using the card for the wrong items. But with the cost of living would be great to be able to do full shops including meals for toddler and nappies etc with the card!

Thank you

What is a healthy start card? Is it to encourage healthy foods? How do you get one sounds fab. Be great to get kids involved picking the healthy foods etc

Well it sounds like the card itself doesn't know what you're buying which is why cashier 1 asked you to split the items, cashier 2 probably wasn't bothered. You should technically only be buying what you're supposed to but if you've got away once I wouldn't rely on it being the case each time.
I get the fsm vouchers and although theyre for groceries its always been the case that they work in the supermarket as a gift card so what was being bought wasnt policed, before xmas i scanned my voucher and it popped up that I could only use the voucher for £26 of the £50 shop as I had items that weren't groceries. They must have changed this recently, I didn't mind as the vouchers are given for groceries not slippers and baileys.

Hi!

If you are on universal credit/benefits etc you can apply.

They work it out based on the age of your child.

I have a 16 month old and I'm 31 weeks pregnant with my 2nd.

I get £17 per child a month and it's supposed to be used on fruit & veg (fresh, frozen or tinned but not in syrup), cows milk & formula, and you get free kids vitamins.

It's amazing and you can save the money up on the card which is what my plan was to buy the baby formula as it's really expensive!

Hope that helps.

I haven't heard of FSM vouchers but they sound similar.

Of course I wouldn't rely on it just wondered if the card knew as yesterday was a complete mistake and didn't want the card to be revoked for accidentally paying for the full shop on the card.

Thanks anyway!

Tbh I don't think the system would be so intelligent to know what you were buying and if it were it would have flagged at the till. I dont think they would audit what was bought, that would cost the government too much for no gain.