#pockittips

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Customers value trust and dependency, especially when it comes to managing their hard-earned money.

They want to know that there are people working day and night to keep their finances secure, and ready to act quickly and professionally in the unlikely event that their personal information comes under threat.

The Pockit team recognise this which is why we are constantly looking at ways to keep our customers’ money safer.

We want our customers to feel confident using their Pockit card and account whenever and wherever they like, but it is important to remember that there are always people looking to dishonestly convince you to part with cash.

We would remind all customers to be vigilant with emails received and pop-up windows on websites.

Of course, we all dream of winning the lottery but, as the adage goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Here are some simple tips to keep your Pockit card and account safe:

·  Sign your Pockit card as soon as you receive it

·  Keep your Pockit card PIN in a confidential place, separate from your card (or memorise it)

·  Destroy and throw away copies of anything that displays your Pockit card number

·  Research any online retailer you are unfamiliar with before making a purchase

·  Check out unfamiliar companies by calling your local consumer protection agency

·  Never provide information that you're uncomfortable giving

·  Never give anyone the password that you use to log into your Pockit account

·  Make sure you run regular antivirus checks on your computer

If something doesn’t feel quite right when using your Pockit card, be sure to approach it with an appropriate level of caution. It could save you a great deal of hassle in the long run.

It’s important to emphasise that, for the majority of customers, situations of this kind will never arise.

Nevertheless, you can take comfort in knowing that the Pockit team are always here to assist you and ensure that your hard-earned Pockit funds are protected at all times.

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Make your home unique on a budget with Pockit’s top 5 tips for doing up your home; with cashback from your Pockit card you can make even more savings!

1.       Repaint your old furniture! Do you have an old cupboard or dresser that’s seen better days? Give it a new lease of life with a fresh lick of paint in a bright vibrant colour, or get the ‘classic’ look with something more subtle. Remember that you’ll probably need furniture paint. Chalk paint is perfect for creating a classic, vintage look and costs between £5 and £14 from B&Q and you earn 5% cashback with your Pockit card!

2.       One fantastic way to add character to an otherwise plain room is the addition of wall stickers. Costing between £1 and £19 from B&Q, not only are wall stickers minimum hassle but they’re a fantastic way to turn a bare children’s room into an exciting space to kids to harness their creativity. But these don’t have to be bright and bold; lots of these are sophisticated and decorative so there’s no need to worry about the looking garish.

3.       Cushions and Throws are a fantastic way to accessorise otherwise boring chairs and sofas! Small touches like this help create a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere where you can put your feet up and chill. Throws are also perfect for snuggling up in, and preparing for the upcoming, chilly winter nights. You can get these from M&S here as well as getting a fantastic 6% back when you use your Pockit card.

4.       Upcycle your junk! Be creative! Before throwing something out try and find a new use for it. A slight repurposing can turn an old TV stand into a bookshelf or glass bottles into pretty lights. If you’re feeling really creative, keep an eye out for things other people have thrown out. Remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure...

5.       The summer may be well over but the festival spirit need not be. Give your house a permeant summery feel by hanging up some Fairy Lights and Bunting. These additions break up space and add a customising feature to your house without having to break the bank.

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If you feel you are paying too much for your home energy bills take our seven simple steps to reducing your usage; benefit the environment as well as your Pockit account!

Replace light bulbs

If you’re still using incandescent light bulbs then you can save money by switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs or LED’s, while these can be slightly more expensive to buy there are a number of different ways to get these cheaply. Supermarkets often have special deals and they are sometimes given away free with newspapers. Even with a more expensive outlay you’ll soon start to make profit as they also last longer and are more durable than traditional bulbs. 

Unplug chargers

Laptop chargers and mobile phone chargers constantly draw electricity when plugged in, even when not in use. Turn off sockets and unplug them when you’ve finished charging your devices to save electricity. And don’t charge devices every day – not only does this waste electricity when you’ve already got a charge, but can also reduce the battery life of the product. Full cycle discharges and charges will prolong the life of most modern batteries.

Use energy efficient appliances

The latest fridges, washing machines and dishwashers are extremely energy efficient – if you’ve got an older model then you may be using a significant amount of extra energy each month. When buying a new product (or maybe a Christmas gift?), there are two labels to watch out for. The first is the ‘Energy Saving Trust Recommended’ logo, which can only be used on the top 20% most energy efficient products. The EU energy label grades products from A (best) to G (worst) for energy usage; for fridges and freezers the scale goes up to A++.

Don’t use standby mode

TVs left in standby mode draw large amounts of power, and an average computer screen left on overnight uses enough energy to laser print 400 A4 pages. Computers should be shut down when you’re not using them – whilst newer computers have become more efficient they are still energy-intensive and it’s a myth that shutting them down regularly will noticeably affect their lifecycle.

Only boil what you need

Kettles are one of the biggest electricity users around. The more water you want to boil the longer it takes and therefore the more electricity you use. Ensure you only boil what you need to make tea or for the hob. If you’re making tea, pouring water into cups first can ensure you boil precisely what you need. Alternatively buy a kettle that has a ‘cup’ indicator so you can see at a glance how much water you’re boiling.

Use appliances efficiently

If you’ve had to heat up your oven then it can be worth cooking several meals at once. If you have a large freezer you can store them and save yourself cooking at a later date. With regard to dishwashers and washing machines, ensure you only use them when there’s a full load to be washed. Also consider using eco-cycles and lower temperatures. Scraping dried-on food off plates before loading the dishwasher allows you to use a lower temperature.

Turn off lights

It’s easy to leave lights on when you leave a room but bear in mind that these can drain power, particularly if you’re not using energy-efficient bulbs. Turn lights off as soon as you leave a room, and open curtains and blinds during the day to make the most of natural light. In larger rooms lamps can be a more energy efficient method of lighting than ceiling lights. Remember to switch your Christmas lights off when your not using them, they use up a lot of unnecessary energy!

Remember to get both yourself and someone you care about £5 when you refer a friend to Pockit

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Everyone loves to go all out at Christmas, but no one wants to wind up overspending and making life difficult for the rest of the year. We’ve put together a few tips you might not have thought of to help you save this Christmas…

1. Save together No doubt, you are not the only one looking to save this Christmas, so why not make saving a communal effort! Ask your friends and family if they want to start a Secret Santa, or set a limit as to how much you’re going to spend and then make sure you don’t go over it! What might seem like an awkward conversation at first could be doing someone else a massive favour by helping both of you curb your spending.

2. Go big A similar idea is to buy a larger present for the whole family, rather than lots of smaller presents for individual members of the family. Not only does this mean you can get someone a better gift overall, but you could end up saving some money too! Games are perfect for these kinds of family friendly presents, although, we advise to avoid gifting anyone Monopoly; no one wants a family fight on their conscience at Christmas.

3. Buy in bulk Rather than buying cards individually make sure you buy them in bulk! Charity shops are especially good for saving as not only are they often cheaper but you know that all of the proceeds of your purchase has gone to charity. Wrapping paper is one of the most irritating of expenses, it’s seen for a minute and then a child rips it up and it goes in the bin! But, if you can’t bear to be without it altogether, it’s a good idea to buy wrapping paper in bulk, and then you can at least make a bit of a saving on an otherwise unnecessary expense.

4. Start early Another good card buying tip is to remember to send them off early and use second class stamps, the 9p difference between first and second class stamps might not feel like a lot, but when you’re sending lots of cards it can really add up! Hopeless at remembering to send cards? Set an alert on your phone or put a date in the diary to have cards sent off by!

5. Make a list Especially when you’re food shopping! It might sound obvious but it’s so easy to impulse purchase, at Christmas more than ever! Make a comprehensive list of everything you need and don’t buy anything extra, you’ll only end up buying too much and having to throw food away.

And our top Pockit tip! Remember to get both yourself and someone you care about £5 when you refer a friend to Pockit. Also don’t forget about our amazing cashback savings at your favorite high street stores.

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You might have heard that Pockit offers our higher limit card holders additional cards linked to their main account. This is a quick guide for those of you that are unsure about what an additional card is, and how it can be used! If you still need to upgrade your Pockit account don’t worry, keep reading to find out how you too can benefit from up to three additional cards.

Additional cards are more than just another Pockit account. For a start, anyone over the age of 13 is able to have an additional card! This makes them the perfect solution for those who want to allow their children the freedom to spend that a debit account allows but without the ability to go overdrawn and with more control over their spending.

But, just like your main Pockit card, additional cards will arrive within 3-5 days and have their own separate pin, as well as a separate card, from the main cardholder. What’s more, these cards can be used in all the same places and share all the same benefits as your main Pockit card including earning cashback at all 25 of our top cashback retailers!

To give you more choice and control over your money Pockit offers two types of additional cardholder accounts: 

Shared balance- the money on your Pockit account will be equally distributed between you and your additional cardholders. 

Separate balance- you can control what money is available to additional cardholders and this allows the additional cardholder to manage their balance completely separately.

Getting additional cards couldn’t be simpler; the 99p for the card is taken straight off your account balance.

  Login to get one now!

If you want an additional card, but currently have a lower limit account, Click Here and follow the simple online instructions in order to upgrade.

Already have an additional card and are happy with it? Refer a friend to Pockit and get £5 each!

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The Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend is approaching and we are so excited for the biggest shopping day of the year, marking the start of the Christmas shopping season!

Black Friday is the first Friday after the American Thanksgiving holiday, so this year it will fall on the 27th November. 

Some people are already stressing about where to get the best deals on the day, with shops like John Lewis, Apple and Marks and Spencer’s already gearing up and ready to drop a tonne of deals for this Black Friday Weekend. It’s really no wonder that experts are predicting Black Friday 2015 to be Britain’s first ever £1bn online shopping day.

Pockit’s top tips for successful Black Friday/Cyber Monday Bargain hunting!

1. If you’re doing your Christmas shopping, be flexible. You might not see exactly what you were looking for, but just like booking cheap flights abroad, it’s good to keep an open mind - be ready to adapt your ideas and be flexible if you want to see real savings.

For those real hardcore bargain hunters who camp outside shops in the early hours of the morning…

2. We’ve all had the experience of feeling midday crankiness, only to realise that you haven’t had your regular morning brew. Now imagine squashing together a bunch of un-caffeinated shoppers who have been queuing since 5am to get hold of a real bargain.  Make sure to bring a flask with you, and you’ll never be without the liquid patience you’ll need to see you through the day!

3. A safety helmet is advised at all times to avoid uncaffeinated zombies lashing out at you while you grab something great. The fashion experts at Pockit advise that you go for a bright orange hard hat, or even full body armour; the stylish way to stay safe.

4. So, you’ve queued up since the early hours of the morning. You’ve made it into the shop. Suddenly, disaster strikes. You’ve sprained your ankle. You knew you shouldn’t have worn those six-inch heels. Avoid foot-induced fatigue with comfortable flat shoes!

5. Black Friday is an insanely busy day, with shops deliberately whipping customers up into a frenzy, even the resilient can be left running around like headless chickens. In all this rush it’s easy to accidently drop your cash. No one wants the embarrassment of getting to the tills to realise that your money went missing in a fight with a little old lady for the last Blu-ray player. There are two ways to avoid this; one is to carry everything in a heavily padlocked metal case. The other is to carry a Pockit card around with you instead of a wad of cash weighing down your pockets! 

If you don’t fancy the in-store struggle then stick yourself behind a computer screen to get your bargains!

6. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are far less stressful when done from home. But don’t be fooled, there are hazards to be found everywhere… you don’t want to be a victim of the infamous checkout hand-cramp. We’ve all heard of it, you get to the final stages of putting your details in and then –boom!- your hand ceases up. You watch the page timer run down as you try, desperately, to fill in your details using only your weaker hand, but your typing’s all wrong and soon you’re out of time. Avoid this tragedy entirely with an ergonomic mousepad and wrist supports.

7. Sites like Hot Uk Deals or Money Saving Expert have already begun counting down to Black Friday. And with places like John Lewis, Marks and Spencer’s and Apple all seemingly getting in on the sales who wouldn’t want to be obsessively checking sites all day on the off chance that you might miss something special. We recommend having several computers set up, on different deals sites, to ensure maximum bargain coverage!

8. And finally, ensure that you only use secure checkouts before you buy online. You can tell that a site is secure by looking out for the little padlock in the left top hand corner of the page and by making sure that the page url begins with ‘Https:’.

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Halloween is fast approaching, it’s half term, and the kids are in need of some entertainment...So I’ve come up with a few ways to save you money this year with a budget DIY Halloween; from baking, to costumes, to decorating your home for less!

Baking

Everyone gets bogged down finding endless ways to entertain the kids that’s both cheap and really fun; one great activity is to get them to do some baking with you. Make some cupcakes and decorate with orange, black and white icing to get some spooky themed treats.

Don’t know where to start?

Making Cupcakes couldn’t be simpler and works out at about £2.60 for 20 cupcakes or just £5.26 for the shop altogether, here’s what you need:

- 170g butter/ spread (Room temperature) - 90p for Asda Buttery Spread or 89p for Tesco Sunflower Spread

- 170g Granulated sugar - £1.15 from Asda and Tesco

- 3 eggs - £1.20 from Asda and Tesco

- 170g self-raising flour - 45p from Asda and Tesco

- Icing sugar - 78p from Asda and Tesco

- Black and Orange Food colouring’s - 78p/10g of colouring gel or 89p 23.4p/10ml of colouring

1.       Preheat your oven to 180oC. Line a muffin tin with paper cases.

2.       Cream together butter or spread with sugar till light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix, then sift in the flour and stir until combined.

3.       Spoon the mixture into the paper cases. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cakes start to go gold on top and a knife comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

4.       Once the cakes are cool you can go ahead and decorate them. You can mix icing up just by adding water to icing sugar and some spooky food colourings, although remember not to make this too runny and wait for the cupcake to cool down first.

Costumes

Everyone knows that kids always want to be something different, if they were a ghost last year they’ll want to be a vampire this year. Instead of forking out for new costumes every year, go through your old clothes or take a trip to your local charity shop and see if you can find something that, with a little upcycling, will make a fabulous costume and will even support a good cause. You’ll need an open and creative mind for this, as you might not find the materials for the exact outfit you originally planned. Whilst this requires a little work, cutting up and sowing outfits is a great way to entertain the kids, teaching them to be creative and showing them how to save on waste.

We’ll start you off with a couple of costume ideas with materials that shouldn’t be too hard to come by:

Black Cat: The most simple of all the Halloween costumes, put on some black trousers or leggings and a black top. Then jazz it up a bit with some face paint, a tail made from a pair of tights stuffed with socks or spare material that you have lying around. You can make ears really easily by cutting out some little triangular ears from card and attaching to some hair clips.

Zombie: Chop up some old clothes or something you’ve found in a charity shop and make it look as ragged as possible! Add some ketchup for that all-important blood stain!

A tattered ghost: Pick out a white dress or sheet and fashion into a tattered ghostly outfit by cutting strips off it. Then with just a little white face paint and maybe some dark smudges around the eyes you’ll be looking like the perfect poltergeist.

Decorations

No home would be properly equipped without some spooky Halloween decorations! Try using some string and a bit of masking tape to make a spider’s web on the wall, not only will this give your home a bit of frightening flourish but it’s cheap and uncomplicated. Or show off your baking skills with spun sugar webs!

Another simple way of decorating your home is by creating some special Halloween candle holders. If you’ve got Jam Jars lying around this is perfect for you. Decorate the outside of the jars (or get the kids to!) and then place a tea light or a small electric light inside to create an atmospheric lantern. Remember, if you’re using a tea light or candle keep these well away from anything flammable and don’t leave your lanterns on surfaces that could be damaged by heat.

Also, why not make a spooky bat mobile with Halloween origami bats. Tie a knot in the thread (so that the knot holds the bat in place) and using a needle poke a small hole into your origami bat; Do this two or three times. Then get yourself a creepy looking branch and tie the origami bats to this!

  Like what you’ve seen? Comment below with some of your own tips and tricks to a fun Halloween that entertains the kids without breaking the bank! We’d love to hear your ideas!