Over 1.43million applications submitted for Spend Local card

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons today said Northern Ireland’s retail, hospitality and service sectors could now expect a significant post-pandemic boost.

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons

The Minister was speaking after 1.43m applications were submitted for the Spend Local card. Applications for the High Street Scheme closed at midnight yesterday.

He said:

“We had expected demand for the Spend Local card to be high and that around 1.4m people would apply. I am delighted that we have received over 1.43m applications and have already issued over 667,000 Spend Local cards.

“Already over £13m has been poured back into our economy. When the scheme is completed, we will see a significant boost to our economy, especially the retail, hospitality and service sectors which have been so adversely impacted by the pandemic.”

The Minister went on to say:

“We have also verified over 1.2m applications. This means that those who have yet to receive their card should do so in the near future.  My department is now working very hard to ensure that we verify the remaining applications as soon as possible."

When an applicant receives their card, they will need to activate the card through a computer-operated phone system or text message and make the first payment using a pin, before they can start to use it for contactless payments.

The Minister added:

“As more and more people receive their cards, I would urge them to activate it as soon as they get it and then spend every last penny on it. Remember to spend it local.”

Notes to editors: 

1. Key dates in the roll-out of the High Street Scheme:

• 27 September to 25 October - Applications portal open.
• Week commencing 4 October – First tranche of cards issued to those who have successfully applied for the Spend Local pre-paid card.
• 11 October – Telephone service opened to support applications from people not able to access or use the online portal.
• 25 October – High Street Scheme online portal and telephone services closed.
• 25 October - the last qualifying date for those turning 18 to be eligible to apply for a Spend Local card.
• 30 November – High Street Scheme closes and the Spend Local pre-paid cards will cease to be valid.

2. For verification purposes in order to reduce the risk of fraud and error, each applicant was asked to provide:

- name;
- address;
- age;
- gender;
- disability status;
- National Insurance number;
- email address; and
- telephone number.

3. Applicants also had the option of including a driving licence number to enable verification. Once the applicant has completed the registration process their information will be checked against a number of government databases to verify their identity.

4. The Department has issued emails to applicants whose details could not be automatically verified. The email from noreply@spendlocalni.com is legitimate and not a scam. The email will asked recipients to upload further information to verify their identity. Everyone who received this email should have uploaded their verification details by now. The Department is currently processing this data.

5. The Department is required under Section 75 to monitor the implementation of its policies which includes collecting data on age, sex and disability. 

6. When an applicant receives their card, they will need to activate the card through a computer-operated phone system or text message and make the first payment using a pin, before they can start to use it for contactless payments.

7. The cards can be used in all participating businesses in Northern Ireland. They cannot be used online or for gambling or some financial and legal services.

8. The telephone support service opened on 11 October. The later opening of the telephone service was implemented to encourage more people to apply online when the portal opened on 27 September and avoid using the phone line leaving it available for those who do not have access to, or are not able to use, the internet. It closed at midnight on October 25.

9. The Department’s Economic Recovery Action Plan is available on its website.

10. The Department may take photographs and videos at announcements and events to publicise its work. Photographs, interviews, videos or other recordings may be issued to media organisations for publicity purposes or used in promotional material, including in publications, newspapers, magazines, other print media, on television, radio and electronic media (including social media and the internet). Photographs and videos will also be stored on the Department’s internal records management system. The Department will keep the photographs and recordings for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which they have been obtained. The Department’s Privacy Policy is available on our website.

11. Follow us on Twitter.

12. For media enquiries contact the Department for the Economy Press Office at pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk

13. The Executive Information Service operates an out-of-hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

Share this page