using your BREAD Card

Topping Up

Topping up your BREAD Card couldn’t be easier. You can use the following methods:

  1. NEW!! - At any Post Office® Branch
  2. At any PayPoint outlet
  3. Via BACS transfer or standing order (directly from a bank account)

Po2

To use the Post Office® Branch to load your card, please hand over your card and ask them to swipe through their till. They will then ask how much you would like to load. There is no charge to load your card in this way but it will take up to 48 hours for your card to be credited. To find your nearest Post Office® Branch, click here.

Pp

To use a Paypoint outlet, hand over some cash and your card and they will be able to load it for you. Please note that a charge of 3% applies to loading done in this way but funds are credited to your card immediately. All fees will be deducted from your cards balance. To find your nearest PayPoint outlet, click here.



You can also load money on to your card from a bank account, using BACS transfer or standing order. A standing order instruction for your bank is available here. If you want to have your wages paid regularly on to your card, please fill in a wage transfer request form and give it to your employer. If you want to make a one off BACS or home banking transfer, please use the account and reference information found on the standing order instruction form. Topping up like this is free.

Balance Enquiry

It is important that you know what your balance is to avoid any embarrassing situations at the checkout! There are three ways you can do it:

  1. On the web site – It’s free!
  2. Call customer services on 0905 786 0106*
  3. To check your balance using your mobile phone, just text BALANCE XXXX (where XXXX is the last 4 digits of the card number on the front of your card) to 80800. Your card balance will then be returned to you by text. There is no cost to use this service but use will be monitored and will be withdrawn if abused. The mobile phone you use must have the same number as used on your BREAD card application. If your phone number changes or you didn’t include a mobile phone on your application, please contact us from the "your details" section of the account maintenance functions.

*Calls cost 80p per minute including VAT from a fixed BT landline. Calls from mobiles and other networks may vary. Please seek permission from whoever pays the bill before calling.

Card to Card Money Share

If you share money with friends or family in the UK or abroad regularly, then you can make this money available to them at very little cost using your BREAD Card.

After you receive your card, you need to order an additional secondary BREAD Card from the website or via customer services. When you receive this, you can post this secondary card abroad to the person you want to share money with.

After that, all you have to do is load money on to your own card, and then decide, how much money you would like to make available to the person you sent the secondary card to. The person with the secondary card can then spend the money in the normal way, or withdraw it from an ATM machine anywhere in the world where Maestro® is taken.

You can have up to four secondary cards on your account.

You can share money with your secondary cards in three ways:

  1. On the web site – It’s free!
  2. Call customer services on 0905 786 0106*
  3. via SMS - coming soon

*Calls cost 80p per minute including VAT from a fixed BT landline. Calls from mobiles and other networks may vary. Please seek permission from whoever pays the bill before calling.

There is a flat rate charge of £1.50 to transfer money between your cards, regardless of the amount. We think you will find that using BREAD to share money with people who live abroad is very cost effective.

Maestro® Acceptance

Your Prepaid Maestro® Card provides security and peace of mind.

Maestro® is a global network and can be used at over 3.7 million merchants in over 60 countries.

You may already have access to Maestro® in your wallet today as many financial institutions support Maestro®: In the UK, most "Switch" and "Solo" cards have the Maestro®& logo on the back of the card. Your prepaid Maestro® card is accepted wherever you see the Maestro®, Switch or Solo signs.

Switch is an all-electronic debit card payment system. Founded in 1988, there are now over 19 million cardholders and more than 425,550 outlets accepting Switch in the UK. There are 31 member banks and building societies.

Your BREAD Card bears the Maestro® brand mark which means you're all set for the following benefits:

  • One card for shopping and ATMs.
  • Access your own funds (directly from your prepaid account).
  • Safer than carrying a lot of cash.
  • Keeps track of spending. You get a receipt when you pay and a detailed listing of every purchase on your online statement (including date, place, and amount).
  • Lets you shop everywhere you see the Maestro® brand mark

Using Maestro®

Discover all the different places around the world that welcome Maestro® debit cards for payment of purchases.

Whether you're shopping in Hong Kong or taking a trip across Europe, your Debit Card displaying the Maestro® brand mark enables you to pay for purchases directly from your BREAD Card. You can also use your card to pay for a train ticket, a ski lift ticket in France, buy stamps at the post office, or to watch the animals at the San Diego Zoo.

Click on the region of your choice for information on the wide world of shopping opportunities available to you around the globe: