ICELAND customers can no longer claim free vouchers that gave £30 off food.
The budget supermarket chain offered the discount to vulnerable pensioners struggling during the cost of living crisis.
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Iceland had teamed up with the Rothesay Foundation to run the scheme.
It made 40,000 vouchers available in August for those who’ve reached state pension age.
And in the same month it made another 40,000 available after receiving an extra £1million for the scheme.
It meant that tens of thousands of elderly people were in line for help.
Customers had until Friday, September 16, to apply for the scheme.
However, a spokesperson for Iceland told The Sun on Wednesday, September 14: “We have now reached the limit of 80,000 vouchers allocated for this scheme so the campaign is now closed.”
You’ll have needed to live independently or with a carer and rely solely on your state pension or other benefits to pay your bills to have been eligible for the scheme.
Pensioners will need to redeem their vouchers by December 31.
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You can find more detail on how to claim the vouchers below.
Iceland boss Richard Walker previously said: “No one should ever have to worry about how they are going to eat or drink, and we hope that the support we can offer across the UK will help pensioners access and enjoy a worry-free meal during this difficult time.”
Addy Loudiadis, chief executive officer of the Rothesay Foundation, added: “We hope our vouchers will provide a small amount of relief to the growing number of older people living in real financial difficulty in the UK.”
How did people claim the voucher and where can they be spent?
People had to call the Summer Cheer hotline to request a voucher.
They were then sent a leaflet in the post if you qualified with the £30 voucher, and you’ll be able to spend them at stores in the following locations:
- Glasgow
- Strathclyde
- Greater Manchester
- Liverpool
- Wirral
- Newcastle North
- Sunderland
- Huddersfield/Barnsley
- Sheffiled
- Birmingham
- West Midlands
- Glamorgan
- Newport
- North Wales
- Lambeth
- Croydon
To find out if your local Iceland store accepts the vouchers, you can use Iceland’s store locator.
What other help is available for pensioners?
Iceland offers a weekly over 60’s 10% discount across all its stores every Tuesday.
If you’ve got a £30 voucher, you can also use the over 60’s discount on top – but only on a Tuesday.
The 10% discount is applicable across all Iceland stores.
Eligible customers have to provide proof of age through a driving license, senior bus pass, senior rail card or Freedom Pass when paying for their goods at the checkout.
The discount will work across all products in store and you get 10% off the total cost of your shop.
In addition to the Iceland vouchers, there’s other help on offer if you’re a pensioner and you’re struggling to make ends meet.
The government announced a raft of measures back in May this year for struggling households.
Among the support specifically for pensioners is the £650 cost of living payment, but you will only receive this if you receive Pension Credit.
The payment is being split into two and you should have received the first instalment already.
The next one is due to be paid in the autumn, although a specific date has not yet been confirmed.
All energy customers are eligible for a £400 energy bills discount from next month.
The discount will be paid in six instalments from October. Two worth £66 and four worth £67.
A £300 one-off Pensioner Cost of Living payment will be dished out to eight million people later on in the year on top of the Winter Fuel Payment.
The Winter Fuel Payment is usually worth between £100 and £300 and those over the state pension age receive it.
If you are worried about the cost of living or debt, then a number of charities may also be able to offer free advice or help:
- National Debtline – 0808 808 4000
- Step Change – 0800 138 1111
- Citizens Advice – 0808 800 9060
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
