Police Discounts
and Blue Light Card

A discount scheme only saves money if you would have bought the thing anyway at full price. Check the discounted price against other retailers before assuming it is the lowest.

Blue Light Card is a commercial discount scheme for emergency services, the NHS, social care, education, the armed forces and other frontline workers. Its about page says members get discounts with over 15,000 partner brands, online and in shops, using a virtual card in its app.

• Police eligibility: its eligible professions page lists Police (includes retired) and MoD Police. Its January 2024 eligibility post says all serving police officers, staff and volunteers are eligible.
• Cost: £4.99 for two years' access. Its site did not mention a free option for any group when we checked.
• Verification: through its eligibility checker; it says verification usually takes 1 to 3 working days once documents are submitted.

Other police organisations, such as British Transport Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Police Scotland and the PSNI, are not named separately on the page we read. Use the eligibility checker to confirm before paying.

Blue Light Card's 2024 eligibility post lists this proof for police:

The Police Federation of England and Wales runs MyPFEW Discounts for members. The platform is provided by World Privilege Plus. PFEW says the offers range from 5% to 85%, were negotiated directly with the companies, and are not generally available openly online or in shops. You register with your full name, branch or force and official work email address, and World Privilege Plus sends login details within 48 hours.

PFEW's membership page also lists discounts from affiliated providers, local benefits from your branch and discounted overnight stays at Federation House. Membership is opt-in and the subscription is deducted from pay: £24.31 a month at the full rate when we checked. Whether the subscription is worth it depends mainly on the representation and legal assistance, not the discounts: see Police Federation subscriptions: are they worth it? and the Federation member services summary.

The Defence Discount Service describes itself as the official MoD discount service for the armed forces, veterans and the armed forces community. Its eligibility list is:

• serving armed forces and reserve forces
• spouses and partners of serving personnel
• HM Armed Forces veterans
• MoD civil servants
• bereaved family members, and war and service widows and widowers
• cadet forces (over 16)
• NATO personnel in the UK

Police officers and staff are not on the list. An officer who is also a reservist, or who served in the armed forces before joining the police, may qualify on that basis. It costs £4.99 for five years, according to its site.

Blue Light Card lists retired police as eligible. Its eligible professions page says retired workers need at least four years' tenure, and proof can include a police pension document, a P60 showing a police pension, a NARPO or RPOAS card, or a certificate of service. NARPO, the National Association of Retired Police Officers, has its own member benefits: see NARPO explained.

1. Check you are eligible using the scheme's own checker, on its genuine website.
2. Note what it costs and how long membership lasts.
3. Check the discount against the ordinary price elsewhere before you buy.
4. Send only the proof it asks for, with unnecessary details covered.

Discounts are one part of the picture. For credit unions, Police Mutual and Federation services, see the police credit unions, loans and member services guide.