I don't know how I haven't heard about this until recently, but BaBeeCard is something worth knowing about if you're a Mum. Specifically designed with Mums and Mums-to-Be in mind, it is basically a prepaid MasterCard that you top up with funds and then use to pay for items as you wish. You can use it to pay for purchases wherever MasterCard is accepted.
BaBeeCard is not a credit card, charge card or debit card. It is a prepaid debit card that you load up with funds and spend as you wish. Each time you use the card, the purchase amount is deducted from the available balance. It's like a "Pay-As-You-Go" account, with funds loaded to be spent as you please. There are no credit checks involved as no borrowing facility is provided, and using your card you can claim discounts of up to 20% at a number of high street retailers. You can top up your card for free by bank transfer or instantly by debit card for a fee of £1.
A BaBee card is ideal if you don't have a debit card - or as a gift. You can buy one for someone special and treat them by topping it up with additional funds from time to time. And unlike a standard debit card, you can earn money from your BaBee Card by recommending it to your friends, and the BaBee Discount Club can save you up to £1000 on purchases, while BaBee Card gives £1 to BLISS, the charity for premature babies, for every card purchased.
With over 100 High Street retailers as part of their discount club, BaBeeCard helps families save on groceries, petrol, baby & child goods and big ticket items such as holidays, home furnishings and cars.
On an average grocery spend of £300 per month, a family shopping at ASDA or Sainsburys could save £15 per month with their BaBeeCard, so the initial purchase price of £9.95 for a 2 year card is covered off in the first month of saving.
They also offer a money back guarantee so if the cardholder hasn't saved the initial purchase price in the lifetime of the card they will refund the £9.95 (This is subject to T&Cs.)
For Mums on a budget, the BaBee Card strikes me as an ingenius way to keep control of household spending.
It's the brainchild of mum Gemma Johnson who says she felt overwhelmed during her pregnancy with the vast assortment of mother and baby products available, the cost of preparing for her new arrival and the financial vulnerability that accompanies changing from a salaried position to living on maternity pay.
Gemma wanted to create a payment solution that would enable all women to take control over their finances and maximise the discounts available in the marketplace. As her website explains:
"BaBee Card primarily focuses on mums-to-be, new mums and women with families, bringing to them the opportunity to spend within their limits, to redeem against discounts and promotions, getting more for their money and enabling them to cut their cloth according to their means without fear of overspending."
The idea behind allowing friends and family to load funds onto the card from any UK location came from the fact that not all of Gemma's friends and family could join her to celebrate the arrival of her baby but they were all keen to send gifts. As Gemma explains, BaBeeCard allows others to be a part of your special occasion irrespective of location, and all money loaded onto the BaBeeCard e
nables the cardholder to get more for her money through utilising the discount scheme.
My friend's Grandmother used to joke about her 'running away fund' and although I'm not advocating the need for one of those, I think it's a great idea to set aside a stash of money that is just for you. As Mums we often scrimp when it comes to spoiling ourselves, and I quite like the idea of getting a BaBee Card and using it as my treats fund. I couldn't go overboard as the budget wouldn't allow me to load it with funds that I don't have but I love the idea of always knowing there's a card in my bag with enough for a mag and giant cup of hot chocolate just waiting to be used, along with all the benefits associated with the card. I also think it's a lovely idea for a gift for an expectant Mum.
If you've got a BaBee Card, leave us a comment and let us know what you think!
You can order your BaBee Card online here.
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