Check:
- your prepaid card has been activated
- your using your card at a shop which sells Healthy Start items
- the shop accepts Mastercard - they'll display a Mastercard logo which is normally shown on the shop door or at the till
You cannot:
- withdraw money
- get cashback
- go overdrawn
- use the card for online purchases
- use the card of your phone's wallet app
- use the card abroad
- pay for non-Healthy Start items
You can split payments between your NHS Healthy Start prepaid card and your normal bank card or cash. Some shops will do this as separate transactions.
You can read more information on the NHS Healthy Start website.
Contactless payments not working
You must make a payment using chip and pin before you can make contactless payments.
You may need to use chip and pin after multiple contactless uses.
The contactless limit on an NHS Healthy Start prepaid card is £45.