Top Tips Using Cash When You Have Sight Loss

1. Top tips – using cash when you have sight loss

• If it takes you a little longer to pay when you are in a shop it really doesn’t matter. You are a valued customer, so take your time!

• Organising your cash before you leave home can really help.

• Use a purse which allows you to separate your coins or place coins in different pockets.

• If you pay with a note, you can place change into a separate pocket for counting and sorting at home.

• When collecting your cash from the bank or post office make sure it’s in denominations of your choice.

• You can try folding different notes in a certain way as they are given to you, so you can easily identify them when you take from your purse or wallet.

• The £5 note contains a green contrasting circle, £10 a brown diamond the, £20 a purple square. These symbols may allow you to recognise the notes visually.

• Each note has a different width. Place your forefinger and middle finger together in the fashion of a pretend gun and slide the notes between your fingers width ways. Depending on the length of your fingers, the £5 will sit close to the first joint and the £10 above the joint. Practice at home to work out how far up your fingers each note comes.

• Note gauges or smart phone apps can be used to identify notes.

• Contactless cards can be a quick and easy way to pay for items up to the value of £30, so no need to use cash.

• Certain banks offer ‘preloaded’ cards, bracelets or key fobs which can be used to pay using contactless technology.

• You can also use Apple Pay or Android Pay to use your smartphone for contactless payments.

1 • If you don’t like entering a code into a card machine you can make arrangements with your bank to have a chip and sign card.

• Templates are available to guide your pen when writing a cheque.

• A signature guide will let you find the correct place to sign form.

Equipment • Note gauge • Note gauge and signature guide • Cheque template from your bank • A wallet or purse of your choice which allows coins to be separated • Coin holders • Task-lamp

For more about living with sight loss call RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999