We are sad to report that one of our retailers, Faith Shoes, have gone into administration.

We removed Faith Shoes from the KidStart website as soon as we heard. However, there were some members who made purchases just before they went into Administration and unfortunately we have not yet been paid by Faith Shoes for a large number of these purchases. 

As we have done in the past, we reviewed how much members were owed by Faith Shoes and we have made the decision to credit those members with their KidStart Savings even though we will not be paid by Faith Shoes.

We can't promise that we will always be able to pay the KidStart Savings out of our own pockets when a retailer goes into Administration. We will need to review each situation on a case by case basis. However, we will certainly do our best to ensure that the money you have earned for your kids is not impacts by these unfortunate events.

We thought it would be helpful to write a short blog with a little information for new members on how to use KidStart.

Firstly, welcome to KidStart! We are so glad you have joined us and can't wait for you to start saving money for your kids! (Or unborn child!)

Earning KidStart Savings is really easy - since most of our retailers only offer savings online - simply click through the links on the KidStart website and shop as you normally would. The links take you directly to the retailer's website showing the same prices that you would normally pay. The links just allow us to track your purchase and reward you with savings for your kids. Each retailer information page on our website contains the information on what percentage you will get back as well as any exclusions that may apply.

If you haven't registered your cards with us yet, this is really important as well since it lets you earn KidStart Savings IN STORE at JoJo Maman Bébé, House of Fraser and Goldsmiths! To find out more, view our post on Registered Cards, or click here to register your cards now (you may need to login).

And then - what happens after I shop?

Once you shop online, you will see the purchases in your Kiddybank transaction history as “pending”. In most cases this is between 1 and 3 days after you complete your purchases (some retailers can be longer, check the retailer page for timescales).

"Pending" purchases get  “cleared” when we get paid by the retailer – usually 2 - 3 months. Then simply tell us where to send the money - we can put it into any UK Bank or Building Society account or any Child Trust Fund. First add a child (or school or charity) to your account and then link a bank account or CTF to your child (you can do this in the "my profile" section of the site once logged in).

Once a month we check all the cleared balances and we transfer money to your linked account - provided the cleared amount has reached the minimum required by your bank account provider (usually £10, but for Share CTFs it can be more). Remember - there's no need to open a special account.

That's KidStart - free money for your kids - simple!

As some of you may already know, we pay out the KidStart Savings members are due at the start of each month.

Our next payment run in April will be delayed by a couple of days due to the Easter Bank Holidays. Members who have a transfer out in April can expect to receive a confirmation email around the 12th. 

We trust this doesn’t cause too much inconvenience and we wish a happy Easter to everyone! As always if you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Currently, KidStart members can earn money for their kids from shopping in the high street at 3 retailers: JoJo Maman Bébé, House of Fraser and Goldsmiths (we will be adding more to this list!)

In order to track your spending at these retailers we use your existing debit and credit cards - this means there's no need to add another card to your purse or wallet and no need to remember to swipe a loyalty card at the checkout - Genius!

We will automatically add money to your KidStart account (Kiddybank) whenever you shop in the High Street at one of our In Store partners using a card you registered with KidStart. Not only that, as we add more retailers in the high street you will automatically earn money at those as well!

The good news is that you can register up to 10 cards within your account! - any credit or debit card with a Visa, Mastercard, Visa Electron or Maestro logo. (Sorry if you only have an Amex but we can't track purchases through their payment system yet). If you have their permission, you can even register other people's cards - your spouse, family or friends!

Please allow 48 hours after registering your card before using it to allow time for our systems to update and please enter your card details carefully and double check they are correct - or we can't track your purchase and give you lots of lovely money for your kids!

We treat the security of your cards extremely seriously. You are registering your cards on a secure website and your card numbers are stored in a secure encrypted database. For more information see our security policy

Lately a few members have experienced problems logging in to KidStart because their account has been blocked. Although this isn't ideal, don't panic - we can always manual unlock your account - simply contact us.

Our system is currently set to block member's accounts if their password has been entered incorrectly 5 times in a row. This was originally set up for security reasons but we are aware that it is not communciated very well on the website - in particular it is impossible for a member to see if problems logging in are due to your account being blocked.

The good news is that we have reviewed our security systems and determined that we are able to remove this blocking and replace it with other security measures which are far less intrusive for members. We will be launching this change in a couple of weeks  and we hope that this goes a little way to making your life easier and getting the most from KidStart.

We have lots of exciting developments coming in the next few months, so stay tuned to our blog for more information.

Congratulations to all our members expecting payments!

We began our monthly payment process yesterday and transferred the MOST we have ever sent to our member's linked accounts! Keep a look out for our confirmation email on Friday or Monday once the banks have confirmed the amounts have been received successfully.

Don’t forget, the more you use KidStart to shop, the more money you get back for your kids!

It’s our favourite time of the month, and we hope it’s yours too!