Crownsavers

We are delighted to welcome former Crownsavers members to Lewisham + Bromley Credit Union.

This page is dedicated to transferring Crownsavers members and provides additional information to assist you.

Membership Number

You have been issued with a new membership number, which was shown in our letter to you dated 16 August 2023. Your new member number is the same as your Crownsavers member number, but with “60,000” added. So for example, if your member number with Crownsavers was 234, your new number will be 60234. Please use your new membership number in all communications with us.

Savings

Your savings have automatically moved to your new savings accounts with us, and any regular payroll deductions or bank deposits will continue to credit your savings. You do not need to do anything.

Savings that you have been able to withdraw at any time will continue to be available. Savings that are used as security for a loan from Crownsavers will continue to support your loan(s) on the same terms.

We use S2 share accounts for all secured savings. We have transferred all secured savings that you held with Crownsavers into your new Secured (S2) account. This makes it easier for you to see how much of your savings you are not currently able to withdraw.

Your new Share 1 (S1) account has become your primary instant access savings account. We have combined any unsecured balance from your Crownsavers Regular Savings S1 (for instance, if you do not have a loan) and the balance from your Crownsavers Instant Access Savings S2 account into this account.

A new Christmas (S3) account has replaced your Christmas Club (XCLUB) saving account, if you had one.

In addition, we also offer Prize Saver S4 instant access savings, providing a free prize draw held each month to win up to £5,000 (£200 savings limit for draw, over 18s only).

If you are a junior depositor, we have moved your savings into a new Junior Saving (JS) account.

Your savings up to £85,000 will continue to be protected under the UK's Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Engage and Smartcash prepaid Visa card and accounts

For adult members, we offer the Engage prepaid Visa account, with Engage mobile app, shopping discounts and 'envelopes' budgeting. This can be used to make cashless and online payments or get cash‐back at shops, for a small monthly fee, or cash from ATMs (75p fee).

For young savers aged 8-16 we offer the Smartcash card.

Loans

If you have any loans from Crownsavers, these will continue on the same terms, and your payments will not be affected. We are now the lender in place of Crownsavers. You will continue to pay the same amount each week or month in the same way as before, to the same account.

We offer a range of loan products, which are designed to help you in different circumstances – further details can be found here. We understand that life’s financial demands are unpredictable, which is why we offer flexible terms and competitive interest rates. Our team of dedicated loan officers is available to guide you through the application process, ensuring a smooth and efficient experience.

You can apply for a new loan from us by:

1. Checking the loan calculator in our CU App and hitting “Apply for a loan”, which will take you to the loan application page on our website, on your device;
2. going directly to the loan application page on our website; or
3. applying in branch by making a paper application.

You will not be able to top up an existing Crownsavers loan, as top‐up loans are not a feature of existing Crownsavers loans. However, you can apply for a new loan from us. If it is a larger loan, the new loan will subsume your existing loan balance(s), and we can transfer the extra funds to your bank account, or to an Engage pre‐paid card if you get one. If you apply for a new loan, you may be able to top it up in the future, subject to our terms and conditions for top‐up loans.

Athough you may have had have more than one loan at any time with Crownsavers, we do not normally allow members to have more than one loan, apart from smaller loans for household goods, school uniforms, or emergency use. This is because having one loan makes it easier for you, and for us, to manage. We offer lower interest rates on larger loans (always subject to credit approval), so combining your borrowing within one loan, with top‐up loans where required, will usually mean that you are paying a lower rate of interest on all your borrowing. We see this as a better way to serve our members.

Accessing your accounts

You can access your accounts in several ways:

1. you can see your transactions and request a withdrawal using our CU App
2. you can see transactions and request a withdrawal using our online Members Area
3. you can also see saving and loan balances by texting the word “Balance” to 07537 410334, as long as the mobile phone number we have linked to your account is up to date and is unique to you
4. you can request a transfer to your pre‐registered bank account by emailing admin@pluscu.co.uk, by calling our team, or by visiting our branches for assistance during our opening hours.
5. you can withdraw funds in cash up to £500 per week from our Sydenham branch, or up to £100 per week from the Green Man branch, or from Bromley branch on restricted days. No cash is held at other branches.

Because withdrawals can be made in these various different ways, we will no longer be supporting the former Crownsavers SMS link to a savings withdrawal form that you may have used previously.

Making payments

As well as making deposits into to your savings account or to reducing your loan by making payments in branch, you can also make payments online by debit card.

The minimum payment size is £10 and the maximum is £5,000 in any one transaction, and you can split the total payment between a maximum of five accounts in your name, including savings and loans.

Please log in to the Members Area and click on 'Make a Payment'.

Please note that credit cards payments cannot be accepted.

In difficulty repaying your loan?

If you are experiencing difficulties, please read our In Debt Need Help? guide and associated links, and do please talk to us as soon as possible.

Contacting us

You now have access to our five branches, including the former Crownsavers branch at 20 Broadway, Catford. Details of those branches and our other contact details can be found on our Contact Us page. We are committed to providing you with the highest level of service. Our member services team is here to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have, and they can be contacted during business hours in branches, on 020 8778 4738, or by email at admin@pluscu.co.uk.