Economy Minister Gordon Lyons has announced that the portal for applications for the £100 Spend Local Card – part of the High Street Scheme – is now open.

Welcoming the move as “a big day”, Mr. Lyons added: “I am delighted to announce that the portal for applications for the Spend Local card has opened.”

He reiterated that the portal will remain open until October 25, and said there will be enough time for everyone to apply, receive and use their Spend Local card, which will contain £100 of credit to use in a wide range of participating local shops, but not online.

Applicants can register for their card at https://service.spendlocalni.com/DFEVoucher/apply/#/

He said: “Around 1.4 million people are entitled to apply for their Spend Local card, so we expect the portal to be extremely busy in the first few days.

“That is why it is important to remember that the portal will be open for four weeks, and that everyone will have enough time to apply for their card – so please be patient.”

Minister Lyons advised applicants to have their key information to hand when they apply. For verification purposes, all applicants will be asked to provide their name, address, age, gender, disability status, National Insurance number, email address and telephone number.

He added: “Please ensure that you have all your required information ready when you apply, including your National Insurance number and driving licence, if you have one.

“There will be enough time for everyone to apply, receive and use their Spend Local card.

“The applications portal is robust and ready and it will be able to handle more than 1.4 million applications over the course of the four-week period.

“We expect early demand to be extremely high, [but] by being patient and ready with your information, you will be helping yourself and everybody else.”

Minister Lyons also warned people to be wary of scams and emphasised that the Department will never ask anyone for their personal banking details.

He said: “Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous individuals who will look for every opportunity to steal from others.

“It is important to state that the Department will never ask for anyone’s personal bank details.

“Anyone who receives any contact which they think may be a scam should contact Action Fraud.”

The High Street Scheme is part of the Department’s Economic Recovery Action Plan. Its objective is to boost local businesses following the drop in footfall brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.