CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Following the recent outbreak of Coronavirus, we wanted to keep you up to date with our response.

Updated 26/03/2020

Who can stay open?

Following the government's announcement last night that all non-essential shops are to close, we are advising that Payzone stores that are classed as food retailers, corner shops, newsagents or an off-licence can still remain open to the public. If you currently have a Payzone terminal and you are not classed as a food retailer, corner shop or newsagent, we will be in touch to advise you on what to do regarding our service.   

Key workers have been identified

Workers involved in food sales have been identified by the government as key workers during the Coronavirus outbreak. That means that the services provided by independent retailers will be critical over the coming weeks and months. Access to local shops is still a necessity now that more stringent measures to control the virus are in place. Vulnerable people, in particular, will still need to pay bills and top up cards during this time.

During the outbreak, Payzone will continue to operate as usual, unless instructed otherwise by the government. Your Payzone terminal will work as normal and you can still carry out all transactions. We recognise that local retailers will be crucial during this time, providing a place to purchase food, household goods and pay bills or top-up, so we will continue to support you. Please find our latest updates in response to the crisis below.

What Payzone is doing

To ensure that any disruption to Payzone services is minimised, we have established a dedicated Response Team who will coordinate our ongoing response to Coronavirus as the situation develops. We have contingency plans in place to help protect your business and ensure that customers still have access to essential bill payment services.

How to stay healthy while working in your store

• Avoid touching your face and keep your hands clean as this helps to minimise the spread of germs. 
• Wash your hands regularly with antibacterial soap and, if you are able to, provide hand sanitizer for customers to use as they enter and leave your shop. 
• When you are handling money, you should wash or sanitise your hands straight away.

If you start to experience symptoms of coronavirus, it is important that you self-isolate to reduce passing it on to anyone else, especially vulnerable customers entering your store.

What to do if your store is closed

If your store is closed due to Coronavirus, please get in touch by calling us on 01606 566 566 or email us at tellus@pzbp.co.uk. That way, we can temporarily update our store locator so customers can see you are closed and find another store nearby. It may also be useful to hang a notice in the window for customers who cannot access the internet. When your store has reopened, let us know and we will add it back to the store locator.

In the meantime, we’d advise you to follow the guidelines given by the NHS and Public Health England in relation to maintaining hygiene standards.

What to do if your bank is operating on reduced hours 

If you're a retailer and you're struggling to get to the bank because they've reduced their opening hours, remember that you can also do your banking with the Post Office. 

The Post Office can accept all payments for all banks and they are are still open as they have been identified as a key service.

You can find your nearest Post Office and take a look at their opening hours by using their Branch Finder.

Rest assured that we will keep you updated on any further developments to our services.

Thank you to you and your team for all your continued hard work and support.

Payzone Bill Payments Limited