Here is a relatively cheap option I found - it’s £8 for 2 years and provides you with a Carers ID Card:
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Thank you! I have registered and am sure it will come in useful. 
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That is great, thank you.
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Just to clarify - this card is not affiliated to Carers Uk.
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I think this has been mentioned before hasn’t it @Melly1 ? Not sure what ‘backing’ it has either.
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@Chris_22081 it’s my understanding that it’s not backed by Carers Uk.
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No, but it won’t hurt to wear it on a lanyard next time I take Mum to the GP or hospital. It’ll make me look more “official” was my thinking. 
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For 8 quid I wouldn’t see how it could hurt. Most people are just interested in an ID, they wouldn’t even know the difference between two different organisations
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And this is the issue. Carers Uk are a charity that fund raise and work at National level to promote carer’s rights and provide support to carers. Whereas Carer’s card Uk uses a very similar name but is a company that makes a profit …
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Well, both companies help carers so it’s hard to avoid the name if you want to be found.
But how does it negatively affect carers UK? And what would prevent carers UK from offering the same service? Is one more virtuous than the other? £8 for a two year membership is hardly huge profit considering what you get in return…it’s not just the card.
I think both organisations have their place and offer a good service - there is no need for competition. Issuing a physical card is a bonus (and costs the company money) as this is what the poster was looking for, acknowledgement from the public. A card is a much quicker way of obtaining that.
In my view both organisations are a valuable resource for Carers, there is no need to put either one of them down.
By saying that the public wouldn’t know the difference between two organisations I actually meant the organisation that issues the card and any other place where you work for money as a carer.
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I think it’s fair to say that most people can’t distinguish between a carer and a care worker. Which is actually why they ask for carer ID in most cases.
Many local carer agencies have their own schemes - some have local discount schemes, too. The one issue I have with the company advertised is that they talk about discount schemes but the only way to find out which companies are involved is to spend the £8. That hasn’t changed since I first found out about the company some months back. Minor niggle - not enough to stop me considering using it - but I have one from our local carers’ service and that’s enough for me at the moment.
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@judywoody you have assumed a lot from / read a lot into my short, factual post quantifying about the difference between Carer’s Uk and Carer’s Card Uk.
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I bought a lanyard that says Carer from eBay.
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@judywoody I agree with you that it’s not just a card and I thank you for bringing the site to my attention. I have purchased one, as I said, so that there is some kind of visual recognition from professionals who deal with my mum. As Carers UK don’t do anything similar to my knowledge, I am glad to have it. It doesn’t appear to do anyone any harm. Thanks again
Well it wasn’t quite clear where you were going with this. If you notice you can see that the post mostly contain questions so I can rule out whether or not I was assuming things.
On the other hand I wanted to explain why I don’t see anything wrong with it.
I still don’t know why you think this is not a good option? I am really happy to be educated.
Yes if there were more local schemes like this, I think there wouldn’t be a problem in the first place. This company saw a gap and filled it.
Did you contact them directly and ask which companies they work with?
Really cheap and cheerful solution
@judywoody Of course everyone has choice.
I was only clarifying in my role as a forum moderator that the Carers card UK is not endorsed by Carers Uk, as others have thought it was in the past.
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Hi folks - you may be interested in this
Mobilise are another carers organisation, they work with local councils to identify carers, they collaborate with Carers UK frequently and Carers Trust.
Be aware that their forum is NOT anonymous,
Here’s their information about Carer Cards
and the local councils that offer them
Why is it so hard for people in these roles to just listen and treat carers with respect? They should know better. At the very least, this whole thing highlights how much advocacy is still needed for carers to be taken seriously.
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