Nationwide has opened its free “Better Off Indicator” checker to Virgin Money customers, aiming to help more households find financial support they may be missing. The tool shows whether someone might qualify for benefits, grants, or other help, and Nationwide says users typically uncover sizeable sums.
Expansion to Virgin Money customers
The expansion means Virgin Money customers can access the same checker already available to Nationwide customers and to people who don’t bank with either provider. It comes as families head into the summer holidays with budgets under intense pressure, particularly where food and childcare costs rise when schools close.
Nationwide says the service has already helped thousands identify potential extra support, at a time when many parents say they fear they won’t be able to cover everyday essentials during the holidays. With household bills still stretching incomes, the bank and a children’s charity warn more families may turn to borrowing or delaying payments just to get through the break.
Significant unclaimed support
Nationwide says its Better Off Indicator has helped more than 17,000 households spot possible entitlement to £115 million in additional annual support since launching in 2025 – equivalent to an average of £555 a month in potential extra income per household.
The company points to wider estimates suggesting around £24 billion in benefits and financial support is left unclaimed each year, with about seven million households thought to be missing out. It says the main barriers include lack of awareness, the complexity of the system, and stigma around claiming.
Impact on families
Separate research by Nationwide and Action for Children found 66% of parents receiving Universal Credit are worried about affording food during the school holidays. Many said they were considering borrowing to cover costs: 63% said they were likely to use Buy Now Pay Later, 60% said they could borrow from friends or family, and 59% expected to rely on credit cards.
More than half of those surveyed said they might delay paying essential household bills, while around one in two said they could postpone rent or mortgage payments to cover essentials. Nationwide says the Better Off Indicator was developed with social policy experts Policy in Practice and can be accessed online, through the Nationwide app, by phone, or with support in a branch. It is free to use and available to everyone, whether they bank with Nationwide or Virgin Money.
