Cash counts at Christmas

Anyone still looking for a last minute Christmas gift may be set to join half of people (50 per cent) across Britain in giving cash as a Christmas gift this year.

For the over 55s it’s a particularly popular choice with almost two thirds (64 per cent) of the over 55’s opting to send cash gifts to people, including their children and grandchildren at Christmas.

For 35 to 44 year olds there’s a role reversal with one in ten (11 per cent) giving cash to their parents during the festive season.

For people who have left it until the last minute to send their cash in time for Christmas Day, MoneyGram from the Post Office offers a quick and easy solution to their cash gifting dilemmas.

In just ten minutes, cash can travel from any Post Office branch to and from outlets nationwide. And with 125,000 locations in approximately 170 countries and territories worldwide, whether your money is travelling to Southampton or South Africa, it’s never been easier to use the Post Office and MoneyGram service.

Rob Scott, MoneyGram Manager, Post Office said: “With Christmas Day just around the corner, many last minute Christmas shoppers will be looking for a way to send cash quickly to friends and family in the UK and overseas. The MoneyGram service is now available at all Post Office branches so it has never been easier or more convenient to send cash at Christmas - simply pop into your local Post Office branch and the money will arrive at its destination in just ten minutes.”

The Post Office and MoneyGram now offer by far the largest international money transfer network in the UK and have a fully computerised service making it even faster to send and receive cash too.

Top destinations for international money transfers over the Christmas period are:

Africa including South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Kenya
Caribbean countries such as Jamaica
Central and Latin America including Brazil and Columbia
Eastern Europe in particular Poland, Romania and Bulgaria
New Zealand and Australia

MoneyGram was previously available at around 3,500 Post Office branches, but now all branches are equipped with the latest technology meaning MoneyGram transfers can be sent to and received from all 14,000 Post Office branches. Unlike other money transfer services, it is not necessary to have a bank account to send or receive a MoneyGram transfer.

To find out more about the new Post Office and MoneyGram service visit postoffice.co.uk.