Do you find the season ticket too much to pay for in one go? Have you been turned down for credit? Do you not like standing orders or direct debits? If the answer to any of these is “Yes”, then Brentford’s very own Thamesbank Credit Union might be the answer. Read on...

A Credit Union is a community bank owned and run by its members who live or work in the local community. It is not run for profit, with any surplus at the year end being distributed amongst its members (anyone with an account). Your money is protected in exactly the same way as it is when left in a bank.

You can pay into it via standing order, but you can also deposit cash via Pay Point, commonly found in supermarkets and post offices. You can pay weekly or monthly and three regular payments are enough for you to be considered for a loan of up to 3 times your savings.

If you wish to get an early bird season ticket for example, just make two or three monthly deposits (Feb-Apr) of £32 each, borrow the total of £330 at the equivalent of 13.5%APR (based on last year’s full price Ealing Road ST of £330, next season’s ticket prices are to be confirmed) and make 12 monthly payments of £32 or 46 weekly payments of £8. Figures will vary based on which ticket you wish to buy. As you repay your loan you will also need to save a bit as well so for monthly payments the £32 will need to increase by say £3 to £8. For weekly payers an extra £1 or £2 should be added. Within a few years these additional savings should prove enough to pay for a season ticket in full without having to borrow at all.

The savings cannot be withdrawn while the loan is outstanding but it can be used to repay the loan early.

If you are on Income Support and cannot claim a Social Fund loan, you may qualify for an instant loan whereby you could borrow £380 over 12 months or 52 weeks at a cost of about £36 a month or £9 a week plus a small amount of savings.

Credit Unions are designed to help support people who may find difficulty accessing banking services. Loans provided should be cheaper than credit finance deals, credit cards or bank loans but it is up to individuals to check. If you are interested in pursuing this further please contact Credit Union Solutions by calling 020 8756 3865 or email admin@creditunionsolutions.co.uk.

Thamesbank Credit Union is authorised and regulated by the FSA and your savings are guaranteed by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme so they can never be lost. With the credit union the more you save the more you can borrow up to a maximum of £10,000.

BIAS recognises the need for season tickets and supports the Credit Union in providing the opportunity to purchase them to supporters who might not otherwise be able to do so. BIAS also acknowledges the role the Credit Union has to play in supporting the local community which matches the club’s ethos.

One last thought, even if you have no problem with credit, you may well prefer to use a credit union, run by volunteers than any bank; no fat cats, no shareholders, no massive salaries or pensions.