JAM Card and CEA Card explained: who can get them and how to apply

The JAM Card and the CEA Card get mentioned together because both are small cards for disabled people, but they do very different jobs. One asks for patience, anywhere, for free. The other gets someone into the cinema with you, and has proper eligibility rules. Here is how each works, checked on the official sites on 11 September 2026.

What is a JAM Card?

A JAM Card is a free card or app that tells people you need "just a minute" of patience, without you having to explain why. JAM stands for Just A Minute.

It was developed by and for people with learning disabilities and difficulties at NOW Group, a social enterprise based in Belfast, which still runs it. You show it to a bus driver, a shop assistant or someone at a counter when you need a bit more time, or when talking is hard. The idea is that the card does the explaining.

Businesses that display the JAM Card Friendly badge have done JAM Card training. The FAQs say thousands of businesses are JAM Card friendly. Outside those, the card relies on the person reading it.

Who can get a JAM Card, and how?

Anyone with a hidden disability or communication barrier can get a JAM Card, and you do not need a diagnosis. The FAQs mention learning difficulties, autism, ADHD and dementia among the conditions people use it for. The application form asks you to say why you need it.

There are two ways to have one:

• A plastic card. You can order one card free, including postage, from the JAM Card website. You can also phone NOW Group on +44 (0)28 9043 6400.
• The app. Free on the Apple App Store and Google Play. It shows a digital card you tap to use, lets you pick a message from pre-set options, and finds JAM Card Friendly places near you.

The app has one advantage over the card: you choose the message from a set of options, so it can say what you need at that moment.

What is a CEA Card?

The CEA Card is a national cinema card that lets one person go with you free at participating cinemas when you buy a full-price ticket. It costs £6.50 a year and lasts one year from the date it is issued.

• You pay, your companion does not. The cardholder buys a full-price ticket; the companion ticket is free.
• Any companion. Different people can go with you on different visits.
• Participating cinemas only. The CEA Card website has a searchable list of cinemas that accept it. Check yours before you go.

Who can get a CEA Card?

You can get a CEA Card if you are 5 or over, need to be accompanied at the cinema because of the effect of your disability, and meet one of three routes.

1. A qualifying benefit. Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Adult Disability Payment or Child Disability Payment in Scotland, Pension Age Disability Payment in Scotland, or Armed Forces Independence Payment.
2. Sight impairment registration. Registered severely sight impaired (formerly registered blind) or sight impaired (formerly partially sighted).
3. Individual assessment. If you do not meet either of those but believe your disability means you need someone with you at the cinema, you can apply for individual consideration.

The CEA Card home page names being neurodivergent among the things that can make going to the cinema harder. That does not make a diagnosis a qualifying route by itself. If you are autistic or have ADHD and get one of the listed benefits, route 1 applies. If not, route 3 is the one, and the scheme decides each case.

Some things are not accepted as proof: other access cards, Railcards, Freedom Passes, Blue Badges, Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, and medical letters.

How to apply for a CEA Card

You can apply online or by post, and you need three things: proof of eligibility, a photo and the £6.50 fee.

• Proof. One document: an award letter confirming you currently get one of the qualifying benefits, or confirmation of your sight impairment registration.
• Photo. A photo of the cardholder.
• Time. The FAQ says to allow up to 10 working days after they receive your payment.
• Renewing. Have your previous card number ready.

JAM Card, CEA Card or sunflower lanyard?

Each one does a different job, and you can use all three.

If you only get one, think about where you get stuck. A queue at a counter or a bus door is JAM Card territory. A busy station is where the sunflower lanyard is most widely recognised. The cinema is the CEA Card's only job, and it does that job well.

Things to know

• Recognition is not automatic. JAM Card and Sunflower both depend on staff knowing the scheme. A trained business is more likely to respond well.
• Some JAM Card versions are Northern Ireland only. The JAM Card site lists dementia and heart, chest and stroke versions as Northern Ireland only.
• The CEA Card lasts a year. Put the renewal date in your calendar when it arrives.
• Keep your CEA proof current. The scheme asks for a letter confirming you currently get the benefit.
• Checked on 11 September 2026. Costs and rules come from the official JAM Card and CEA Card websites on that date.