How to save money when you’re 60 and beyond
If you are approaching the big 6-0, or recently passed the milestone, you’ll be glad to hear there are many advantages to being older, including exclusive discounts with many businesses offering savings on activities and attractions, reductions in bills, holiday offers and restaurant concessions. Research by Charter Savings Bank revealed that a staggering 80% or more of over 60’s unknowingly pass up on a huge variety of discounts and deals, which is why we’ve compiled some of the top ways you can make the most of the savings available to you in this blog post.*
Saving money at home
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Those born on or before 23 September 1958 can receive £200 or £300 from the UK government to help you pay your heating bills for winter 2024-2025 – this is known as the ‘Winter Fuel Payment’. If you are eligible, you should get a letter in October or November telling you how much Winter Fuel Payment you’ll get. If you do not get a letter but think you are eligible, its worth checking at the below link to check if you need to make a claim
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You may get Cold Weather Payments if you are receiving pension credit. You’ll get a payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over 7 consecutive days. You’ll get £25 for each 7-day period of very cold weather between 1 November 2024 and 31 March 2025.
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The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill. You’ll usually get the discount automatically if you’re eligible, and your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill.
You qualify if you either:
are on a low income and have high energy costs
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If you are over 75, and you, or your partner living at the same address, are receiving Pension Credit, you can get a free TV licence which will cover you for watching all your favourite programmes on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Dave without you having to pay.
If you already receive Pension Credit, you can apply for your free licence when you are 74 years old and TV Licensing will update your payments to cover you until your 75th birthday, after which you'll be covered by your free licence.
https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-your-home/aged-74-and-over-aud3
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Age UK offers handyperson services at more than 70 locations across the country to help older people who need extra help with small, practical jobs around the home. If your estate doesn’t have internal repairing obligations and you need a job doing, this is a great option to consider, as it will likely save you money and make sure the job is done safely. You can check what jobs are covered and see if your local Age UK offers handyperson services here
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/services/in-your-area/handyperson-services/
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By joining ATS Euromasters ‘Club 60’ you can receive all sorts of discounts to help with your cars maintenance, including; MOT’s, 15% off Servicing, Brakes, Steering & Suspension, Exhausts, Batteries & more.
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ELM Group recently partnered with West Sussex based removals company ‘Perfect Group’ to assist our leaseholders with the moving process, they also give ELM Group customers a generous 10% off their moving costs, to find out more please visit www.perfect-group.co.uk and make sure to quote ELM Group when booking.
Saving Money on Travel & Holidays
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ELM Group customers can save up to £25 per person on selected breaks and no booking fees by using our exclusive discount code. Speak to your estate manager or contact head office for the exclusive code.
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You are eligible for concessionary individual or joint membership if you receive only the state pension (no private pension) as your source of income, and you are eligible for concessionary life membership if you are over 60 years of age. As a member of The Ramblers you have free access to 50,000 group walks, guided by a group leader, access to the Ramblers routes and app, their quarterly Walk magazine and exclusive discounts on walking gear, gadgets and much more.
https://www.ramblers.org.uk/support-us/concessionary-membership
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Travelers aged 65 and older and their families can save up to 7% off Hilton’s Best Available Rate at participating Hilton properties, you just need to select ‘Special Rates > Senior Rate’ when booking.
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Travelodge offers 25% discount on stays at participating hotels
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Over-60s can purchase a Senior Railcard for £30 for one year or £70 for three years, that cuts the price on most rail fares throughout Great Britain by a third.
The senior railcard also unlocks other year-round discounts with a range of partners, including 50% off theatre tickets, a 3-month trial of tastecard, 20% off Virgin Experience Days and much more.
https://www.senior-railcard.co.uk/?_ga=2.178144933.1662581451.1724341492-145436340.1724341492
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You will be entitled to free bus travel as soon as you hit the State Pension age and you can apply for a bus pass on the Gov.uk website here https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-elderly-person-bus-pass
If you live in London you can get a Freedom Pass at the age of 66, which enables you to travel free on buses, Tubes and other transport within the capital. https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/freedom-pass
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With a Senior Coachcard at just £15 (+£3 post and packaging), over-60s can save a third off standard and fully flexible fares to hundreds of towns, cities and airports across the UK for a whole year. There are no restrictions on peak and off-peak travel times, so you can travel when it suits you and your plans. This includes public holidays, bank holidays and weekends.
Also on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays you can get a £15 day return to anywhere in the UK (excluding airports, by booking 3 days in advance) and if you’re travelling to an event, you can get 15% off a Fully Flexible fare.
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If you're 60 or over and live in a London borough, you can get free travel on transport services with an Oyster photocard.
https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/60-plus-oyster-photocard
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Over 60’s can get 10% off European rail fares. The Pass lets you explore 33 countries by train, and if you want to travel Europe and see some of the sights, a pass like this is a great way to save money. To travel with a discounted Senior Pass, you must be aged 60 or older on the date you choose to start your trip.
Saving Money on Health & Fitness
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The NHS provides free prescriptions, free eye tests, and free dental treatments if you are 60 or over.
Free Dental treatments
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-is-entitled-to-free-nhs-dental-treatment-in-england/
Free eye tests
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/opticians/free-nhs-eye-tests-and-optical-vouchers/
Free prescriptions
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/prescriptions/check-if-you-can-get-free-prescriptions/
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Get a 10% discount on your first pair of glasses or prescription sunglasses with proof of age. Plus, get every additional pair of glasses or prescription sunglasses ½ price.
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If you’re over 60 and buy a single pair of glasses from Specsavers £70 or above range, you’ll get 20% off. That includes frames, lenses and any Extra Options such as treatments to protect your lenses or offer sun protection. All glasses include a scratch-resistant treatment as standard. Plus, you can get your free NHS-funded eye test.
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Total Fitness offers an over 65 membership
https://www.totalfitness.co.uk/memberships/
Everyone Active offers a senior membership for people aged 66 and over
https://www.everyoneactive.com/content-hub/memberships/senior-fitness-gym-memberships/
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For over 60’s Pure Spa and Beauty offer a Senior Discount of 20% off Mon-Thurs and 10% off Fri-Sun, you just need to be able to prove your age.
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Whilst this isn’t necessarily a discount, it’s good to know that Sainsbury’s have compiled a helpful list of recipes for meals to help you feed your family for £5 or less.
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/recipes/scrapbooks/feed-your-family-for-a-fiver
Activities and days out
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The National Trust offers a 25% senior concession for existing members aged 60 or over, so if you've been a member for at least three consecutive years, you can ask for 25 per cent off your subscription. This means that you’ll pay £68.40 for individual senior membership and £113.40 for joint senior membership.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/membership/senior-membership
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For those 65 and over, you can get a senior membership with English Heritage for just £66 per year (£5.50 per month) giving you access to over 400 historic sites across the UK. They also offer a joint senior membership for two people over 65 years of age for £99 per year (£8.25 per month) – each adult can also take up to six children with them at no extra cost.
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The Royal Botanical Kew Gardens offers discounted tickets to those over 65 on both advanced and standard tickets.
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At select Cineworld cinemas you can enjoy a special screening on Wednesdays for only £4.50. You'll get to enjoy a movie along with complimentary hot drinks and biscuits - a great opportunity to connect with people in the local community. Current locations offering ‘CineSeniors’ include Poole and Swindon but keep your eyes peeled for other locations offering the service.
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Odeon has a similar offer with its ‘Silvers’ screenings, at quieter times during the day, you can enjoy hot drinks served before the film and catch up with friends while seeing the new blockbusters or some old-time classics.
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Everyman’s ‘Silver Screen’ offers a weekly matinee screening of a current release for film fans aged 55 and over. Ticket prices include a free hot drink and a slice of cake.
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If you use the Compare the Market insurance comparison website and take out insurance with them, you can get 2 for 1 cinema tickets for a whole year through their ‘Meerkat Movies’ scheme
https://www.comparethemarket.com/customer-rewards/meerkat-movies/
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With 68 venues across the UK, Hollywood Bowl offers a concessionary discount to those over 65 all week, so why not gather some friends for a fun game of bowling. Prices and discounts can vary depending on time of booking and centre.
Retail discounts
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Those over 60 can save 10% off their whole shop every Tuesday with an Iceland Bonus Card. There’s no minimum spend, you just need to show a form of accepted ID (Senior bus pass, Driving licence or senior railcard)
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Get free delivery for your shopping on delivery slots between 3pm at 7pm, Monday to Saturday.
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Collect 8 points per £1 spent in store or online on Boots branded products and select exclusives. Every point you earn is worth 1 penny so these can add up quickly which you can then use for money off your shopping.
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For cake-lovers, over 60’s can get 10% off their order at Patisserie Valerie.
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Asda offers 10% off for customers aged 60 and over on Wednesdays.
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At Hungry Horse you can enjoy two courses for £4.70 when you’re over 60. This offer runs country-wide, you just need to find your nearest restaurant to participate.
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Select Greene King pubs offer senior menus at reduced prices, find your nearest participating pub here
*Links within this article are up to date at the time of publishing
