{"id":125317,"date":"2026-09-10T09:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T08:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=125317"},"modified":"2026-09-10T09:33:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T08:33:54","slug":"over-60s-can-claim-these-hidden-discounts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/over-60s-can-claim-these-hidden-discounts\/","title":{"rendered":"Over 60s Can Claim These Hidden Discounts and Freebies Before Missing Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>At the same time, rising interest earnings and unchanged tax-free savings allowances mean many people with savings outside tax-free accounts may need to review their finances. According to the Daily Express, more than 100,000 people are facing savings tax bills above \u00a310,000 this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Free Services and Discounts Available for Older People<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Several public services and private discounts can reduce costs for people over 60. According to the Daily Express, those aged over 60 can receive free <strong>eye tests<\/strong> every two years and free NHS prescriptions when eligible. Specsavers also offers a 20% discount on glasses for customers over 60, while people over 50 can access free hearing and ear health checks through Boots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Travel savings differ across the UK. People over 60 in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland can claim a <strong>free bus pass<\/strong>, while the rules are different in England. In London, residents aged 60 and over who live in a London borough can receive a free 60+ <strong>Oyster card <\/strong>for travel. A nationwide free bus pass in England becomes available later, once people reach state pension age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other transport discounts are available through private schemes. A <strong>Senior <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalexpress.com\/en\/offers\/coachcards\/senior\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Express<\/a> <\/strong>coachcard costs \u00a330 a year and can reduce travel costs by a third. People aged over 60 travelling across Europe by train can also receive 10% off Interrail passes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Food, hotels and leisure providers also offer reductions. <strong>Iceland <\/strong>provides a 10% discount for customers over 60 on Tuesdays, while Asda offers 10% off meals in its cafes on Wednesdays. According to the Daily Express, Morrisons cafes provide an over-60s breakfast deal costing \u00a36.50 when bought with a refillable hot drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"727\" src=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/09\/Free-eye-tests-every-two-years-available-for-over-60s-in-the-UK-\u00a9-Shutterstock-1200x727.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-125318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/09\/Free-eye-tests-every-two-years-available-for-over-60s-in-the-UK-\u00a9-Shutterstock-1200x727.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/09\/Free-eye-tests-every-two-years-available-for-over-60s-in-the-UK-\u00a9-Shutterstock-380x230.jpg 380w, https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/09\/Free-eye-tests-every-two-years-available-for-over-60s-in-the-UK-\u00a9-Shutterstock-520x315.jpg 520w, https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/09\/Free-eye-tests-every-two-years-available-for-over-60s-in-the-UK-\u00a9-Shutterstock-1536x931.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/09\/Free-eye-tests-every-two-years-available-for-over-60s-in-the-UK-\u00a9-Shutterstock.jpg 1980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Free eye tests every two years available for over 60s in the UK \u00a9 Shutterstock<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-e41e80d8\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rising Savings Interest Creates Larger Tax Bills<\/h2>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The number of people facing significant tax charges on savings has grown as interest rates have risen while Personal Savings Allowance thresholds have remained unchanged. According to the Daily Express, <strong>109,000 people<\/strong> are expected to face tax bills of more than \u00a310,000 on savings this year, compared with 28,000 four years earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than half a million people are facing bills above \u00a32,000, while around 144,000 people have tax bills exceeding \u00a35,000. The charges affect <a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/nationwide-warns-savers-account-changes\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"116615\">savers <\/a>who hold money outside tax-free options such as Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The amount of interest people can earn before paying tax depends on their income tax band. Basic-rate taxpayers can receive up to \u00a31,000 in interest tax-free each year, while higher-rate taxpayers have a \u00a3500 allowance. <strong>Additional-rate taxpayers<\/strong> do not receive a savings allowance. Savers with fixed-rate accounts also need to consider when interest becomes available. Interest from multi-year fixed accounts is taxed when it is paid, which can create a larger taxable amount when the money is released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the Daily Express reported that a higher-rate taxpayer with \u00a33,500 in a three-year fixed-rate account paying 5% interest could exceed their allowance when the interest is paid. For basic-rate taxpayers, the comparable figure is around \u00a37,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The changes affecting savings taxation and the discounts available to older people show why reviewing personal finances and checking available support can make a difference to household budgets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>People reaching later life in the UK can benefit from a variety of reductions on everyday costs, including travel, healthcare and leisure activities. The available support varies depending on where people live and their age, with some benefits starting at 60 and others at state pension age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":125321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-125317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125317"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125320,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125317\/revisions\/125320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}