Retirees "miss out" in digitally divided Britain

04/09/2009

Britain's "digital divide" means pensioners are missing out on hundreds of pounds in savings because they cannot shop around for the best deals online, a charity has said.

Age Concern and Help the Aged is calling on the government to promote training courses to help older people get to grips with the web after figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed more than 64 per cent of over-65s have never used the internet.

The organisation's technology and digital inclusion development manager, Nancy Johnson, said not being able to compare prices online "can cost older people dearly".

She added: "The internet isn't a luxury any more but a necessity to ensure you get the best information and the best deals."

In an effort to bridge the digital divide, the charity runs an annual "itea and biscuits" week in cooperation with BT. This nationwide programme offers taster sessions to older people to help them become familiar with new technology.

The latest data from the ONS shows 70 per cent of UK households now have access to the internet and 90 per cent of these use a broadband connection.

"I think we have a slightly divided nation regarding use of the internet and telephone-based services by the older generation," EuroDebt director Kevin Still said.

"There appear to be very active groups using social networking tools like Facebook and it would appear that this generation are more adept at completing more complex forms like tax returns online.

"EuroDebt has launched energy switching and bank switching sites online to enable anyone to take advantage of lower cost tariffs and online payment methods without the need to get into debt or borrow money. These can be found at www.energyswitching.co.uk and www.bankswitching.co.uk respectively.

"EuroDebt is committed to dealing with social exclusion, especially with its prepaid current account which is available to all UK residents without being subjected to a credit check.

"This enables people to take advantage of online and telephone payment, as well as using bank branches and Payzone sites to pay money in, which can be important if travelling distances is a problem."

Tags; Debt Management and Banking, Retirement Money Problems,

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