Pensioners' patchwork income 13 November 2015 at 8:01AM in Over 50s MoneySaving 27 replies 4.4K views

moneyistooshorttomention

Thank you.

The "Winter Fuel Payment" is that £200 pa and I know I wont get mine this year (darn it!) because I don't qualify under the "born on or before 5 January 1953" bit. My first payment of that wont' be until winter 2016 then and I presume the same applies to that £10 Christmas bonus too.

I wont get the Cold Weather Payment - as none of my income is "benefits" or "Pension Credit".

I'll check out the Warm Home Discount Scheme just in case that applies to me.

EDIT; Just checked out my suppliers Warm Home Discount Scheme and that's a no as well then - as I have to be able to tick at least one box and there aren't any applicable to me.

Been very much a cleft stick situation the last 3 years or so (ie since retirement) where I was retired/on low enough income but couldn't qualify for some things my income level would have entitled me to because they were only for people over their revised State Pension Age. Now I'm over my revised SPA at last and I'm the right age, but (just) too high income level.

Story of my life <shrugs>

ancientofdays

Free eye tests over 60, some opticians offer deals for over 60, senior railcard over 60, that is paid for but worth its weight in gold if you use the train much, you know that your bus pass can be used away from home? Can't think what else, I don't claim state pension, I did qualify some years ago but d's till work so will allow that to build into additional weekly amount.

moneyistooshorttomention

Hmmm....wondering re your comment about "your buspass can be used away from home" now....

My buspass is a Welsh one and I thought that meant I could only use it in Wales. Does that mean I could actually use when I "go home" too (ie on visits back to England)??

When I've gone "back home" visiting since moving here I've known I couldn't use it (ie because of not having reached that revised SPA of mine yet).

It would certainly be helpful if I could use it when I visit back in England too - as I plan on going back as often as I can afford to/for as long as I can etc.:)

Obviously my Welsh buspass proves I'm over 60 automatically - but it doesn't prove I'm over my revised State Pension Age (ie and would therefore have a free buspass now - even if back in England).

- Can I use my Welsh buspass there?
- If so - what would I use to prove that, in addition to being over retirement age, I am also over my revised State Pension age?

missile

"Might as well book the funeral now"


That made me smile

moneyistooshorttomention

:rotfl:Oh yes...in response to my current signature

Well - a same age group friend of mine and myself have been watching the way some elderly (or perhaps not quite so elderly) people do seem to have gone very focused on just themselves and on sticking rigidly to a routine (the "Mustnt have a regular appointment at a slightly different time EVER - its really important to stick to same time as usual") and are joking that we mustn't ever get like that as we get older.

Mygawd - I think it would be time to "book the funeral now" if all we could ever talk about was our various "aches and pains" and the minutiae of our lives and didn't have the slightest concern or awareness of what is happening out there in The World.:eek: and felt we absolutely HAD to do things to the (same) minute each week or the sky would obviously fall in. On that note....dinner will be a scratch meal tonight, at an abnormal time, squatting where I can to eat it - as a group of us are off out tonight doing a thing we volunteered for.

ancientofdays

Short answer is, I don't know. I have used it in my home area, in Oxfordshire, Yorkshire and some other places, it can't be used in Scotland. I have not needed to use it when I have done jobs in Wales, would the issuing authority know?

I am not planning my funeral so far, much too busy this week, missile.

greyfox

As you live in Wales you can only use your bus pass in Wales. If you lived in England you'd only be able to use it in England. Same goes for Scotland.

You should get the Christmas Bonus this year as the "qualifying week" (ie, the week in which you have to be getting State Pension or various other benefits) is normally the first full week in December. (The "qualifying date" for the Winter Fuel Payment is different; some time in September.) Don't spend the £10 all at once!

moneyistooshorttomention

Will try not to - ie spend all that £10 at once:rotfl:.

It certainly wont go very far when it hasn't even covered the cost of the Christmas present I've just bought today for a friend of mine:(. Think it has covered the cost of 2 packets of Christmas cards - and there it was - gone.

pollypenny

Welsh bus passes can be used to travel from Wales across the border and back.

Most of us in Flintshire see Chester as our main shopping city and use our passes. It would be possible to travel from Newtown to Birmingham, I suppose as long as there is a direct bus.

Be_Happy

I was on holiday in Carlisle last year and got on the bus to Gretna Gateway Shopping Outlet. I handed over money for bus fare and was asked why I wasn't using a bus pass. Explained it was a Scottish bus pass, not English, and was told it could be used for 'local' cross border journeys.