Is the idea that you can save more money using Apps fair on older people? 18 May 2022 at 9:46AM edited 18 May 2022 at 3:46PM in Mobiles 21 replies 561 views

Jhurlo

I read Martin's latest tip today saying  "12 ways you can save but only on Apps ..."   I am elderly (77 yrs) but fortunate that I understand my smart phone and technology.  However, I have many friends who don't even have a smart phone and others who do not understand Apps.  They also do not have much money.  Technology is travelling so fast that many people cannot keep up with it and miss out.  Is this fair?   The older generation have dedicated their lives to bringing up the future generations, have lived through previous bad times and now are having to pay for it again by being left behind.

EssexExile

Life isn't fair. If companies find it cheaper or easier to deal with the public via an app then they will try to persuade them to use it. I don't think it's really an age thing any more, even some of us old people can use technology, some younger people can't.

Neil_Jones

Jhurlo said:

I read Martin's latest tip today saying  "12 ways you can save but only on Apps ..."   I am elderly (77 yrs) but fortunate that I understand my smart phone and technology.  However, I have many friends who don't even have a smart phone and others who do not understand Apps.  They also do not have much money.  Technology is travelling so fast that many people cannot keep up with it and miss out.  Is this fair?   The older generation have dedicated their lives to bringing up the future generations, have lived through previous bad times and now are having to pay for it again by being left behind.

I dare say people though the same thoughts when the motor car became cheap enough for people to buy and own privately.  Those who couldn't drive would have said it wasn't fair that people who could drive would get the benefit of shorter journeys instead of having to hop on a bus or a train or a tram.  Yes okay you had to have a bloke walk in front of you with a red flag but it was probably a more pleasurable journey.

And when technology there progress to a point where cars could legally go faster than a bloke holding a red flag could physically walk, that went out the window, and he would have probably said its not fair I'm out of a job because I can't go faster than the car.

The point is if people don't want to keep up, that's up to them, so they're effectively saying they're happy to overpay for the "privilege" of not having a smartphone/app.  Life sucks for everybody at some point.  Sucks for babies because they can't do anything for themselves, sucks for kids because they have to go to school, and sucks for adults because they have to go to work.

P1Fanatic

As above that's just the way the cookie crumbles but I do feel for those who are not tech savvy or who dont have family / friends to help them with smartphones etc. At some point you will miss out on something as no company can cater for everyone. My wife was annoyed she could not get a Lifetime ISA when they first came out as she was already over 40. Its annoying that state pension age gets later and later, same for personal pension. I am sure in the past there savings options that were only available in branch so for those not near a branch or no means of transport they missed out. Now everything is online its accessible to more people.

Stenwold

Jhurlo said:

I read Martin's latest tip today saying  "12 ways you can save but only on Apps ..."   I am elderly (77 yrs) but fortunate that I understand my smart phone and technology.  However, I have many friends who don't even have a smart phone and others who do not understand Apps.  They also do not have much money.  Technology is travelling so fast that many people cannot keep up with it and miss out.  Is this fair?   The older generation have dedicated their lives to bringing up the future generations, have lived through previous bad times and now are having to pay for it again by being left behind.

I'm not sure many from the younger generations would agree with that, given the cost of living, housing, and environmental crises they are currently inheriting. 

jon81uk

There is already a discussion on this here Elderly and vulnerable being 'unfairly discriminated against' as supermarkets shift to apps - Page 5 — MoneySavingExpert Forum

But its nothing new, other places gave discount for cutting out coupons from papers etc.

DE_612183

if it costs less for transactions to be made via apps, surely those costs can be shared with the people who use the app to make things easier for the supplier?

Norman_Castle

I'm older than I used to be but don't consider myself old. I'm no expert but I'm more capable with a pc than many of my friends. I've had a smartphone for about 2 years but can't be bothered with it. I use it as a phone and to receive text messages. I've put 2 apps on it and have little interest in using it more than I do so presumably I'll miss out in some ways but until it becomes a problem I'll stay as I am.

MattMattMattUK

Technology moves on, most people adapt, some choose not to, a very small number are unable to. People at the bleeding edge of technology often pay a lot more to be early adopters, those that follow behind will find it costs a lot less, those who choose not to adopt technology and adapt will find themselves at a disadvantage, especially where new technology makes life easier or cheaper. 

I look forward to the day when driverless cars mean I no longer have to bother driving myself, as well as many other likely currently unknown technological advances and implementations. Being "left behind" technologically is often an active choice or a result of passivity, rather than something caused by the advances themselves. 

RogerBareford

Jhurlo said:

I read Martin's latest tip today saying  "12 ways you can save but only on Apps ..."   I am elderly (77 yrs) but fortunate that I understand my smart phone and technology.  However, I have many friends who don't even have a smart phone and others who do not understand Apps.  They also do not have much money.  Technology is travelling so fast that many people cannot keep up with it and miss out.  Is this fair?   The older generation have dedicated their lives to bringing up the future generations, have lived through previous bad times and now are having to pay for it again by being left behind.

The first iPhone was released in 2007 and since then touchscreen phones with apps that you launch by pressing a tile on a screen has been pretty much become standard on all smartphones. That was 15 years ago, so that's 15 years people have had to learn how to use a smartphone and adopt to this new technology. If someone thinks technology is "moving too fast" to keep up and learn then they arn't trying so it's perfectly fair that if someone chooses not to learn something they miss out on it's benefits.

Brie

I don't think it's a case of some people not trying, it may be more simply a case of not understanding.  

I used to have a fairly stupid phone but one thing I liked about it is that it also had a fm radio so that I could listen to something while I was walking to work.  When I went to replace it I kept asking for one with a radio and would get blank looks from the (extraordinarily young looking) person in the phone shop.  "well you can get an app" was normally the reply.  It made no sense to me and they didn't realise that I had no idea what an app actually did and how they worked.  I do now but it's taken me 6 more years since then to have a phone that is actually good enough to have apps on it. 

Which brings me to my second point....the cost of having a phone with apps.  If one is on a tight budget (& a lot of us are) we aren't going to be paying £1k for an iphone outright or £50+ a month for a contract.  It's going to be the £50 cheapo phone with a £5 sim only contract.  And no ability to add all the apps that the supermarkets think we should have.    So because someone is on a budget they can't access the deals that would help them save money shopping.

Completely unfair but I can't see a solution.