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Original poster

AIBU to feel annoyed about discounted attractions for benefit claimants?

696 replies

Sheldonsheher · 10/04/2026 10:01

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15721199/Benefit-claiming-families-UK-attractions-working-Brits.html

I know I’ll get slated as the origin is the daily fail but, but this kind of annoys me too! I mean as a single parent I don’t want to pay £60 to go to the zoo either.

Benefit-claiming families pay just £4 for top UK attractions

More than 80 attractions give discounts to benefit claimants, with MPs reacting furiously with one saying the system created a 'two-tier system that punishes work'.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15721199/Benefit-claiming-families-UK-attractions-working-Brits.html

OP posts:
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11
RachelReevesFringe · 10/04/2026 11:56

Sheldonsheher · 10/04/2026 11:54

Yes in a sence because you have to book the UC tickets

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Online? You can book any ticket online.
If you are waiting to go in the zoo, can you tell what other people are paying?

LVhandbagsatdawn · 10/04/2026 11:55

Everanewbie · 10/04/2026 11:52

That is nice that you feel that way. But if most people were queueing up to get into a zoo, and you were in the £100 queue and next to you was the £1 queue, you would honestly keep whistling to yourself without caring what anyone in the adjacent queue was paying?

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I'd rather pay £100 to get into an attraction and live a good life with home security, not having to worry about putting the heating on, and freedom of choice, than pay £1 and wonder about how I'm going to feed the kids for the rest of the school holidays.

I'd take the £100 queue every damn time.

Those who want £1 zoo admission would, I posit, not want the lack of security and much lower quality of life that the £1 ticket comes with.

MyLuckyHelper · 10/04/2026 11:55

Sheldonsheher · 10/04/2026 11:54

Yes in a sence because you have to book the UC tickets

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So no then.

marcyhermit · 10/04/2026 11:55

Besidemyselfwithworry · 10/04/2026 11:45

No but if I got some nice cheap tickets it would be nicer for my kids
why not offer everyone a 50% off discount

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So do you actually want to take something away from poor children?

You just want a discount for you.
Have you looked at what discounts you could qualify for instead? Collect vouchers, student discounts, NHS, Armed Forces, group discounts, buy a pass, go by train?

Original poster
Sheldonsheher · 10/04/2026 11:54

RachelReevesFringe · 10/04/2026 11:53

Do they have separate queues?

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Yes in a sence because you have to book the UC tickets

OP posts:
RachelReevesFringe · 10/04/2026 11:53

Everanewbie · 10/04/2026 11:52

That is nice that you feel that way. But if most people were queueing up to get into a zoo, and you were in the £100 queue and next to you was the £1 queue, you would honestly keep whistling to yourself without caring what anyone in the adjacent queue was paying?

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Do they have separate queues?

Everanewbie · 10/04/2026 11:52

DolefullySingingMotherfucka · 10/04/2026 11:48

I would not know, or care, what anybody else pays. All I need to know is 'do I want to go to the Zoo? Can I afford it? Is the experience likely to be worth the price?'

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That is nice that you feel that way. But if most people were queueing up to get into a zoo, and you were in the £100 queue and next to you was the £1 queue, you would honestly keep whistling to yourself without caring what anyone in the adjacent queue was paying?

HairsprayBabe · 10/04/2026 11:50

@Everanewbie Only 19% of people are claiming UC and not working through "choice". These are typically people between work, or people who have been recently made redundant, these tend to be short term claimants.

The rest are too disabled, or caring for someone who is too disabled to work.

I would argue people who work in low wage jobs, work far harder than I as an average earner ever do.

The unpaid carers (a huge proportion of will be on UC) who save the economy £184 billion annually certainly do.

dreamiesformolly · 10/04/2026 11:49

Doseofreality · 10/04/2026 11:06

All those defending this, be brutally honest here, would you be happy in this scenario?

Chester Zoo did an offer earlier this year of £1 entry for benefit recipients. A family of 4, in receipt of benefits, would pay £4. A family of 4, not in receipt of benefits, would pay just over £100.
There isn’t a single person who wouldn’t be pissed off paying over £100 more, you can’t convince me otherwise.

But that ire should be directed at the greedy attraction owners, not people whose life is probably quite shit on the whole, and whose children might not otherwise get to have nice days out. It's not the fault of benefit claimants that attractions are overpriced.

RachelReevesFringe · 10/04/2026 11:49

Dweetfidilove · 10/04/2026 11:46

That's an interesting business proposal 😃.

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If everyone got a discount then it would not be a discount. It would just be the normal price.

RachelReevesFringe · 10/04/2026 11:49

cadburyegg · 10/04/2026 11:44

Btw someone posted on the other thread with evidence that the take up of the cheaper UC tickets was about 5%. Hardly bankrupting the country is it.

Most benefit claimants don’t live anywhere near these attractions.

Yes, sometimes at off peak times to attract more visitors.
I recall someone saying they went to a zoo using the UC tickets just before Christmas. Freezing cold day, and half the animals were out of sight.

DolefullySingingMotherfucka · 10/04/2026 11:48

Everanewbie · 10/04/2026 11:12

I don't hate it when poor people get nice things. I hate it when people who don't work get free nice things that people who do work can't afford or have to pay for from heavily taxed wages.

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I would not know, or care, what anybody else pays. All I need to know is 'do I want to go to the Zoo? Can I afford it? Is the experience likely to be worth the price?'

Dweetfidilove · 10/04/2026 11:46

Besidemyselfwithworry · 10/04/2026 11:45

No but if I got some nice cheap tickets it would be nicer for my kids
why not offer everyone a 50% off discount

Show quote history

That's an interesting business proposal 😃.

wellcoveredsparerib · 10/04/2026 11:46

DreamyJade · 10/04/2026 10:37

In short, these cheap tickets are an act of charity, by a charity because they have to. If they didn’t perform acts of charity, they wouldn’t keep their charitable status.

You are jealous because you believe that you should get free charity too. You aspire to be so disadvantaged that you qualify for charity. You begrudge young children a day out.

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But these attractions also have to make money and balance their books, so those full price tickets are directly impacted and subsidising those at discounted price. I do believe discounts should be available but the disparity is so stark (£100 for a family of 4 to visit Tower of London but just £4 for those on UC) I understand why people feel it’s unfair.

Besidemyselfwithworry · 10/04/2026 11:45

marcyhermit · 10/04/2026 11:44

If poorer children stopped getting cheap tickets, would the holidays become easier for you?

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No but if I got some nice cheap tickets it would be nicer for my kids
why not offer everyone a 50% off discount

PandoraSocks · 10/04/2026 11:45

Besidemyselfwithworry · 10/04/2026 11:44

Online somewhere can’t remember where but it stands to reason
like stuff in shops is always priced to cover the stock loss with shoplifting

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Hitchens' razor.

cadburyegg · 10/04/2026 11:44

Btw someone posted on the other thread with evidence that the take up of the cheaper UC tickets was about 5%. Hardly bankrupting the country is it.

Most benefit claimants don’t live anywhere near these attractions.

herecomesthemun · 10/04/2026 11:44

RobertaFirmino · 10/04/2026 11:42

On a more serious note, imagine getting worked up about disadvantaged children having access to so many educational attractions! Poverty is systemic and education is surely key to helping people break free.

This is exactly why we have one of the biggest wealth gaps in the western world. Outcomes will never improve until we as a society want to do better for everyone.

marcyhermit · 10/04/2026 11:44

Besidemyselfwithworry · 10/04/2026 11:41

I agree - I read somewhere that its giving free spaces out to people that inflates the prices for everyone else which makes sense.

We have to plan and budget carefully as
do loads of families and the holidays can be really hard for people.

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If poorer children stopped getting cheap tickets, would the holidays become easier for you?

MyLuckyHelper · 10/04/2026 11:44

Itchthescratch · 10/04/2026 11:36

Nope, the cost of the scheme is partially subsidised by those paying full price too.

Also the zoo is actually in financial trouble and making voluntary redundancies so arguably even with both elements it's unaffordable

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I don't get the unaffordable logic.

If 100 people were going to go and pay full price. And an additional 100 UC claimants go and pay a discounted rate, who otherwise might not have gone...they've made an additional £100 - not lost money. UC discounted rate attendees aren't preventing full price paying people going.

Besidemyselfwithworry · 10/04/2026 11:44

PandoraSocks · 10/04/2026 11:42

Where did you read that?

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Online somewhere can’t remember where but it stands to reason
like stuff in shops is always priced to cover the stock loss with shoplifting

Dweetfidilove · 10/04/2026 11:43

ThejoyofNC · 10/04/2026 11:38

People have to live the life they can afford. Should the state just pay for everything now? What's incentive to get off benefits if you are literally having everything handed to you?

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The attractions offering the controversial discounts are not state owned.

marcyhermit · 10/04/2026 11:43

Itchthescratch · 10/04/2026 11:38

I would wager that most that support this initiative stand to gain from it. Of course there will be exceptions but turkeys generally don't vote for Christmas.

Equally I would expect that those who just don't quite qualify for the scheme and also can't afford to attend the attractions will be most against it.

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Who would gain if attractions were banned from offering discounts to people on low incomes?

Would it actually improve anything for you practically, or is it purely about the satisfaction of feeling poor kids don't get something they don't deserve?

herecomesthemun · 10/04/2026 11:42

Besidemyselfwithworry · 10/04/2026 11:41

I agree - I read somewhere that its giving free spaces out to people that inflates the prices for everyone else which makes sense.

We have to plan and budget carefully as
do loads of families and the holidays can be really hard for people.

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Has there been a notable hike in price since the roll out of the £1 tickets?

PandoraSocks · 10/04/2026 11:42

Besidemyselfwithworry · 10/04/2026 11:41

I agree - I read somewhere that its giving free spaces out to people that inflates the prices for everyone else which makes sense.

We have to plan and budget carefully as
do loads of families and the holidays can be really hard for people.

Show quote history

Where did you read that?

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