An extra hubdred for OAPS?

[RaggedRocks]

The government wants us to keep cash at home for emergencies. Many pensioners are struggling to pay their bills and don't have a spare 100 quid.

AIBU to think that they should add an extra hundred onto the WFA in the budget, so oldies can have some spare cash to keep for the coming emergency. Also consider an extra hundred for UC recipients.

Thats the issue, if shops can't take card either because banking systems are down they'll need old fashioned cash

A lot of older people keep cash in the house anyway.

Its young people who run around with no money on them, no money in the house but will be screwed if they can't pay with card or apple watch.

Pensioners have had enough in the last few years, big increases, now their personal allowance going up. It’s working families who need help now.

Completely agree. My dad is 92 and certainly doesn’t need any extra money. He’s livid that he got the heating payment. Young people are struggling just as much.

Agree. My dm always had about £300 in her house incase weather was bad and she couldn’t get out to the bank.

There is a lot of variety as to how well any cohort of people are doing and that includes pensioners.

Final salary schemes were alive and well until quite recently, so a lot of younger people will have at least part of their pension in a final salary scheme (such as NHS). Career average schemes can accrue at a better rate than some of the final salary schemes at 1/54 (NHS) despite the higher retirement age.

Not everyone had access to work place pensions (especially women who were more likely to have worked part time and were barred from joining their work scheme). Not all employers even offered a pension scheme. It’s only too easy to forget that information and accessibility to private pensions was nowhere as easy as it is now and a lot of working people just didn’t know they existed or if they did, didn’t know how to access one, or were not in a position to pay into one. Gordon Brown’s ‘raid’ on pensions and the Equitable Life fiasco made people very reticent about pensions as well. Times have changed massively.

Back to OPs question, I would think that pensioners are more likely to carry cash than younger generations brought up in the digital age.

I always have cash because I can afford to keep a healthy stash of it at home. When I was a single parent of 2 I had just enough money to get me through the month and not a penny spare . I couldn't have put a fiver away for a rainy day never mind any amount that was actually meaningful. Every day was a rainy day. If we find ourselves in a global crisis where electronic payments cant be made or taken the rest of our infrastructure ( deliveries, chillers,tills etc will also have collapsed. If Greggs can't process a payment for a coffee, logistics companies/ factories etc will also be unable to process payments to shift the coffee to greggs in the first place.

@Willwetalk your dad can opt out if he doesn’t want the WFA

Good for your Dad but a lot of pensioners just become scared to burn heating, but they really need it as they become frailer and can't deal with the cold so much.

Some also lose the ability to realise the cost of stuff is going up as is their income.

Curious does your Dad keep a stash of cash in the house?

Companies will quickly revert to cheques and invoices.

Absolutely and I think the having access to cash dates back to actually having to go into a back to get money, and life of being paid cash before the hole in the wall.

Aww c'mon, pensioners aren't like they were in the olden days, in a pinafore cleaning the step and dreaming of a round of bingo.
Paul Weller is a pensioner. I'm sure he still enjoys a great night out.

There are quite a few pensioners whose final salary occupational pensions plus the state pension add up to more than that.

This whole thing is stupid.

In this kind of emergency, NO ONE will be working, and volunteers will be organising community-based aid - exactly what happened in Covid. Cash is going to be irrelevant.

I thought that it’s been mooted that only those on a basic state pension with no other income will have changes to their personal allowances, rather than all state pensioners? Those whose total income is already above the personal allowance will not have their personal allowances increased.

TBH I think that if there are to be any changes to the personal allowance that it should be for everyone regardless of age.

The electronic tills probably won't function.

My parents (60’s) and in-laws (70’s) have around 8 holidays a year. £100 is loose change to them and many of their friends. They aren’t from wealthy backgrounds, most grew up in council houses. They benefitted from a steep increase in house prices and final salary pensions. Families with young children and high child care cost are struggling more.

My dad is 70 and still goes to the occasional gig if any punk bands from.his youth are playing!

Shops will be wanting paid cash.

How. Fucking. Rude.
How. Fucking. Condescending.

I enjoy a nice night out at restaurants, cinemas, theatres - the same as anyone else.

Take your condescending comments and put them where the sun don't shine.

Exactly Dolly bless her was 80!

70 isn't really that old, are they of the 'keep cash in the house' generation?

The 80s somethings in my life still keep some cash in the house.

I'm 50s and definitely not the cash in house generation

Didn't see that thread. But now you know that a fair number of people disagree with the idea that pensioners should always be first in line for the kid gloves treatment, when many of the rest of us are struggling and get far less help. The young have been treated terribly.

Give all the frail pensioners living alone £100, then announce to the entire country that said pensioners have £100 in cash hidden at home.

What could possibly go wrong.

During covid community shops popped up and massive stores donated goods. I expect people will use 'IOUs'. A lot changed money for free during covid with meals delivered to housebound people etc. We won't be fighting over the last £5 note.

Well except there isn't a single "this kind of emergency" - the point is to be prepared for any type of emergency. Anything from bad weather disrupting the supply chain, strikes, cyber attacks on banks (or fridges in the case of france!) etc. Few of those would result in nobody working and community based-aid (unless they became a longer term problem).