Pensioners missing out on freebies which could save thousands including free bus pass | Personal Finance | Finance

Free benefits like a bus pass, TV licence and financial help towards energy bills could save pensioners thousands of pounds over the course of a year. Some 850,000 pensioners are missing out on Pension Credit which acts as a gateway benefit to these additional freebies.

However, Britons don’t need to be receiving Pension Credit to qualify for a free bus pass.

While in England, people have to wait until they reach the current State Pension age of 66, in Wales and Scotland it’s 60.

Pensioners should automatically qualify once they reach the required age.

It’s not just pensioners, who qualify for reduced travel, in total 10 groups of Britons qualify.

Who is entitled to a free bus pass?

• A person who is blind or partially sighted
• Anyone who is deaf or unable to speak
• Someone who can’t walk very far because of a disability, illness or injury
• An individual who doesn’t have arms or can’t use their arms
• A person who has a severe learning disability
• Someone who has been refused a driving licence because of their health (but not because of problems with drugs or alcohol)
• Jobseekers who are on Universal Credit may be able to get half price bus and train travel
• Under 18s if they live in Scotland
• Over 60s in Scotland and Wales
• Those 66 and over in England.