Taking a few simple steps to make your holiday budget go that little bit further can help pensioners overcome their ever increasing travel insurance costs.

The number of internet users in the UK has reached 38.8 million in 2010, and access is more widespread than ever. Older people are getting online, enabling them to compare financial products, with many organisations – one example is Saga – tailoring their websites to cater for the over-50s.

Research by the UK Online Measurement Company has recently shown that the biggest growth of the increasing internet usage in the country has been in the over-50s age group. Charity Age UK says that older people should get online to save both time and money, and get “a wealth of information at [their] fingertips”.

A free guide produced by the charity, supported by BT, says that internet banking is a “quick and easy way to keep tabs on your finances”. It goes on to say: “Instead of queuing at the bank, you can set up online access to your account and use it to transfer money, pay bills and set up direct debits. Because you do all the work yourself, banks save money on administration and this often translates into higher interest rates or lower charges.”

Companies are increasingly making their websites more user-friendly for the older age group. Naomi Thornton, of Saga Group, said: “We provide policy documents and marketing material in larger font, in Braille, or in audio for people who require it. Online there is the option to increase the font size, using the icon in the top right-hand corner of our website.”

Ms Thornton also said that users can type in questions about services and they would be put through to a consultant to give answers. In any case, she reckons that over-50s are “a lot more internet-savvy than some other age groups”, as they perform more online research before committing to a purchase.