Over 50 is no bar to online savings

Many of us have heard of the term 'silver surfer'. This is not a septuagenarian mixing it with teenagers on the waves at Newquay! Rather, it is someone (perceived to be) of advanced age who has access to the internet.

If you are 'silver', but not yet a 'surfer' then you are missing out on several savings opportunities. Just because you may be of retirement age doesn't mean you should miss out on great savings.

For example, when shopping for bargains there is the well-known Amazon site which is famous for books, but now deals in everything from CDs and DVDs to health and beauty goods and items for the home and garden. How do you save? Well, the goods are cheaper and delivered - free in some cases - right to your door. No petrol or car park fees involved.

There are many sites comparing prices for services such as mortgages and insurance. This give you the opportunity to get the cheapest deal, thereby saving money. There are other sites such as kelkoo.co.uk, an online shopping and price comparison for a wide variety of goods.

There is also the famous ebay auction site, enabling you to pick up a bargain. It may be second hand (though not necessarily), but you can really make a saving by buying here.

Savings opportunities are also given to people who give gas and electricity readings online. This saves the power companies money in meter readers, and some are willing to pass some of it on to their customers.

You can also get better savings rates by using online accounts. Don't hanker over your old pass-book; ditch it, and get saving online. You can also move money around online, from account to account, or bank to bank, and that's quicker than cheques, so that will save you money too.

All in all, age is no barrier to getting online. Over 50? No problem - leave the car in the garage, get online and give yourself some great savings opportunities.

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