A recently published article by YourWealth.co.uk discusses the financial disadvantages some UK households suffer because they do not use the internet.
While the number of internet users in the UK has steadily risen over the last decade, there are still 7 million people who have never been online. 72% of them belong to the poorest 10% of society (with an income of £128 or less per week) and many are elderly (48% of those aged 65 and over having never used the internet).
New research indicates that this vulnerable group of people suffers is financially disadvantaged due to the fact that they do not have internet access.
As it stands, so called “offline households” in the UK have to pay an average of £440 more per year for goods and services compared to those who use the internet. This figure equates to 4.4% of the average income, a figure which rises to 5.4% for the over-65s. This is the result of not being able to take advantage of the lower service tariffs available only for onlineservices, not being able to buy products online (which can give up to 30% discounts), as well as having to pay more for receiving paper bills (which can be up to £2 per bill per month).
All in all, this data highlights the risk of further financial exclusion of particularly vulnerable groups such as the poor and elderly through the introduction of online-only products and additional fees for basic offline services such as paper bills.
We at KeepMePosted EU have made it our mission to prevent further financial exclusion of the vulnerable by fighting for the consumer’s right to choose paper bills free of charge.
The YourWealth.co.uk article can be found here:
