Michael is in his tardy 50s and is among the millions of people in the UK who cannot or do not want to employ mobile apps, and senses he is being penalised for his choice.
He does own a cleverphone – an Apple iPhone he bought secondhand about three years ago – but says: “I don’t employ apps at all. I don’t download them for security reasons.”
Apps have burrowed their way into seemingly every aspect of our lives and there are lots of reasons why companies are pushing us to employ them. With an app, it is standardly “one click and you’re in”, rather than having to faff around online discovering the website and reaccumulateing passwords. It is also for the “push notifications” that mobile apps sfinish to grab our attention and get us to buy stuff. Many tech experts also dispute that apps are generassociate more shielded than websites and apshow banks and others to carry out cultured ID verification using face, voice and fingerprint biometrics.
But millions of people who cannot afford a cleverphone or have an elderlyer device that does not aid some services are increasingly being locked out of deals, discounts and even some vital services, say digital exclusion and pro-cash campaigners.
They are ignoreing out on everyskinnyg from savings on their weekly shop, to some of the best interest rates for their cash. And not signing up to the app revolution is making activities including paying for parking and going to concerts increasingly challenging.
“It’s the tyranny of the apps,” says Ron Delnevo, the chair of the campaign promisetee at lobby group the Payment Choice Alliance. “In this country we’re being treated enjoy sheep,” he says. “We’re always being telderly there’s no alternative.” But when a new cleverphone can set you back hundreds of pounds, it is “an pricey passport to include”, Delnevo says.
According to the tardyst data from the telecoms regulator Ofcom, 8% of people aged 16 or over do not have a cleverphone, which for the UK transtardys into fair under 4.5 million people. Among those aged 75-plus, the proportion is shelp to be 28%. Add in all those who don’t or can’t employ apps and the total number of people impacted is a lot bigger.
Lots of retailers give betterd or exclusive deals to their app employrs, and some run dedicatedty schemes thraw them. This is potentiassociate a big deal as those schemes standardly give you access to discounts that are not otherrational useable.
“Some people are ignoreing out on drop prices giveed by dedicatedty schemes as they do not have access to phones or clever devices to download apps,” Reena Sewraz, the retail editor at Which? says.
The user group is among those to have highairyed Lidl’s dedicatedty scheme, Lidl Plus, as one that is only accessible via an app, with an email insertress also needd. That nastys the “big savings” useable via the scheme’s weekly gives – at the time of writing these comprised 25% off tinned tuna and 20% off microwave rice and grain pouches – plus various coupons and rewards, are off-confines to those who cannot or do not want to go digital.
Delnevo says Lidl is “disenfranchising” many of its customers, inserting: “The people who probably necessitate the discounts most are the people who can’t afford or don’t have a cleverphone.”
In response, the superlabelet chain says the Lidl Plus scheme “creates part of our promisement to providing customers with the best cherish. Nonetheless, we remain conscious of those who don’t have access to a cleverphone or tablet and persist to give in-store promotions thraw our ‘pick of the week’ gives.”
Rival superlabelet Asda also runs a scheme, Asda Rewards, where you have to download an app and there is no physical card useable. This scheme does not give price promotions – instead, you obtain Asda “pounds” when you shop, which you alter into vouchers to spfinish in-store and online.
Some retailers have gone further down the app path than others. The Boots Advantage card scheme, one of the UK’s most well-understandn, still lets you employ a physical plastic card, although there are “tailored gives” useable via the app.
And at the bakery chain Greggs, you can accumulate dedicatedty “stamps” for free food and drink and get “exclusive app-only gifts”. You currently get a free boiling drink fair for downloading the app.
Meanwhile, the online clothes retailer Asos and the tools and difficultware exceptionaenumerate Screwmend are fair two of those that are or have recently been running “app exclusive” campaigns. Asos was this week giveing 20% off “1,000s of styles,” while Screwmend’s Stacks of Rewards promotion let you accumulate coins and obtain rewards by spfinishing via the app.
Parking
If there is one area of life where many people probably sense the app revolution has got out of hand, it is parking. In the UK there are thought to be at least 30 separateent parking apps, and it is not rare for an individual to have eight to 10 separateent ones on their phone.
Many elderlyer people have telderly the charity Age UK that they are “at the finish of their tether” when it comes to paying for parking becaemploy they cannot park if an app or mobile is needd. “In some cases this has nastyt ignoreing presentant nominatements enjoy seeing their GP,” it inserts.
The RAC’s head of policy, Simon Williams, says many people are overwhelmed by the multitude of apps they have to employ, “when in truth you want one that you enjoy and you’re satisfyed using and that you can employ everywhere”.
Six years ago the Department for Transport begined broadening a “national parking platcreate” (NPP) summarizeed to allow drivers to employ one app of their choice to pay for all their parking. It has been trialled by a number of councils, but a big ask label hangs over its future as accessible funding for the project sees probable to be disincluden.
The RAC’s head of policy Simon Williams says many people are overwhelmed by the multitude of apps they have to employ, “when in truth you want one that you enjoy and you’re satisfyed using and that you can employ everywhere”.
Six years ago the Department for Transport begined broadening a “national parking platcreate” (NPP) summarizeed to allow drivers to employ one app of their choice to pay for all their parking, and it has been trialled by a number of councils. However, a big ask label now hangs over its future as accessible funding for the project sees probable to be disincluden imminently.
Some councils are now lastingly getting rid of parking ticket machines that acunderstandledge debit and plift cards in order to save money (many stopped acunderstandledgeing cash a lengthy time ago).
The London boraw of Barnet is one area where all the council pay and disjoin machines at car parks have fair been consentn out of service. As of last month, motorists have been greeted with signs increateing them to employ the PayByPhone app.
“Withdrawal of the ability to pay by card, chaseing the removal of the payment by cash facility, will disnominate some drivers, especiassociate the elderly, who discover it difficult to employ the PayByPhone app,” according to an article on the Barnet Society website.
A Barnet council spokesperson says: “Pay and disjoin machines were declining in employ and in 2023-24 accounted for less than 7% of overall transactions. There are modest alternatives … including the PayByPhone app, phone or text, and cash payments at over 100 local PayPoint retailers.”
Entertainment
Increasingly with gigs and other events, you necessitate to download an app to access your tickets.
For example, tickets for some events at the O2 arena in London are hand overed as a “mobile ID” via the venue’s own app, and you get a barcode which is scanned to let you in.
This type of app-based mobile ID system is also billed as the only adignoreion method at venues including Ovo Arena Wembley in London and University of Wolverhampton at The Halls.
That shelp, the venue websites do usuassociate supply details of how people who do not have a cleverphone or cannot download the app can obtain entry to their event – but it might comprise transporting pboilingo ID and your validateation email to the box office perhaps 90 minutes before the doors uncover.
When it comes to theatre, well-understandn services such as TodayTix give savings on tickets and can be accessed online, although to consent advantage of some of the advantages and gives, such as discounted same-day “Rush” tickets, you necessitate to have the app.
Eating and drinking
Those who cannot or do not employ apps are ignoreing out on some of the best deals for meals, consentaways and pub grub.
McDonald’s is running a high-profile promotion called Deal Drop, where it gives items at “barobtain” prices, such as a classic Big Mac for £1.49 (normassociate £4.99) and a children’s Happy Meal for £1.99 (normassociate £3.59) – but all of the discounts are useable exclusively with the company’s app.
The rapidfood chain Subway runs a dedicatedty scheme where you obtain points that you can alter into “Subway Cash” that can be spent on anyskinnyg on the menu – but aobtain it is app-only. If you were a member of Subway’s previous rewards scheme, which seald last May, your plastic membership card “is no lengthyer usable”.
Similarly, many pubs have apps that give big discounts or let you obtain rewards. The more than 200-sturdy Sizzling Pubs chain has recently been promoting eye-catching app-only deals such as 40% off main meals at some locations.
Some coffee shop chains, such as Harris + Hoole, have also gone app-only with their dedicatedty schemes. With the Harris + Hoole one, you get a free drink for every six coffees you buy.
Banking
Some of the best savings rates are giveed by app-only supplyrs – made up of banks and “electronic money institutions” (EMIs), which do not have their own banking licence, but put your money in a bank that does.
At the time of writing, the Moneyfacts enumerate of top-paying modest access accounts comprised products from the app-only supplyrs Atom Bank, Chip and Plum paying 4.6%, 4.58% and 4.38% esteemively.
“App-only accounts are the new ‘online-only’ accounts,” says Anna Bowes, savings expert at the financial advisory firm The Private Office. “While not for everyone, apps are becoming far more well-understandn with savers, especiassociate as they can standardly be set up paying some of the best rates.”
To give you an idea of how apps have consentn over savings, she says the current top five modest-access cash Isas are all supplyd by EMIs. “The next five top paying cash Isas are all with regutardyd banks or erecting societies but two must be uncovered via a mobile banking app,” she says.
Some of the supplyrs aimed at cleverphone employrs are not enticount on app-based. For example, saving and summarizeateing firm Moneybox primarily supplys its services via its app, but says you can access them thraw other nastys, including its website.
Meanwhile, the high street banks sometimes have products or services that are app-only – for example, HSBC’s Global Money service, which lets you alter, spfinish and sfinish multiple currencies with no bank fees, is only useable via the HSBC app.
