Easy ‘no brainer’ TV Licence rule that could save you £174 a year as bills rise

AN easy TV Licence trick could help thousands of households save up to £196 a year before the upcoming price hike.

The cost of a standard colour TV Licence increased from £169.50 to £174.50 a year yesterday.

Additionally, the price of a black and white licence increased from £57 to £58.50.

This isn't the only household bill to have surged during what many are calling “Awful Apri” – check out Flying Eze's series for more details.

However, some people might not need to pay for a TV licence at all, which could mean huge savings.

Anyone who wants to watch live TV including the BBC, ITV and Sky needs to pay for a TV licence otherwise, they will be breaking the law.

But, under current rules, certain groups are exempt.

For example, if you're claiming pension credit and are over the age of 75, you qualify for a free licence, meaning you could save £174.50 a year.

Over 903,000 people over the age of 75 currently claim pension credit, according to the DWP's latest statistics.

But not everyone is claiming their free TV licence as it's not automatic.

The government also estimates that a further 760,000 people over 66 aren't pension credit even though they're eligible.

This means hundreds of thousands of households are potentially missing out on the over-75s free TV licence.

You can also get a free licence if your partner claims pension credit but you do not.

To apply for a free TV licence, visit tvlicensing.co.uk/cs/pay-for-your-tv-licence.

Alternatively, you can call 0300 790 6071 and apply over the phone.

What is pension credit?

Pension credit gives you extra money if you claim the state pension and are on a low income.

If you live alone and your weekly income is below £227.10, or if you live with a partner and both are of state pension age with a combined weekly income below £346.60, you should qualify.

However, if your income is slightly higher, you might still be eligible for pension credit if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or you have housing costs.

You could get an extra £82.90 a week if you have a disability or claim any of the following:

• Attendance allowance
• The middle or highest rate from the care component of disability living allowance (DLA)
• The daily living component of personal independence payment (PIP)
• Armed forces independence payment
• The daily living component of adult disability payment (ADP) at the standard or enhanced rate.

You could get the “savings credit” part of pension credit if both of the following apply:

• You reached State Pension age before April 6, 2016
• You saved some money for retirement, for example, a personal or workplace pension

This part of pension credit is worth £17.30 for single people or £19.36 for couples.

Pension credit opens the door to other support, including housing benefits, cost of living payments, council tax reductions and the Winter Fuel Payment.

How can I watch TV for free without a licence?

Pluto TV

Pluto TV is another free streaming service with more than 100 channels.

Anyone can access Pluto TV for free on the web or on your iPhone and Android device.

Virgin Media has just made it available via some of its boxes – but bear in mind you'd need to pay a TV licence and take out a contract with Virgin to take advantage of this.

Amazon Freevee

Amazon Prime Video may be the first thing you think of but the retail giant also has a growing free alternative.

Freevee is home to exclusives like Judy Justice.

It's the new home of Neighbours too, which is set to return later this year.

But there's some classic on-demand content too.

The L Word, Nashville and Parks and Recreation are among the shows available.

All4

All4 is the main source of on-demand programmes from Channel 4, E4, Film4 and More 4.

The service is free to use and funded by advertisements.

All4 offers a free and extensive library of both classic shows and more recent programmes, including complete box sets of some of our most popular series like Gogglebox.

UKTV Play

If you're a fan of Dave, Drama, W and Yesterday then the UKTV Play is the place for you.

The latest featured shows include Meet The Richardsons, Annika and Great British Railway Journeys.

You'll have to sign up to start watching – and there are ads.

ITVX

ITVX launched in November, replacing the old ITV Hub.

ITV now drops many new and exclusive shows online before they're shown on ITV1.

There's also a load of other shows, including more niche interest like anime.

Free trials

You should take advantage of free trials to keep more of your hard-earned cash.

Some trials are as short as seven days, while others last an entire month.

For example, Amazon Prime Video offers newbies 30 days streaming for free.

Now TV also offers weekly free trails for Sky Cinema and Entertainment packages.

But any savvy savers must remember to unsubscribe to any subscriptions before the end of the trial period or risk incurring further charges.

Customers can also nab a free trial of streaming services when buying new technology.

Some Apple technology purchases will include a free trial of Apple TV+.