State pensioners urged to 'unlock' 11 freebies and discounts worth £3,759

State pensioners who come forward for Pension Credit can unlock other benefits worth a staggering amount. Pension Credit means you could become eligible for other discounts and freebies, with the Department for Work and Pensions urging pensioners to act.

Pension Credit can unlock Winter Fuel Payment – worth up to £300 a year - and give you a free TV licence worth £169.50 a year. There could also be a council tax reduction – worth £2,100 if you pay the full average council tax band D rate this year.

It also unlocks the Warm Home Discount – worth £150 a year - from the DWP and could unlock Housing Benefit – worth £1,000s too. There are also cold weather payments – £25 a week in winter - and free home insulation and boiler grants – worth THOUSANDS.

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Free dental treatment and prescriptions worth over £200 are also available. People on certain benefits and who meet specific criteria can get free NHS prescriptions. NHS prescriptions currently cost £9.90 in the UK, based on one prescription per month, that's a £118.80 saving over the year.

You might also get help covering prescriptions, dental and eye care costs through the NHS Low Income scheme. You could even get free wigs and help covering the cost of travel, if it's to health appointments. There is a voucher for glasses/contact lenses – worth £39 to £215 - too, as well as water bill discounts and broadband discounts, worth £600.

Jon Greer, head of retirement policy at Quilter, encouraged pensioners to check their eligibility. He stated: "It is an incredibly important benefit targeted towards the poorest pensioners in the country. The take-up of Pension Credit is a policy issue for this Government as much as the previous one, arguably more so given the change in the Winter Fuel Payment eligibility.

"Linking winter fuel payments to a benefit which appears to have just 60 percent take up has drawn broad consternation. At present, despite many media and Government awareness campaigns, there are many pensioners who are missing out on claiming pension credits despite being eligible."

"This is most often due to a lack of awareness or an assumption being made that they will not be eligible, but not checking could be incredibly costly as you may not only be missing out on a substantial boost to your retirement income, but now the Winter Fuel Payment too."