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Eating out is more expensive than ever, but the good news is there are discounts that will save you money.
Some are for over-60s specifically and others are available to anyone, as long as you know where to look. From supermarket cafés to high street restaurants, read on to find the best deals.
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If you need a mid-week treat, Asda’s in-store café has 10% off for over-60s on Wednesdays.
Asda usually runs its popular Winter Warmer between November and March, offering over-60s meals like soup and a roll, plus unlimited tea and coffee, for just £1. Last year’s offer was part of a ‘chatty cafes’ initiative where Asda encouraged over-60s to come together to eat, drink and make new friends. Although there’s currently no confirmation of its return for 2025, it’s worth keeping an eye out for.
Meanwhile the supermarket chain Morrisons has launched “Club 60”, offering over-60s exclusive café deals in all its 344 cafés. You can get breakfast and a hot drink for £6. A £10 meal deal featuring fish and chips, a slice of cake and hot drink is also available from 12pm onwards every day (saving up to £3.25).
Dobbies Garden Centres offers its menu for less if you’re over 60. From 12-3pm Monday to Friday, you can get a main course and a cake for £12 (an extra £2 for fish and chips).
Some Greene King pubs offer a Seniors Menu, which offers smaller dishes, for two courses for £6.49 or three courses for £7.49 from Monday to Friday until 5pm. While we found a decent number that offered the menu, it’s far from all, so do check your local pub to avoid disappointment.
If you’re in Wales, Stonehouse restaurants offer a ‘Young at Heart’ menu for over-60s, with a main meal and drink for £4.99, Monday to Friday 12pm to 3pm.
If you’re eating in, over-60s can cut the cost of their food shop at Iceland if they time it right, as the supermarket offers 10% off for over-60s every Tuesday. To qualify you need to sign up for an Iceland Bonus Card and scan it in-store, then show your Senior Railcard, bus pass, Freedom Pass or driver’s licence at the till.
The same discount applies at The Food Warehouse, which is also owned by Iceland.
If you’re based in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, Worcestershire or other areas covered by Midcounties Co-operative, members who are over 60 can save 10% with Co-op’s Diamond Day discount.
Alternatively, if you like the idea of a fancy afternoon tea in the comfort of your own home, Patisserie Valerie has 10% off online orders for the over-60s. You'll just need to sign up with your phone number to get the necessary code.
If you dine out a lot, a Tastecard can make financial sense. It’s open to everyone, not just over-60s. It offers two-for-one off deals at restaurants including Frankie & Benny’s, Pizza Express and Prezzo, as well as many independent restaurants. Note that peak times will sometimes be excluded.
There’s also 50% off at pizza delivery firms Domino’s, Pizza Hut and Papa Johns, so it’s useful if you’re feeding grandchildren during the school holidays too.
You can get 25% off barista-made drinks at Caffe Nero (and other coffee shops) seven days a week through Tastecard’s Coffee Club, as well as discounts on cinemas.
Monthly membership is usually £7.99, with a yearly subscription working out slightly less per month at £79.99, but there are sometimes special offers which make it cheaper.
You can get a free Tastecard as one of the benefits of Boundless, a discount scheme for those working in or retired from the civil service or public sector, including emergency services, armed forces, teaching and social services. Boundless membership starts at £40 a year, and can get you a host of other discounts, so is worth a look if you’re eligible (you can also get a family member who’s signed up to refer you).
If you’ve got a Senior Railcard (which costs £35 a year or £80 for three years, giving you a third off rail travel) you can get a free three-month Tastecard membership too. Unless you cancel, this will renew automatically into an annual membership for £29.99.
There’s also the Blue Light Card, which is available to health, emergency, social care workers, teachers and armed forces staff and veterans. It costs £4.99 for two years and offers access to thousands of discounts, including at many Greene King pubs.
The Fork is an online restaurant booking platform which is free to use. It’s worth checking their site for special offers at specific restaurants. These vary through the year (there are often more deals over the summer) and can be up to 50% off food, with no strings attached.
Neotaste is a newer app which offers discounts and deals in exchange for a monthly or yearly fee, though you can usually try it for free for a month. It only runs in certain cities, including London, Brighton, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester. You can find local deals at independent and chain cafes, bars and restaurants such as 2 for 1 coffee and cake, £10 off your bill, or a percentage off your bill.
If you’re happy to eat at home and would like to do your bit to reduce food waste, Too Good to Go lets you buy surplus food from participating restaurants, cafes and shops at discounted prices, often at specific points in the day.
Just check the map near your home and see what’s on offer. Chains including Greene King, Starbucks, Leon, Gail’s, Aldi, Morrisons and Pret are just some of the shops and restaurants who take part. There may also be independent outlets near you who are involved.
You can get huge discounts on cakes, sandwiches, groceries and more, but what you get in your bag will be a surprise. The contents will vary depending on what the restaurant, shop or cafe has left over.
Olio offers access to free and discounted food, usually food which is on its use-by or best-before date – it’s more geared to food from shops rather than restaurants. Most of the food is free but it also offers discounted ‘surprise bags’ from Iceland and other outlets.
If you’re on a lower income, look out for community cafés in your area. These often serve rescued food in a sociable setting. You can search online to see if there’s one near you or check out local noticeboards.
If you’re planning your next meal out, we’ve rounded up a few offers that are open to all, if you sign up for marketing emails or download their app. Just check that the offer will be valid for when you plan to visit. If there are other restaurants you like visiting, it’s worth checking their websites for offers too.
Many of these are single-use offers, so you can always unsubscribe or delete the app afterwards if you only want to grab the discount.
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