Shopping and benefits jargon buster
Last checked November 2026. Offers and rules change: confirm with the provider before you rely on them.
Shops, benefit forms and phone companies all have their own language. This A to Z explains the terms you are most likely to meet, in plain English, with a link to the guide that covers each one.
- Attendance Allowance
- A benefit for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care or supervision because of an illness or disability. It is not means-tested, so savings and income do not affect it. More: Attendance Allowance: who can claim and how to apply
- Blue Badge
- A parking permit for people with severe mobility problems or certain hidden disabilities. It lets you, or whoever is driving you, park closer to where you need to go. More: Blue Badge guide: who qualifies and how to apply
- Broadband
- An internet connection that is always on, usually delivered down a phone line, a fibre-optic cable or the mobile network. Speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps). More: Broadband for over-60s: speed, contracts and price rises
- Cashback
- Money paid back to you after a purchase, either by a cashback website that passed you to the retailer or by a card that rewards spending. More: Cashback sites and voucher codes explained
- Chargeback
- A way to ask your bank to reverse a debit or credit card payment when goods do not arrive, are faulty, or the seller has gone out of business. It is a card-scheme rule, not a law. More: Paying safely online: cards, PayPal and bank transfers
- Class 2 and class 3 scooters
- The two legal classes of mobility scooter. Class 2 scooters are for pavements and are limited to 4mph. Class 3 scooters can also be used on the road at up to 8mph and must be registered. More: Mobility scooters: class 2 v class 3 and what to buy
- Click and collect
- Ordering online and picking the goods up yourself from a shop, a locker or a collection point, often free of charge. More: Click and collect: how it works and when to use it
- Cold Weather Payment
- A payment made automatically to people on certain benefits, including Pension Credit, when the local temperature is very low for seven days in a row. Scotland has its own winter heating payment instead. More: Cold Weather Payment: who gets £25 in a freezing spell
- Concession
- A reduced price offered to a particular group, such as people over 60, students or people on certain benefits. Many are not advertised, so it is worth asking. More: Over-60s Discounts: The Complete UK Guide
- Consumer Rights Act
- The 2015 law that says goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described, and sets out your right to a refund, repair or replacement when they are not. More: Your consumer rights: the Consumer Rights Act explained
- Cooling-off period
- A set time in which you can cancel a contract or return goods without giving a reason. It applies to most purchases made online, by phone or on your doorstep, but not to most things bought in a shop. More: Returns and refunds: shop policy versus your legal rights
- Council Tax Reduction
- Help with your council tax bill if you are on a low income, run by your local council. Pensioners are assessed under more generous national rules than people of working age. More: Council Tax Reduction and discounts for older households
- Digital switchover
- The move from the old copper landline network to phone calls carried over broadband, sometimes called Digital Voice or the PSTN switch-off. More: Landline digital switchover: what you need to know
- Disabled Facilities Grant
- A council grant towards adapting your home, for example fitting a stairlift, a level-access shower or a ramp. It is means-tested and follows an assessment of what you need. More: Stairlifts: straight, curved, reconditioned and grants
- Ferrule
- The rubber tip on the end of a walking stick or frame. A worn ferrule slips, so check it regularly and replace it when the tread has gone. More: Walking sticks: how to measure and choose one
- Freedom Pass
- Free travel on public transport in London for residents who have reached State Pension age, and for some disabled people. Younger Londoners can apply for the 60+ London Oyster photocard. More: 60+ London Oyster Photocard and Freedom Pass Guide
- Lasting power of attorney
- A legal document that lets someone you trust make decisions for you, for example about money or health, if you can no longer make them yourself or want help now. More: Shopping for someone else: carer cards and safe ways to pay
- Loyalty card
- A free shop membership that gives you points or lower "member" prices in return for letting the retailer record what you buy. More: Loyalty cards compared: supermarket member prices explained
- Marketplace
- A website where many different sellers list goods, such as Amazon, eBay or Vinted. Your rights can depend on whether the seller is a business or a private individual. More: Buying on Amazon, eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Vinted
- Means-tested
- Describes a benefit or grant that depends on your income and savings. Pension Credit is means-tested; Attendance Allowance is not. More: Money and entitlements for over-60s: what you can claim
- Motability
- A scheme that lets people who receive certain mobility benefits exchange them for a leased car, wheelchair-accessible vehicle, scooter or powered wheelchair. More: The Motability Scheme: who qualifies and how it works
- Occupational therapist
- A health professional who assesses what you find difficult at home and recommends equipment or adaptations. You can ask your council's adult social care team or your GP for an assessment. More: Mobility aids buying guide for over-60s
- PAC code
- The code you ask your mobile network for when you want to keep your phone number and move to a different provider. More: SIM-only deals for light users: PAYG or monthly?
- Padlock symbol
- The small padlock shown beside a web address when your connection to a site is encrypted. It means the link is private; it does not prove the shop itself is honest. More: Online shopping safety: how to check a website is genuine
- Pay as you go
- A mobile phone deal where you top up credit and pay only for what you use, with no monthly contract. More: SIM-only deals for light users: PAYG or monthly?
- Pension Credit
- A top-up for people over State Pension age on a low income. It also unlocks other help, which is why it is worth claiming even a small amount. More: Pension Credit: who qualifies and how to claim
- Phishing
- A scam message, usually an email or text, that pretends to come from a bank, a delivery firm or an official body to trick you into giving away personal or bank details. More: Spotting scams: parcel texts, fake refunds and courier fraud
- Priority Services Register
- A free register kept by energy, water and phone companies. If you are on it, you get extra help, such as advance warning of power cuts and bills in large print. More: Priority Services Register: free help from utilities
- Riser recliner
- An armchair with an electric motor that tilts the seat forward to help you stand and lets you recline with your feet raised. More: Riser recliner chairs: single or dual motor, and sizing
- Rollator
- A walking frame with three or four wheels, brakes and often a seat, for people who can walk but need steady support. More: Rollators and walking frames: how to choose
- Section 75
- The part of the Consumer Credit Act that makes your credit card company jointly responsible with the seller for purchases between £100 and £30,000. More: Paying safely online: cards, PayPal and bank transfers
- Senior Railcard
- A card for people aged 60 and over that takes a third off most rail fares in Great Britain. More: Senior Railcard: Price, Rules and How to Buy
- Shopmobility
- Local schemes that lend or hire out scooters and wheelchairs so that people with limited mobility can get around a town centre or shopping centre. More: Hiring mobility equipment: Shopmobility and Red Cross
- SIM-only
- A mobile deal that gives you calls, texts and data but no handset. You put the SIM card in a phone you already own. More: SIM-only deals for light users: PAYG or monthly?
- A cheaper broadband, phone or water deal that suppliers offer to customers on certain benefits, such as Pension Credit. More: Broadband and phone social tariffs: who can get one
- State Pension age
- The earliest age at which you can claim your State Pension. It depends on your date of birth, and several entitlements, including the bus pass in England, start on the same date. More: What you get at State Pension age: the full list
- Telecare
- Alarms and sensors, such as a pendant alarm or a fall detector, that call for help from a monitoring centre or a family member. More: Personal Alarms: Pendant Alarms and Council Telecare
- Two-step verification
- An extra check when you log in, usually a code sent to your phone, so that a stolen password alone is not enough to get into your account. More: Passwords made simple: managers, 2-step and passkeys
- VAT relief
- Not having to pay VAT on products designed for disabled people, if you have a long-term illness or disability. You confirm this to the supplier with a simple declaration. More: VAT relief on mobility aids: who pays 0% or 5%
- Voucher code
- A code typed in at an online checkout to take money off an order or get free delivery. Also called a promo code or discount code. More: Cashback sites and voucher codes explained
- Warm Home Discount
- A one-off reduction on your electricity bill each winter for people on certain benefits, including the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit. More: Warm Home Discount: £150 off your electricity bill
- Winter Fuel Payment
- A yearly payment towards heating bills for people over State Pension age. Whether you keep it now depends on your income, and Scotland runs its own version. More: Winter Fuel Payment 2026 to 2027: who gets it and how much
- Yellow-sticker reductions
- The marked-down prices supermarkets put on food close to its use-by or best-before date, usually later in the day. More: Shopping and cooking for one without waste
Common questions
Is there a term you have not explained?
Probably. If you have met a word on a form, a bill or a website that you could not make sense of, tell us through the contact form and we will add it.
Where can I get help filling in a form?
Citizens Advice and Age UK both help people complete benefit and discount applications, free of charge. For Attendance Allowance and Pension Credit in particular, a form-filling appointment is well worth having.