News

NewsCongratulations, members. Here's what we've achieved together in 2015
Congratulations, members. Here's what we've achieved together in 2015

Congratulations, members. Here's what we've achieved together in 2015

Tags: FiftyUp Club
Last updated by Chris Zinn on

 

We bounce many figures and statistics at you in the FiftyUp Club: discounts (nice) or surcharges (nasty) and even pension taper rates (complex).

But the most important number relates to the spectacular growth of 32% we have enjoyed in 2015, meaning there are now almost 150,000 members!

It’s not just thanks to our media partners for getting the word out to you about the benefits of belonging, but also to you for sharing your experiences with others to bring even more aboard.

And the numbers truly count.

  • Earlier in this eventful year 13,500 of you told the then-Treasurer Joe Hockey what you expected from the federal budget.
  • When we asked you about the impact of high power prices, far too many revealed you had to go without necessities to stay warm, so we highlighted that fact in the national media.
  • More than 20,000 added your voice to our Fair Go for FiftyUps campaign around a fairer cost of living.
  • And most recently almost 12,000 took our Loyalty Tax test and 70,000 compared your household bills to see if you were paying too much loyalty tax by staying rusted on to high-cost providers. Two lucky members even won $1,000 "Loyalty Tax Returns" after joining the campaign.
  • Many of you turned up at our events such as the City2Surf run in Bondi, our presentation of submissions around politicians’ entitlements in Canberra and at the lunch to honour recovering radio personality Glenn Wheeler.

Click here to watch the "FiftyUp Club in 2015" video

The consumer empowerment revolution we are now experiencing means individuals have greater access than ever to information to make better choices.

It might be about better electricity deals, advice on how best to avoid tricky credit card offers, or to exchange your experiences with other consumers.

But endless data isn’t much help if you feel swamped by sheer scale or feel it might not be reliable enough to protect your best interests.

This is where groups such as FiftyUp can help. As individuals we certainly have more power than in the past, but there’s a still a long way to go when you are up against the likes of the banks or insurance companies.

However when you throw your metaphorical hat in the ring with 144,000 other similarly-aged consumers you may find your bargaining and campaigning power increases.

You can click here to see the 6 current offers created by the buying power of the FiftyUp Club

Businesses are more prepared to offer you everything from financial services to energy services at a price you may hard to find yourself.

Politicians who make decisions about issues such as your retirement incomes and consumer protections around electricity sit up when presented with one of our polls.

It’s been a productive, I believe pioneering and fun year in which I hope we have helped save you time, worry and money around your consumer choices.

The next 12 months should see a federal election when you can be sure many of the key issues under debate will have a direct effect on the over-50s.

We will be back to help represent your interests, amplify your voice and bring even more of you together to show that we FiftyUps really mean business.

 

Originally posted on .

Join the conversation

FiftyUp Club
Congratulations, members. Here's what we've achieved together in 2015

Share your views with other members. 

Want to leave a comment? or .
Read our moderation policy here.
lial
lial from NSW commented:

Yes Congrats 2 all does give us better bargaining power , I just saw on ACA where many beauty items we buy contain minute polymer beads which leak into our waters & R possibly swallowed by fish which in turn may finish in our stomachs , Nice....Should B permanently stamped out . 

Gertraud
Gertraud from ACT commented:

Stop calling it "loaylty tax" - only the government can collect taxes! As to your patting yourself on the shoulder, whatever turns you on. Like Margaret from NSW below, I am very disappointed with the way this "club" has panned out over the past 12 months. So no pat on the shoulder from me. 

margaret
margaret from NSW commented:

Congratulations Damn shame we are no longer hearing from all those tens of thousands of grateful, lucky members the way we did months, and months and months ago. Perhaps as the walrus said 'the time has come...' I can no longer find reason to belong, and I truly, have tried to contribute without being an, I want, I deserve, they should give me, whining member. it has been many , many months since I have seen a topic that interests or involves me, so I have little interest although I look up the club regularly for the joy of being disappointment yet being able to say' not my fault, I was there waiting to participate. 

kevin
kevin from NSW commented:

Congratulations on your excellent work, Christopher and team. The 50Up group is really taking off. From a quick look at the latest ABS population data, it would appear that at least 30% of Australia's population are now aged 50 and over. With an estimated Australian population of 23.7 million, this means there are currently at least 7 million Australians aged 50 and over. It's a huge (and increasing) demographic and membership of the 50Up Club can certainly go an awful lot higher than it is now. Imagine an economically (and politically) savvy group of that size. Certainly something that corporate and political leaders will have to pay attention to. 

Judy
Judy from NSW commented:

Thank you soooo much to the FiftyUp staff for all you have done this year. Next year could we possibly look at Foxtel/Optus pay TV. I am paying too much for many, many channels which I will never watch. When I try to negotiate with my provider, they have hard & fast rules about bundling channels together. In order to watch what I want to see, I must take on many I don't. 

Comment Guidelines