Millions who resisted getting online have been forced to rethink, thanks to coronavirus. Shopping, paying bills, finding help and even seeing relatives are suddenly easier online than in the real world. It’s time to get with the programme
One day historians may say the coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown changed everything. People who paid all their bills in cash, learnt how to make online payments. Sick or shielding and unable to get out, shoppers got to grips with buying from websites. Faced with little other way to keep in touch, millions of us turned to the internet. With so many making video calls now, don’t we all wish we had shares in Zoom, Houseparty or Skype?
As its readers went online, Quids in! re-doubled its digital efforts too. Firstly, we set up a ‘Corona-Finance’ section on our website, (see it here), where people can ask for pointers on their money worries. Then we dedicated our money email service to keeping subscribers up to date with the latest guidance on staying afloat during lockdown.
Now we are working with LearnMyWay, a website of free online courses for beginners, helping people develop digital skills. Its aim is to help us all make the most of the online world. Together we aim for Quids in! readers to use the internet to become better off. We’ll uncover the tricks and tips, hacks and shortcuts for reducing our costs, increasing our income, cutting debts and growing savings.
“Learn My Way can improve your financial wellbeing. It covers the basics of online banking from registering online to checking your balance and making payments,” explains the site’s Learning Designer, Matthew Airey. “It also looks at basic money management online and how you can make the most out of your money. It covers steps to make a budget and handy hints and tips to help you plan for the future.”
LearnMyWay takes a practical approach, homing in on the transactions we might want to do online, whether that’s banking, shopping or applying for benefits. Then it walks us through the steps to ensure we understand enough to put the web tools to use. Click here to see the Quids in! guide to how LearnMyWay can boost our bank balance.
Quids in!’s Future-Proof Finance Quiz has been revamped to include more links to online tools. It is a money health-check to identify our money needs during lockdown, our next steps and our longer-term plans. It is simple to use, offers practical guidance and now offers click-throughs to web pages, tools and resources to make it even easier to make sure we’re better off. Click here.