Chest: The Pension App That Turns Everyday Spending Into Retirement Savings
Forget everything you think you know about pensions. The days of confusing paperwork, distant deadlines, and "set it and forget it" (and then actually forgetting it) are over.
Welcome to Chest, the pension app that fits saving for your future into daily life.
We've rebuilt pension saving for a generation that shops online, manages money on their phone, and wants clarity, not complexity.
Here’s why that actually matters.
The Pension Problem
Right now, the UK has a serious retirement savings problem.
42% of people in their 20s are on track for poverty in retirement. Not a “tight budget”. Poverty. [1] This even includes people doing the ‘right’ thing, enrolled in their workplace pension, ticking the box. And it’s still not cutting it.
Here’s the thing: only 12% of young people have pension saving in our top three priorities. And that 12% is only saving £721 a year on average, or 2.5% of their salary. [2]
And that’s not because of irresponsibility. It’s because rent, bills, and the thousand small emergencies life keeps throwing at us tend to win every time.
It’s hard to care deeply about something that’s decades away when your washing machine just gave up.
If that sounds familiar then you’re not alone in this. You’re not behind because you ‘messed up’. You are behind because the system was built for a different time, and a world that no longer exists.
What we believe
Chest runs on two simple beliefs: freedom from financial anxiety and the ability to assume some control of the future.
It is the app that quietly does its thing in the background, rewards you for the spending you were already doing, and shows you where you actually stand on savings journey.
Here’s exactly how the Chest app transforms your pension from a "someday" worry into a "today" win.
How Chest Works: Your Personal SIPP, Made Simple
When you sign up to Chest, we set you up with a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) - a personal pension that sits in your name, managed by you, right in the app.
Already got a workplace pension? Great - Chest isn't replacing it. Your Chest SIPP sits alongside your employer scheme, giving you a place to consolidate old pots, earn pension cashback, and build savings on top of what you're already doing through work.
Wondering whether a SIPP or workplace pension is right for you? You don't have to choose. They can work great together.
You can think of your workplace pension as the foundation, and Chest as the extra layer that turns your everyday spending into long-term savings - without needing to find extra budget.
Pension Cashback: Your Shopping, Supercharged
What if your online shopping wasn't a problem? What if it was, dare we say, a solution? Those impulse buys? Now they're strategic long-term investments. You're welcome.
Here’s the game plan:
Browse: Check out our 120+ brand partners (from your favorite coffee shops to big-name retailers) offering cashback right in the app. Need new trainers? That’s a pension contribution. Fancy a pizza? That’s future-you's treat.
Activate: Before you pay online or in-store, simply pay with your normal bank account (linked securely via Open Banking) in-app to generate a Chest code. Scan your unique Chest code at the till or at online checkout.
Grow: The cashback rate is applied, and we contribute every penny earned into your Chest pension.
But here is where it gets properly interesting:
Because your cashback is paid into a pension, it can get a 25% uplift due to tax relief.
It works like this: you earn £10 in cashback, we pay it into your Chest pension, and HMRC adds another £2.50. Your £10 becomes £12.50. Or on a larger scale, £100 into your pension becomes £125.
If you are a higher rate taxpayer, you can claim even more back through your Self-Assessment, usually as a rebate or tax code adjustment.
There are some limits, of course. Most people can get tax relief on contributions up to 100% of their earnings, or the annual allowance that is currently £60,000, whichever is lower (as of 2025/26 [4]).
So, with cashback you can turn Friday’s takeaway into Monday’s pension gains. It’s the closest thing to a legal life hack. You’re basically getting paid to live your life, with your future self as the silent (but very grateful) beneficiary.
Go on, treat yourself. And your pension.
Please note that tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change in the future.
Saving Rules: Meet Your Financial Autopilot
Forget willpower. Forget reminders. The most consistent savings happen automatically.
Enter Chest Saving Rules, your new financial autopilot.
We use Open Banking (a secure, regulated way to connect your bank account to apps like ours) to do the saving for you.
Link your bank in seconds, and once connected, you set simple rules. Then, it just runs.
Pick your saving style:
Round-Ups: Every time you make a purchase, we round it up to the nearest pound and save the difference. Buy a £3.80 coffee, save 20p.
Pound-ups (a round-ups boost): Adds an extra £1 to your savings for every round-up transaction you make. Buy something for £3.80, and we'll round it up to £4, saving 20p, and save an extra £1 – so £1.20 in total.
Monthly Depositor: Set a fixed amount to save each month. You choose the amount that works for you.
No-Spend Challenge: Set an amount to save for each day you don't spend anything. A great way to reward yourself for mindful spending.
Chestflix and Chill: Save the equivalent of a streaming subscription each month. If you're cutting back on subscriptions, put that money toward your future instead.
Remember, you're always in control. Pause, adjust, or turn off the rules anytime.
The Chest Score: Your Pension’s Report Card (That You Won’t Be Afraid To Show Your Parents)
Introducing your Chest Score, a friendly, easy-to-understand number that simply tells you how your pension's doing, and what it might mean for your future.
Think of it like your Fitbit step count, but for your retirement savings (and way less guilt-inducing when you’ve had a lazy Sunday).
Your Chest Score is actually three sub-scores in one. Here is how it breaks down:
Existing Pot Strength - This looks at everything you’ve saved so far and compares it to others your age with a similar salary. If you have been quietly contributing since your first graduate job, this number should look healthy. If you are just starting out or have lost track of old pots along the way, there is room to grow. No judgment, just data.
Savings Habits - This measures what you are putting in now. Are you contributing enough each month to build the retirement you actually want? Whether you are maxing out your employer match or just getting started with round-ups, this score reflects your current momentum.
Future Outlook - This is the clever bit. We take your current pot, add your ongoing contributions, and project everything forward. It factors in your target retirement age, possible salary growth, and estimated investment returns. The result is a picture on what your financial future could look like: are you on track for the income you want in retirement, or is there a gap that needs filling?
Benchmark Yourself - You’ll also be able to see how you compare to other users your age, income bracket, and location. Not to stress you out, but to give you a real-world benchmark. Are you ahead of the game, or is it time to quietly close the 37th online shopping tab?
So that’s the Chest Score - a rating, a roadmap, and a very real satisfaction of watching your score climb every time you make a smart move.
The Chest Score shows illustrative estimates, not guarantees; outcomes depend on contributions, markets, charges and assumptions.
Consolidation: Where Pensions Go To Reunite
Got pension pots? Of course you do.
You've probably got one from that summer job at the cinema, another from the office temp job, and maybe a mysterious one from that gig you quit after a month.
They're not lost, just... emotionally distant.
Right now, your retirement savings are probably living separate lives, scattered across the UK like reluctant pen pals. It's not a portfolio; it's a soap opera.
Chest is the family reunion they never knew they needed.
We help you consolidate your pensions – bringing all those lonely pots into one easy-to-use SIPP right in the app. Easy sign-up, straightforward transfers.
Future-You Says Thanks
Chest is more than a pension app; it’s a new approach.
We combine the immediate reward of pension cashback, the effortless habit-building of smart rules, the crystal-clear insight of your Chest Score, and the simple joy of a good financial tidy-up.
It’s about making your money work harder today, so tomorrow takes care of itself.
Join the waitlist for Chest today and start building your future, the smarter way.
Pensions are an investment product. The value of your investments can go down as well as up. Capital at risk.
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