Pension apps make engagement easy. Web portals kill it.
Most of us unlock our phones with a fingerprint or a glance. We check our bank balance, pay bills and buy things with a couple of clicks. But try to check your pension? Suddenly you’re hunting for that username you created 3 years ago, answering security questions about your first pet, and waiting for SMS codes that never arrive.
Most of the UK’s major pension administrators do not offer mobile apps. Their clients’ members are obliged to log into web portals, remember passwords, and navigate security processes designed for at least a decade ago. This creates problems for people trying to engage with their retirement savings.
The risks of relying on web portals
One scheme, with 1.7 million members, forces users to remember usernames and passwords and set up 2-factor authentication just to see their pension balance. Forget your login details? You’ll need to answer security questions, wait for email codes, and possibly receive a postal reminder. For something most people check once a year, it’s a recipe for frustration.
Another pension portal demands even more. Members need a customer reference number sent by post before they can register. Then they create more passwords to forget. Each barrier pushes members further from their pension information.
The security risks multiply too. Password-based systems invite fraud. Members reuse passwords, write them down or pick easy-to-guess options. Meanwhile, fraudsters develop increasingly sophisticated ways to steal these credentials and access pension pots.
The providers who get it right
Plenty of pension providers, including some administrators, show what can be done.
Smart Pension makes it simple
Over 1.4 million members rate the Smart Pension app 4+ stars. Why? Because they can check their balance with a fingerprint. They can switch investments with a face scan. No passwords to remember, no codes to type.
The app tracks balances in real-time and lets members change contribution levels instantly. Smart adds a further retail feel with Smart Rewards, giving discounts at 1,400 retailers.
Standard Life leads the pack
Standard Life’s app scores 4.7/5 on the App Store – the highest of any UK pension app (as of June 2025). Members use biometric login to see not just their pension but their entire financial picture through ‘Money Mindset’.
The open finance integration pulls together savings, investments and pensions in one view. Members can understand their complete financial health without juggling multiple logins across different providers.
EQ builds specialist solutions
EQ (Equiniti) runs multiple apps for different schemes. PensionView covers standard DB and DC pensions. Specialist apps serve Local Government Pension Schemes. However, users still report login problems and error messages, showing that even app-based providers struggle with reliability.
Nest keeps it simple for millions
Nest serves over 10 million members with a straightforward app that focuses on the basics. Members need their username and password to set it up, but can then unlock the app with a 6-digit PIN, fingerprint or face ID. The app shows their balance and contributions, and lets users update personal details.
Brightwell goes biometric
Brightwell shows what’s possible even without apps. They built the UK’s first fully online retirement process using biometric identity verification through Onfido. Members complete their retirement without printing, signing or posting anything. Two-thirds of retiring members now use it, saving 39% of administrator time.
Why most providers stick with passwords
One of the biggest third-party administrators has had an app since 2013 but it gets terrible reviews. Users report crashes, loading failures, and complete breakdowns on recent iOS versions. The app only works for DC schemes and is read-only: you cannot actually do anything on it.
Most admin providers rely on web portals, and they do invest in making these portals mobile-responsive. But members still face the fundamental problem: another username and password to manage among the 100+ credentials the average person juggles.
Some providers argue that responsive websites work just as well as apps. But they miss the point. Apps live on your phone so they’re easy to find. They remember you. They use your fingerprint or face to let you in instantly. Websites make you start from scratch every time.
Apps mean better engagement
Without apps, pension providers create unnecessary distance between members and their money. Young workers who manage everything else on their phones cannot check their pension contributions. Members who struggle with passwords get locked out of their own retirement savings.
The industry talks about engagement, but passwords kill it. Members will not check balances regularly if it means remembering another login. They will not update their investment choices if they need to find that security code they wrote down somewhere. They will not increase contributions if the process takes 15 minutes of password resets.
Time to catch up
Banks solved this problem years ago. Every major UK bank offers biometric login. Investment platforms followed suit. Even government services let you use modern authentication. Pension providers, especially third party administrators, remain the outliers, clinging to authentication methods that frustrate members and invite fraud. If gov.uk can launch an app, so can a pension provider.
The security benefits are proven. Biometric features are virtually impossible to replicate, making them far more secure than knowledge-based authentication. Members expect it. The only question is how long the industry will take to catch up.
For the millions of UK workers whose pension providers do not offer apps, the message is clear: your retirement savings matter less than your current account. Until that changes, members will keep forgetting passwords, avoiding engagement, and missing opportunities to improve their financial futures.
The providers who recognise this – who put member experience first and embrace the authentication methods people actually want to use – will win. The rest will continue to wonder why their members never log in.
