THE deadline to redeem energy bill help vouchers has now passed – but we explain how you can still get your discount.
Every household across the country gets a £400 discount on their bills this winter.
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The help is being paid out over a six-month period, which started in October and will end in March.
Customers received a £66 discount in October and November, and then £67 in December through to March.
The discount is automatically taken off your bill, unless you’re on a traditional prepayment meter, where you’ll be sent vouchers via text, email or post to redeem.
The last batch of vouchers sent out by the Post Office in October was on Friday, October 14.
The Post Office works with British Gas , EDF, E.ON, E.ON Next, Good Energy and Bulb.
As vouchers expire after 90 days, it means that the deadline for claiming these was Saturday, January 14 – which has now passed.
Some customers’ vouchers will have already expired if they were posted earlier than this date.
The expiry date for each voucher is printed on it – so check yours for your exact deadline.
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Other energy companies are working with top-up processor PayPoint to get vouchers posted to customers – but the process works in a similar way.
How can I get my voucher if I missed the deadline?
Don’t panic – missing the deadline doesn’t mean that you’ve lost your £66 forever.
Even if the deadline passes, you can still get your voucher for October re-sent to you if you didn’t claim, or receive, it.
You need to call your energy supplier to ask for a new one.
But you should claim your voucher sooner rather than later to avoid the admin stress – and to get the vital help quicker.
Make sure all your personal details are up-to-date.
Your voucher may have been sent to the wrong email address or phone number, for example.
What other help can you get this winter?
Millions of struggling households can get free cash from their energy supplier to help with rising costs.
You’ll need to contact your supplier directly to see what they offer, what the eligibility requirements are, and how much you can get.
British Gas, E.ON, Octopus and Ovo all offer grants worth hundreds of pounds.
If you don’t know who your supplier is, you can find out using the Ofgem supplier search tool on its website.
You could also get in touch with your local council to see what help it is offering under the Household Support Fund.
Charities and other organisations often offer grants and you might be able to spend that money on energy costs.
Households on pension credit or low incomes may qualify for the warm home discount scheme worth £150.
If you’re pregnant or have a child under the age of four, then you may qualify for Healthy Start vouchers to help pay for basic foods such as milk or fruit.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
