MILLIONS of British Gas customers are set to receive an energy bill discount next month.
The discount will be paid to all 10million British Gas customers to help with rising costs this winter.
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Customers who pay their energy bills by direct debit will receive the £400 discount directly into their bank account.
Households that don’t pay their bills by debit payers will receive the discount as a credit on their account.
And those on prepayment meters will have the discount credited to their meter.
The discount will be will be made up of six instalments, starting from October.
Customers will get a discount worth £66 in October and November.
A £67 discount will then be provided every month between December and March 2023.
Bulb, E.ON, E.ON Next, Scottish Power, Shell Energy, Octopus Energy, Ovo Energy, Utilita and Utility Warehouse have also now confirmed how they’ll pay their customers.
We list how you’ll receive the discount depending on your payment method below.
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I have a standard electricity meter, how will I get the payment?
British Gas said it will send the money straight to your bank each month, like a refund, once your direct debit has successfully gone through.
If your monthly direct debit payment is lower than the monthly discount value, the remaining balance will be applied to your energy account as a credit.
For example, if your Direct Debit is £100 a month, you’d pay that as normal. Then a few days later, £67 will be paid in to your bank account.
If your Direct Debit is less than £67 a month, say £50 for example, £50 will be refunded to your bank account and the remaining £17 will be applied as credit to your energy account.
If you pay by quarterly cash or cheque your discount will be applied to your account balance each month.
I’m on a prepayment meter, how will I get the discount?
If you’re on a smart prepayment meter, the discount will be automatically credited to your electricity meter in the first week of each month of delivery.
If you’re on a traditional prepayment meter, you’ll be given a redeemable energy bill discount voucher or special action message (SAMs) in the first week of each month, issued via SMS text, email or post.
You’ll receive vouchers by email or post within 11 working days of the first day of each month.
Customers will then need to redeem these at their usual top-up point and do so within 90 days of their issue date.
If you fail to redeem your voucher within the validity period, you’ll have to contact British Gas to arrange for a fresh voucher to be sent to you.
What other help is available?
There are plenty of energy grants and schemes open to help you out if you’re struggling.
British Gas has recently confirmed that it’ll pay its most vulnerable customers grants worth £750 to help with sky-high bills.
Ask your supplier what’s on offer and how to apply, or check here:
There’s also a one-off fuel voucher from your energy supplier if you’re on a prepayment metre.
If you’re in debt there are plenty of services you can take advantage of and they offer free and friendly advice on how to manage debt.
Most of them can offer you free guidance and help in person, over the telephone or online.
They can also help you take the next steps if you need a debt management plan (DMP) to tackle your debt or an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA). These are agreements for managing multiple debts.
