Real-life MMD: Should I share utility switching cashback?

jazzali_2 · 28 November 2012 at 12:19PM

I don't think you should feel guilty about keeping it, but I personally wouldn't. I'd pocket whatever costs you spent on the phone calls to cover your costs - many energy providers have 0845 numbers so you could easily have racked up £10 in calls - and spend the rest on a takeaway for everyone or communal bits for the flat.

pennypinchUK · 28 November 2012 at 12:22PM

Is it really worth risking the harmony of your shared house for £30? I'm sure there will be times when you benefit from the kindness of others, perhaps in non-monetary ways, in the house. Or are you going to conveniently forget those instances?

Use the money to buy a round, and savour the kudos of saving everyone a bit of cash.

onesixfive · 28 November 2012 at 12:33PM

What if it was a HUNDRED and thirty - would you have kept it then ?
Ok you do the deal for the Gas/Elec - but who in the household does the deal for the TV - could they keep say a Sky £100 cashback ? (perfectly feasible).
What if the communal shopper/grocery buyer (if there is one) suddenly decided to buy own-brand goods instead of named labels, and pocket the difference - its all the same principal.
What if all your shopping around deals had failed & it had cost you an extra £30 - you'd have expected everyone else to chip in.
If you live together, you deal together.
Buy a communal take-away with the £30 - discuss it all.

p00 · 28 November 2012 at 12:45PM

If it was you that decided to look for a better deal then Id say it should go into the utility pot. If they asked to do the work ask them if you can keep it for your work.

mrshughes86 · 28 November 2012 at 12:46PM

I would keep it.
You could have said to them before you arranged the deal, that you could save them some money in exchange for keeping the cashback, but as you didn't, and they don't know about it, I would just keep it anyway.

MR~Mrs · 28 November 2012 at 12:54PM

Me and my then husband (at the time boyfriend) had the same argument. He pays the electric bill but I did the work of changing tariff to get a cheaper deal and got £15 cashback. When it came, he claimed it was his because he pays the electric but I said it was mine as I'd done the work AND saved him money. We put it into our wedding fund as we couldn't agree who it belonged too. So why not do something nice with it like get a take-away and movie for you all to enjoy?

I'd like to point out that it was a genunine falling out between me and my OH about the money, just one of our silly arguments. If we'd decided it was mine, I would have used it to pay for dinner and vice versa. We're not that petty!

matty_hunt · 28 November 2012 at 12:57PM

Keep it. Everyone is saving with the new deal anyway. Any one of the others could have sourced a deal themselves but you are the one who put in the work. Its your finders fee, wage, bonus, call it what you will but your time is worth something. You spent your time organising this deal, the reward is yours.
Value your time. You cant get your time back!

Mojisola · 28 November 2012 at 1:09PM

I think it's similar to getting points on a supermarket card.

I sometimes do shopping for other people. It's never crossed my mind to give the financial equivalent of the points to them.

Metarie · 28 November 2012 at 1:34PM

As the bills are in your name, does this mean the DD comes out of your account as well? Probably worth mentioning that if there's a DD, the cashback will go into that account automatically. Of course, if it's your account you have nothing to worry about. I would probably keep it based on previous experiences

purple.sarah · 28 November 2012 at 1:43PM

I would keep the cashback or spend it on something that benefits the whole household. Your housemates are already benefiting from saving on the bills.

Real-life MMD: Should I share utility switching cashback?

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