Real-life MMD: Should I share utility switching c...

[MSE Sally]

Money Moral Dilemma: Should I share utility switching cashback?

I share a house. While we split the bills equally, the gas and electricity bill is in my name. When the price hikes were announced recently, I listened to the boss and switched to a fixed deal saving us £150/yr, clicking through a comparison site offering the most cashback. I've done the legwork, made the calls and sourced the deal. Now the switch is nearly complete, do I split the £30 cashback with my housemates? (I'm staying anonymous, in case they're reading...)

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Note: Please remember that these are real-life Money Moral Dilemmas and while we want you to have your say, please remember to be nice when you respond.


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[green1970]

I don't think I'd keep it, if you're sharing a house I would think that everyone mucks in with doing their bit - yours just managed to bag you a kickback. I'd be tempted to buy something with the cashback that benefits the whole household like a few £10 meal deals from M&S or a second hand wii console, something that gets you all together having a laugh. Living with others is tough enough without people thinking one of their housemates is being a little bit mean.

[Dame]

You are all already saving £150/year through your hard work - the cashback should surely be for the person who put themself out to find the deal

I say keep it

[mayling03]

I would say keep it. It's only £30 at the end of the day. You took initiative to bother doing the legwork - think of it as a little reward to yourself. And your housemates are better off anyway. Also the cash back may take months to come through.

[Tigsteroonie]

I wouldn't share it - you did the hard work of finding them a good deal, so they've all benefitted from that. The cashback is your wages for doing the work!

[Curly]

Keep it 100% and keep quiet.

[moneysavingmumofone]

Id keep it as your reward for finding the deal!

[irishjohn]

Look at it this way - another housemate goes off to Mr T to buy house share items, eg Instant Coffee - large jar. He finds it is on BOGOF so brings back two jars - He puts one jar in the cupboard for communal use and keeps the second one to take into work to use for his coffee breaks? Does that sound fair to you? If it does then by all means keep the £30 - if it doesn't then I would hope the £30 goes into the communal pot of cash to pay the utility bills,

[zepsgal]

Keep it!

You earned it!

[kerri gt]

Keep it. You did all the leg work to save the house £150 , count it as a service fee. If you felt like it you could shout the house a takeaway perhaps.

[Kirri]

Keep it - it takes ages going through those comparison deals, most people wouldn't bother even trying and why should they share it if they've done nothing to help!

[tommay]

I think it would be quite cheeky to keep it if, had you not done it, someone else would've. If you can be sure nobody else would've bothered then you could keep it.
I agree with green1970 though; buy something for everybody with the money. Maybe rent a couple of films and get a takeaway for a good night in.

[Augustus the Strong]

If you've found a deal that makes it cheaper for you all, with a £30 reward on top, I'd say keep the £30. Everyone is benefiting from your efforts, so they can't complain.

[trishx]

I'd say it depends on your housemates and what your relationship with them regarding money is like.

In my group of friends, I'm always the organiser and the one who gets the deals, pays out and then collects the money. When I do this for my friends, I always count any cashback as "kitty" money and use it as credit for the next expense. I quite like to tell them "I got us a 10% discount here and £6 off here" etc. These are the sort of people who always buy a round and are considerate and grateful for the effort I put in.

Earlier this year, I organised a hen party for a good friend of mine, where most of the other girls constantly grumbled about the cost (although it was ridiculously good value and well under the agreed amount). What really wound me up is they refused to contribute to paying the brides expenses! I also ended up spending a lot of my own money for extras (party bags etc). For these sort of people - keep the cashback! I did and it wasn't insignificant either

So are they generally fair and decent people - whom you have a decent tit for tat relationship with? Or are they misers who are always stealing your milk and never replacing it? I think you'd know if you would begrudge sharing it with them or not.

[Sharon87]

I would say keep it. I'm in charge of bills in my house, little perks and knowledge of cashback sites means its like payment for keeping on top of the bills. My housemates wouldn't know where to start trying to save money or understanding bills. I did the cashback for sky tv. Didn't tell housemates though but I see it as I'm putting my credit score on the line and I get reward by being smart and also going through cashback site

[centaurandrew]

Keep it.

Many people don't bother with cashback sites anyway as they don't understand them, I've given up trying to convert people!

Fact of the matter is, you've saved them money, they probably wouldn't have bothered with cashback if they'd arranged it and you put in a lot more time than them.

Jar of coffee example is completely irrelevant here - a better comparison would be - Housemate A goes into Tesco and buys a jar of coffee for the house, and also earns 1000 reward points in the process, should they share what they bought with the reward points?

[juggsy]

I agree with trishx in that it depends on what your housemates are like to live with to ultimately help make the decision. If your house was anything like mine, I was always the one that sorted the bills, dealt with the landlord, sorted issues etc. whilst everyone else just messed the house up. So if it were me in that situation I'd definitely keep it as my reward for doing more than my fair share.

If however you live in a more amicable household where everyone mucks in, does their fair share and has their own responsibilities then why not buy a couple of rounds at the pub with it?

At the end of the day it is only £30 so whether you split or keep it is not going to drastically change anyone's lives, so don't worry about it too much

[StretchedElf]

I'm pretty shocked at how many people think its ok to keep it. Fair enough if all the housemates had agreed beforehand that anyone who finds a deal like this gets to reap the rewards, but they haven't so I don't think you should. Heck, why not go the whole hog and pocket the £150 annual savings, after all, that was your "hard work" too, right?

[SueC]

Think through how they would be likely to react if they found out you had kept the £30.

If it would result in upset / damaged friendships in any way, then ask yourself if the £30 is worth it.

There's a lot to be said for harmonious relationships with those that we live with.

[qetu1357]

I say keep it.

You did the hard work in finding the best deal and your flatmates are sharing in the benefit of the reduced bill.