change prepayment meter to direct debit

goldilocks275

I have a prepayment meter as I have had debt problems in past ,these are now resoved & I would like to pay by direct debit . Brithish gas say I must pay £250.00 up front to be taken off my bill after 1st year. Is there an cheaper way to switch?:rotfl:

Yellowcard

Are they defiinitely aware you want to pay by direct debit? The security deposit is usually the alternative to that for those that fail the credit vet and don't wish to pay via MDD.

cing0

I changed from prepayment electricity this summer to direct debit (credit) with British gas then changed suppliers. I'd switch suppliers, then ask for to pay by credit if you don't want to provide a deposit. FYI, Comparison website Simplyswitch allows you to put pre-payment as your current payment method and Direct debit as your new one so your new supplier should sort metering out I guess?
I assume your new supplier will credit check you as well so check there are no problems with your credit score/record - check this site for info on how to perform that.

t0rt0ise

I'd take their offer if you can find the deposit. I'm guessing you won't get a better offer from another supplier. Most charge to replace the meter and even if you haven't been in debt some will force you to be with them for a year before even considering it. British Gas seem to be one of the more reasonable when it comes to changing PPMs to credit meters. When I recently moved to a house with PPMs I emailed round all the major players and British Gas were the only ones who would change my meters straight away and for free.

Kez_2

Hiya, I rang round different suppliers and I had my meter changed from pre pay to a normal one so I could pay by direct debit by southern electric for free about 6 months ago when I bought my house.

davidgmmafan

t0rt0ise wrote: »

I'd take their offer if you can find the deposit. I'm guessing you won't get a better offer from another supplier. Most charge to replace the meter and even if you haven't been in debt some will force you to be with them for a year before even considering it. British Gas seem to be one of the more reasonable when it comes to changing PPMs to credit meters. When I recently moved to a house with PPMs I emailed round all the major players and British Gas were the only ones who would change my meters straight away and for free.

I'm not sure about this, I beleive some suppliers charge £60-£80 so it may be worth a phone call to check. Some suppliers will change it free of charge if you've been with them before, sometimes they'll say you need to be with them for a set period eg 12 months. Generally speaking the supplier who fitted the meter due to debt will not be keen at all to remove it.

t0rt0ise

davidgmmafan wrote: »

I'm not sure about this, I beleive some suppliers charge £60-£80 so it may be worth a phone call to check. Some suppliers will change it free of charge if you've been with them before, sometimes they'll say you need to be with them for a set period eg 12 months. Generally speaking the supplier who fitted the meter due to debt will not be keen at all to remove it.

Well, what did I say that you're not sure of? The OP has already been offered the exchange of meters by BG and I said that others charge or ask you to be with them for 12 months.. so what's left?

Premier_2

goldilocks275 wrote: »

I have a prepayment meter as I have had debt problems in past ,these are now resoved & I would like to pay by direct debit . Brithish gas say I must pay £250.00 up front to be taken off my bill after 1st year. Is there an cheaper way to switch?:rotfl:

No, that's not correct.

You'll need to pay the bills in full and on time to get the deposit refunded.

After a year, they should then refund the deposit with interest, not credit your account with the money.