Changing to a DD - payment question

TwittersPVFC

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but I'm stumped. As part of the switch I mentioned in a previous thread I'm going to move from a Quarterly bill which I pay on my Credit Card (not an automated payment!) to monthly DD. Obviously though this means I need to make sure funds are available in my account to do so, and with it being Xmas money is tight!

So my question is, if I were to switch supplier today, and ask my new supplier to set up a DD, when are they likely to want the first payment?

macman

When I switched to BG I could specify the date in the month of the DD, your supplier may give you similar options.
But if you switch today, it's going to be at least 4-5 weeks before your first DD payment.

DirectDebacle

A switch should not take more than 6 weeks but often does. As with macman my supplier S.P. are flexible as to the date the DD is taken and the first one may well not be taken until the month after you have switched. Your chosen supplier should be able to clarify this with a quick phone call.

Be wary of what they wish to set the DD at. It should be set at the cost of your energy consumption p.a. /12 for each fuel. You need to know your kWh usage per annum to be able to guage this correctly.

An increasing number of suppliers are abusing the DD scheme by insisting accounts are at zero by spring, thus DD accounts are almost constantly in credit. This is not the intended purpose of the DD scheme. If the initial DD payments seem very high to you then this may well be the reason for it. Be aware.