Changing a gas pre-payment meter to an ordinary one

napaul

Is there a charge to change a prepayment card meter to an ordinary gas meter? Similarly for a pre-payment card electricity meter.

It's costing my son so much to pay the high cost of a prepayment meter. He's on Income Support and has a young family and the gas and electric card meters are just eating all their money.

Help and advice welcomed.

Kev27

Yes normally £50-60 but tell the company that you have been offered the change free from another company if you swap to them and your exisiting supplier should then do it for free. Kev

t0rt0ise

British Gas tend to do it for free if you change to them. They will do a credit check and if it fails will ask for a rather large deposit. But do check by phone with them before changing.

PNPSUKNET

I would leave them in, you use less with pre-pay as you know how much you are using.

Premier_2

napaul wrote: »

Is there a charge to change a prepayment card meter to an ordinary gas meter? Similarly for a pre-payment card electricity meter.

It's costing my son so much to pay the high cost of a prepayment meter. He's on Income Support and has a young family and the gas and electric card meters are just eating all their money.

Help and advice welcomed.

There may well be. Contact your supplier and ask for details. The cost may be around £50 and you may also be requested to pay several £hundred as a refundable security deposit.

Each supplier differs in their approach, and only by asking yours will you know for sure. They may, subject to status, refuse to prove a credit meter at all. The approach is unlikely to change from their standard approach by threats to switch supplier.

You should also note is is a fallacy to believe that PPMs are a high cost nowadays; the reality is that the costs of supply on a PPM are typically very similar to that of supply on the suppliers standards tariff.

Of course, a credit meter may allow extra savings by agreeing to pay a set amount monthly by DD, online management, etc ... but have a read of the number of people on this forum alone who have got themselves into difficulties using such plans (and not fully understanding and monitoring them). For that reason, there is some logic in suggesting keeping PPMs for those who struggle to manage their finances.

napaul

Thanks for your comments. Can anyone add to this please?

Premier_2

napaul wrote: »

Thanks for your comments. Can anyone add to this please?

Of course

How did you get on when you followed the advice and contacted your supplier and asked for details? :huh: