When to switch from fixed contract

innovate

My existing fixed term contract ends on February 3, and I will change supplier but I want to avoid paying a termination charge.

Seems I cannot specify an earliest date for a switch to another supplier (most probably Sainsburys) - so what's the collective wisdom on when to apply for the switch?

victor2

Initiate the switch 10 working days before the end of the current contract, as that is usually the cooling off period, during which time the new supplier will not contact the current supplier to tell them you're leaving.
Even though it typically takes 4-6 weeks to switch, the period of time you'll have on the current suppliers standard tariff, after your fixed one ends, won't really cost you that much more than it would have done on the new tariff.

macman

Any time after 10/1 should be OK-about 3 weeks ahead. A switch will take 4-5 weeks.

innovate

Really annoying that it doesn't seem to be possible to specify a 'not before' date for the switch. If the date is too far in the future for the new supplier, they can say so and decline to accept the application. They clearly don't want to make switching easy and transparent for the consumer.

Anyways,many thanks for your tips, victor2 and macman - I'll leave my application for a couple of weeks.