want to switch but am trapped

SwanJon

timmmers wrote: »

No offence, but this is awful advice.
Assuming a debt on an nPower account.

They take 70% towards the debt on each topup on gas, then have a standing charge of 40p a day (just went up a little but it's about that).
So, assuming you buy 10 quid top up, 7 goes instantly, and the remaining 3 will be eaten by the SC in about a week.
Buy 50 quid a week and you'll get 15 quid less the SC to use...that won't get you much gas either.

Fortunately this isn't how the meter works - there is an 'agreed' payment towards the balance each week (the weekyl recovery rate, WRR).
The meter will look to recover this each week and then stop, so if the WRR was £10 and you put in £50 you'd get £40 to use.
Prepayment meters are the same price as standard, so the standing charge thing is irrelevant.

You did miss that the OP would lose any DD discount they were currently getting.

Staying on DD is the better option, but not for any of the scare stories you threw in.