Timing your energy switch to avoid exit fees?

coffeehound

Can anyone advise on the exact timings for switiching energy providers please?
Current tariff is a fixed period ending on February the 28th.  There are £60 exit fees if I leave before then.  
I've done a search and found a good option to move to.  When is it best to actually 'press the button'?
When I've switched previously the whole process has been a bit opaque and I haven't known how long it has taken from application to the changeover.

Gerry1

If the new tariff is cheaper, switch today.  If the new tariff is more expensive, switch shortly before 28 February: you should be charged the old rates until the switch is complete.

Have you compared separate suppliers as well as dual fuel?

Phones4Chris

coffeehound said:

..............
Current tariff is a fixed period ending on February the 28th.  There are £60 exit fees if I leave before then.  
.................

You should find that there is no exit fees if you leave within 49 days of the end of your contracted period (OFGEM rule IIRC) check your small print.

niktheguru

Its a tricky one, there is a good british gas 1yr fix from a year ago through MSE that is finishing on 28th Feb. (so i take it there will be lots of people looking for whats available now to switch to from that)
The difficulty is, nearly all tariffs are higher now.  You are able to switch now without paying a penalty, the big question is do you switch now and fix. or do you wait till near 28th, keep paying your current low tariff and take the risk that tariffs may be higher (or lower, but unlikely) in a months time when you actually wanna move. Given that now is the highest energy expenditure time of the year theres no right or wrong answer.

coffeehound

Thanks a lot for the info and advice.  I didn't know the early termination fees didn't apply towards the end, so that's been really useful to find out.  The blurb says 

 If you switch to another energy supplier after the cool off period and before 11 January 2021 we’ll charge you an exit fee of £30 for electricity and £30 for gas. 

AVRO offers a good alternative here so will switch today.  Just hope the meters don't need changing again . .

coffeehound

Edit:  AVRO does not offer a good alternative:  all four tariffs still being quoted by CAB and Uswitch compare site have ended.

[Deleted User]

coffeehound said:

Edit:  AVRO does not offer a good alternative:  all four tariffs still being quoted by CAB and Uswitch compare site have ended.

The only tariff I now see on any of the comparison sites (and on AVRO) is Simple and SuperPremier. More expensive than the one I have signed up for last week Simple and SuperPremium.  Both are exit free tariffs and fixed for 12 months but the latter is not as good as the former obviously. 

coffeehound

Worth mentioning that one supplier at least lets you specify a date in the future when you want the switch to happen.  So if you are moving to a more expensive tariff, you can at least take full advantage of the outgoing rates to the finish date without having to wait until the last minute to choose a new supplier.