£400 electricity credit to be paid in instalments - confirmed

RachelMarie123

MWT said:

RachelMarie123 said:

I will not be able to top up with the vouchers based on their expiry dates....

Please could someone offer advice?

The only advice anyone can give right now would be to wait and see exactly how these vouchers are provided and what expiry date is on them...

I know it is frustrating not having clear information, but until the vouchers are out there we really can't make suggestions...

Thank you. I understand your view. I did read the vouchers only had validity of 3 months each. Provisionally could be re-issued if lost at latest in March 2023 but that would only give validity of May 2023 and an electricity key can only hold £250 not £400.

[Deleted User]

Brie said:

if one is a dual fuel customer and the payment exceeds what one owes for electricity would it be applied to the outstanding gas balance?

I am interested in the answer to this too, thanks Brie.  Although it may not be relevant to me - it is a possibility.

doesntnotcompute

RachelMarie123 said:

MWT said:

RachelMarie123 said:

I will not be able to top up with the vouchers based on their expiry dates....

Please could someone offer advice?

The only advice anyone can give right now would be to wait and see exactly how these vouchers are provided and what expiry date is on them...

I know it is frustrating not having clear information, but until the vouchers are out there we really can't make suggestions...

Thank you. I understand your view. I did read the vouchers only had validity of 3 months each. Provisionally could be re-issued if lost at latest in March 2023 but that would only give validity of May 2023 and an electricity key can only hold £250 not £400.

I've heard of people loading more than £255 on their electricity key - the problem is getting it onto the meter. The meter will only take £255 or possibly £255.99 - it definetly won't take £256 because I've attempted it myself.

The warm home discount and other post office payment services all have a 3 month expiry which is the problem. I believe the warm home discount also has a closing date where the supplier can only reclaim payments from the government made before the closing date. I imagine this will all function the similarly....

I'm in the same position, I currently have £130 on my meter and £254 on my key - I can comfortably use about £5 per week which would take me to Jan 2024!!

My current plan is to add the £254 on my key to the meter by the end of the year (I might have to leave the oven on or something to burn through some credit), and then (if possible) just proceed to add all the £400 onto the key - retain the receipts - and sort it out later in the year with British Gas or Ofgem or my MP or whoever - because British Gas wil have been reimbursed by then.

MWT

This would be a great question for someone to ask Martin to comment on, since it is his advice that has put people into this rather unusual position in the first place...

Sea_Shell

Brie said:

if one is a dual fuel customer and the payment exceeds what one owes for electricity would it be applied to the outstanding gas balance?

I am hoping that as a dual fuel customer paying by level DD, that even if the monthly credits are shown against the "electricity" part of the bill, the overall total bill will just reflect the overall balance of my energy account as a whole, less the DD I have paid.


i.e. Electricity is showing in credit and gas in debit IYSWIM?

MWT

wittynamegoeshere said:

I'm losing track of all the free money the government's lobbing at us.

I'm below retirement age, not claiming any benefits.  Am I right in thinking that I was due to get a £200 bill credit in October, or did I imagine that?

Is this extra £400 in instalments in addition to this or does it replace it?

I don't mind free money, but it's all very confusing.  The national debt's probably past the point where it's worth trying to manage it anyway, we might as well party while the country collapses.

The £200 was a loan to be repaid later, the £400 is a grant and replaces the £200 loan.

RachelMarie123

doesntnotcompute said:

RachelMarie123 said:

MWT said:

RachelMarie123 said:

I will not be able to top up with the vouchers based on their expiry dates....

Please could someone offer advice?

The only advice anyone can give right now would be to wait and see exactly how these vouchers are provided and what expiry date is on them...

I know it is frustrating not having clear information, but until the vouchers are out there we really can't make suggestions...

Thank you. I understand your view. I did read the vouchers only had validity of 3 months each. Provisionally could be re-issued if lost at latest in March 2023 but that would only give validity of May 2023 and an electricity key can only hold £250 not £400.

I've heard of people loading more than £255 on their electricity key - the problem is getting it onto the meter. The meter will only take £255 or possibly £255.99 - it definetly won't take £256 because I've attempted it myself.

The warm home discount and other post office payment services all have a 3 month expiry which is the problem. I believe the warm home discount also has a closing date where the supplier can only reclaim payments from the government made before the closing date. I imagine this will all function the similarly....

I'm in the same position, I currently have £130 on my meter and £254 on my key - I can comfortably use about £5 per week which would take me to Jan 2024!!

My current plan is to add the £254 on my key to the meter by the end of the year (I might have to leave the oven on or something to burn through some credit), and then (if possible) just proceed to add all the £400 onto the key - retain the receipts - and sort it out later in the year with British Gas or Ofgem or my MP or whoever - because British Gas wil have been reimbursed by then.

Thank you for this info, I didn't know more than £255 could be loaded to the key. I read on another MSE forum that a part key balance can't be loaded on to the meter, so if this is true I would be wary of loading over £255 on to the key. I am going to write to my MP ASAP as it's the expiry dates that are the major concern and it seems as though the fact the vouchers have them is a done deal, very likely for reasons you have described. I am concerned the supplier's solution may be to refund current credit so the government credit can be loaded but of course the currently loaded credit is at pre-April rates. 

RachelMarie123

MWT said:

This would be a great question for someone to ask Martin to comment on, since it is his advice that has put people into this rather unusual position in the first place...

Do you know if this is the best email address to use:

news@moneysavingexpert.com

?

Used it a few times and not had a response.

Thanks for your help.

MWT

RachelMarie123 said:

 I am concerned the supplier's solution may be to refund current credit so the government credit can be loaded but of course the currently loaded credit is at pre-April rates. 

... do keep in mind though that the loop-hole that you are exploiting to benefit from the pre-April rate is just that, a loop-hole, not an entitlement, so if that is the answer then it is a valid one...

MWT

RachelMarie123 said:

MWT said:

This would be a great question for someone to ask Martin to comment on, since it is his advice that has put people into this rather unusual position in the first place...

Do you know if this is the best email address to use:

news@moneysavingexpert.com

No idea unfortunately, but it does look like a reasonable one to use...