One in five of the UK's poorest households could be out of pocket to the tune of £132 by not cashing in their energy vouchers before they expired.
All energy customers are getting £400 worth of help with their bills as part of the Government's Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS). The money is paid in six instalments with the last one due this month. Those who pay by direct debit, on receipt of bill, or have a smart prepayment meter should be receiving the money automatically, but those with traditional prepayment meters - the type which have a key of card that needs to be topped up at a shop or Post Office - get their rebate in the form of monthly vouchers, which then need to be redeemed in the same way. And after the deadline for cashing the November deadline passed early last month, payment terminal company Paypoint reported that only 81% of vouchers had been cashed.
The vouchers were sent with a 90-day expiry date, so the tranche sent in November ran out on Sunday, February 5, with December's due to expire on March 8. The Post Office had previously urged households to cash their October £66 vouchers, as their figures showed £17m was still outstanding just days before the deadline in January. Families who have missed both deadlines for the £66 energy vouchers have potentially lost £132 if they don't act.
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Although prepay - or Pay As You Go - customers are supposed to get their vouchers in the first week of the month, there have been many cases where customers have been left shivering when their vouchers have not arrived, with Which? reporting earlier in the year that 29% of traditional prepayment meter customers hadn't received their payments.
Vivian Patterson, from Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, was left waiting more than a month to receive her first £66 energy rebate payment, and actually received the second month's payment before the first one arrived. Ms Patterson, who is physically and mentally disabled, told how she broke down in tears after calling EDF daily after October 14, the latest date she says she was told she could expect the voucher in a flyer from EDF.
"We are on a really low income and have no wages coming in," said Vivian, 52. "We have two teenage sons so we need every single penny and while £66 isn't a vast amount, it was a lot to us." EDF apologised for the inconvenience and frustration, saying the vouchers had been reissued along with some compensation for the delay.
And Kerry Emmerson, of Benton. Newcastle, also got in touch after her patience ran out while she waited for October and November's vouchers from Ovo Energy until early December. Ms Emmerson, whose account has been changed from SSE to Ovo Energy after Ovo took over SSE's domestic customers since 2020, had her traditional prepayment meter changed to a smart meter in September, which Ovo said was the cause of the mix-up. The missing vouchers were reissued and all payments are now being made through her new smart meter.
Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: "As an urgent priority, the Government and energy suppliers must work together to share best practice and quickly improve the scheme to ensure that all customers on prepayment meters – who are more likely to be vulnerable and on lower incomes – are able to access this vital support without further delay."
Here's everything you need to know about your vouchers and what to do with them:
How do I know if I am entitled to the vouchers?
If you pay for your energy by direct debit, standard credit or have a smart prepayment meter, you'll get the discount automatically and don't need to do anything. If you have a traditional prepayment meter, you'll get your discount in one of the following ways:
- As a voucher sent by email, text or post;
- As an automatic credit when you top up.
How many should I have received by now?
So far, you should have had at least five:
- £66 in October and November
- £67 in December, January and February
- A further £67 is due in March, the last voucher of the scheme
How do I redeem them?
Your supplier should tell you where you can use your voucher. You'll usually need to take it to the Post Office or a local shop that has a PayPoint logo. You'll need to show a UK driving license or a utility bill with a name and address that match those on your energy account.
When do the vouchers expire?:
Vouchers expire 90 days after they were issued. The expiry date for vouchers issued in October and November has already passed. The upcoming deadlines are:
- December vouchers: March 8
- January vouchers: April 9
- February vouchers: Early May
- March vouchers: Early June
What can I do if my voucher has expired?
If your energy voucher expires before you’ve redeemed it, you’ll need to contact your energy supplier. They may be able to issue you with a new rebate voucher. Reissued vouchers are valid for another 90 days from the date they're reissued but all vouchers must be redeemed by June 30.
What to do if your vouchers have not arrived yet
Make sure your supplier has your latest contact details: As pay as you go meters don't generate bills, suppliers don't always have up-to-date address details for their customers. You should be able to check this in your online account if you have one or by contacting your supplier directly.
Ask your supplier to reissue missing vouchers: The vouchers are sent from your energy supplier by post, email or text message. If you haven't got yours, or you have lost it, contact your energy supplier and it should be able to resend it. The Government says suppliers are required to make all reasonable efforts to ensure you get your discount, so ask if it can be resent by email or text message instead.
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