From one-off energy payments to 'free money' for switching your bank account, there are plenty of ways you can claim some extra cash at the moment to help you with payments. Two one-off energy support payments are available - though the deadline to pay for one of them is looming.
The two separate payments - one for £200 and one for £400 - are available to millions of people who meet certain criteria. On top of support for your energy bills, money saving expert Martin Lewis has highlighted banks that are currently offering people payments for switching.
Vouchers have also been made available at some big name supermarkets to help knock a bit of money off your weekly shop. We've rounded up the money currently available in Wales to help with energy payments, shopping, and more below.
Read more: Tens of thousands of people could be owed up to £6,000 after DWP error, says Martin Lewis
£200 one-off energy support payment
The deadline to apply for this is fast approaching and those who are eligible must do so by Tuesday, February 28. The Welsh Government's fuel support scheme offers the one-off cash payment to those on low incomes and who claim certain benefits.
In order to get the money, you have to apply to your local authority. It is available to all eligible energy customers, regardless of how they pay for fuel and including those who pay by pre-payment meter, direct debit, pay quarterly or for those who use off-grid fuel.
The scheme is part of a £90m support package to address high living costs which have seen inflation soar to a 40-year high in the UK. It is open to households where an applicant or their partner is in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits at any time between September 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023:
- Income support
- Income based jobseeker's allowance
- Employment ad support allowance
- Universal credit
- Working tax credits
- Child tax credits
- Pension credit
- Personal independence payment (PIP)
- Disability living allowance (DLA)
- Attendance allowance
- Carers allowance
- Contributory benefits
- Council tax reduction scheme (CTRS)
- Armed Forces independence payment
- Constant attendance allowance
- War pension mobility supplement
One payment will be available to all eligible households and can be claimed regardless of whether they are using on or off-grid fuel. Find out more about the scheme and whether you are eligible to apply here.
£400 one-off energy support payment
You may be eligible for a £400 one-off support payment from next week through the energy bills support scheme alternative funding (EBSS AF). EBSS AF is currently in its pilot phase, but will be rolled out on Monday, February 27.
The one-off, non-repayable lump sum will be delivered by local authorities in Scotland, England and Wales, with around 900,000 households to be provided with financial support without a direct relationship with a domestic electricity supplier, the Daily Record reports.
The fund would be on top of the £200 alternative fuel payment (AFP) being given this month to around two million off-grid customers. While the online payment portal was due to open last month it was delayed and is currently being piloted in four council areas in the UK, including Wrexham County Borough Council. It is expected to be rolled out nationwide next week. You can read more about the scheme here.
When will the next cost of living payment come in?
A £900 funding package for around eight million UK households on means-tested benefits, including those on Universal Credit, has moved a step closer. Vulnerable families across the county are set to receive the £900 cost of living cash boost if Parliament approves a new law.
The Social Security (Additional Payments) (No.2) Bill was approved at its second reading on Tuesday by MPs and will undergo further scrutiny at a later date. It provides for a £900 cost of living payment to be paid by the DWP in three instalments to millions of means-tested benefits households.
A further £150 for over six million individuals with disabilities and £300 for pensioners on top of their Winter Fuel Payments. Exact payment will be announced closer to the time, the UK government has said, though three instalments will be paid across 2023-2024.
Bank accounts that pay free cash for switching
More and more banks have started offering 'free money' to attract customers to switch their accounts. Some are even offering hundreds of pounds to get people to leave their current provider.
According to Money Saving Expert, four banks are currently offering (legal) cash bribes to tempt you over - including NatWest which has newly launched a £200 offer. Here are the current offers:
- NatWest Reward or RBS Award: Switchers will get £200 upfront and up to £36 a year cashback and a 6% regular saver. To qualify for the £200, you must open either a NatWest or RBS Reward or Select accounts and switch. You must also pay in £1,250+ once and log in to the app within 60 days from the date you opened the account. Find more details on different accounts on the NatWest website.
- First Direct: According to Money Saving Expert (MSE), First Direct gives a free £175, 7% regular saver, plus many get a £250 0% overdraft. In addition, those switching to First Direct's 1st Account get access to a 7% linked regular saver you can put up to £300 a month in. To qualify, you must open the account, switch and pay in £1,000+ within three months. Find more details on different accounts on the First Direct website.
- TSB: TSB pays £125 upfront to those who open an account by March 3 and then, before March 24, switch, have more than two direct debits, spend at least once using the debit card, and log on to mobile banking. An extra £75 is available to those who, every month from April through September, spend on the debit card five times, pay in more than £500 and have more than two direct debits. Find more details on different accounts on the TSB website.
- Lloyds: Lloyds also offers £200, but only for switching to a specific account. If you switch to a Lloyds Silver account, you get £200 free cash, which can be left in your account to pay the £10 monthly fee for the first 20 months. Find more on Lloyds silver here.
For each of these offers, you can find out more here.
Up to £6,000 cash back following DWP error
Martin Lewis recently claimed on his ITV Martin Lewis Money Show Live that around 100,000 people are entitled to up to £6,000 back in underpaid state pensions due to a former DWP error. He said on the show that married women and widows may have been underpaid, but described the situation as "complicated" and advised women over 70 on low state pensions to "go and do some reading" around the issue.
Explaining the situation in more detail, Martin said: "If the old state pension, so those aged 70 or above roughly, was less than 60% of their husband's, first of all there's some automatic top-ups and backdating and they're working through it now so you'll get them.
"If your husband was 65 after March 16, 2008, and the wife's pension didn't rise when he retired and it's under 60% you may get that top-up. There's also an automatic top-up for any woman aged 80+ who was paid under £85 per week on the state pension.
"But going back to the big theme, the old state pension under 60%, you will need to claim it. There are free tools online and you can call the pension service to chat." You can read more about this here.
Asda and Lidl vouchers
Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert newsletter issued a seven-day warning to shoppers on February 22 over free cash. In its latest newsletter, the it said that Asda and Lidl are offering £5 vouchers until February 28.
Lidl is offering one million £5 off vouchers via its app to spend by February 28, while new users of the Asda Rewards app can get a £5 voucher to spend on almost anything in-store or online, until the same date, the Echo reports. To claim the Asda voucher, simply download the Asda Rewards app (if you're a newbie) and you can get a £5 voucher in your 'Cashpot' after completing your first online or in-store shop. The voucher can then be redeemed on your next shop.
Once the voucher is claimed, you have six months to spend it. You can scan the voucher in the app in store as you go through the check-out or use it online. To do so, you must register on the Asda Rewards app using the same email address you use to sign in to Asda's online shop.
Vouchers automatically apply to your online shop. If you have more than one voucher in your account, the oldest dated voucher will be used first. You can't use the voucher on kiosk items, petrol, pharmacy, third-party or Asda gift cards and infant formula.
To claim the Lidl voucher, you can log in or register an account in the Lidl Plus app. Then press the ‘More’ tab at the bottom of the app and tap ‘Redeem code’ (this should be the top item). If you enter the code FEELGOOD and the voucher will be will be displayed shortly afterwards in the 'Coupons' section of the app.
You must then activate the voucher in the ‘Coupons’ section of the app before scanning your Lidl Plus app at the till. You'll have to show the coupon live within the app. Please note that screenshots, pictures or printouts won't be accepted.
There are one million available until February 28 to claim and spend the voucher, and it must be done in a single transaction. It excludes alcohol, infant formula and gift cards and the qualifying spend must reach £25 after any other discounts.
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