Millions of pounds of vouchers sent to help low-income families pay for their winter heating have not been claimed and the clock is ticking before they expire on June 30.
The Government has warned that a massive £160m worth of vouchers sent to households with traditional prepayment meters, where the customer has to top up their meter using a card or key, are sitting unclaimed as the final deadline to spend them approaches.
More than £780million in support scheme money has been delivered to customers on traditional prepayment meters, which are typically installed in the homes of the UK's poorest families, many of who have fallen behind on their bills. Yet over 2.4 million vouchers have yet to be redeemed, according to the latest statistics, and earlier figures from the firms processing the vouchers – PayPoint and the Post Office – have shown that nearly a fifth of vouchers issued for October and November 2022 had expired without being used, meaning 100,000s of households are missing out on the extra help.
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Households got a non-repayable grant of £400 called the Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS) between October 2022 and March 2023, which was paid in six instalments. The first two, worth £66 each, were made in October and November, and another four, worth £67 each, were made between December and March.
Those paying their energy suppliers directly by direct debit, on receipt of a bill or using smart prepayment meters didn't need to do anything to get their £400 support payments – the money was either taken off their monthly payment, sent directly to their bank account or applied as credit to their bill or meter. But those with traditional prepayment meters received vouchers via text message, email or post by the 11th day of each month, according to industry regulator Ofgem, so if you pay for energy by topping up you should've received all six vouchers by now.
Although expired vouchers can be reissued by your energy company, all vouchers are only valid for 90 days. However, all vouchers, regardless of when they were issued, have to expire by 11.59pm on June 30, so reissued vouchers may not be valid for the full 90 days. After that date, when the scheme officially ends, energy suppliers must return any unused funds to the Government.
And Martin Lewis has warned those who might be storing vouchers to redeem later should be aware that most meters can only hold up to around £250 of energy credit at a time.
Consumer Energy Minister Amanda Solloway has urged anyone who has not yet redeemed their prepayment meter vouchers to do so and Simon Francis, co-ordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, told This Is Money that everyone should check that they have had the full value of the EBBS that they are owed. "'If people suspect they have not had a payment - or if they may have misplaced their voucher - they should contact their energy firm immediately and check," he said. "Payments can still be made and vouchers reissued so it is not too late."
The vouchers need to be redeemed at a Post Office or PayPoint shop to add it to your gas or electricity top-up key or card. The vouchers are not interchangeable, so you will need to redeem using the method printed on the voucher. You can't redeem your voucher in a Payzone store as they are unable to accept the vouchers.
Are you still waiting for any of your six energy vouchers? Let us know in the comments below
If you haven't got yours, or if you did but have since lost it or it's expired, contact your energy supplier and it should be able to resend it. Some suppliers are automatically reissuing expired vouchers if they can see that you've redeemed another month's voucher and if the voucher was initially sent by post, you can ask your supplier if it can send it by email or text message instead. The Government says suppliers are required to make all reasonable efforts to ensure you get your discount.
Off-grid gas customers who use alternative fuels are also being urged to act quickly to take full advantage of Government support, as a number of schemes close on May 31, meaning from Monday they'll have just a month to claim.
Now read:
- Confusion as £400 energy bills support for households comes to an end
- What Ofgem's new code on prepayment meters means if you owe money to your energy supplier
- Expert's tips on how to make £301 cost of living payment go further
- Here's why your bills are going up even though energy prices are staying the same
- Prepay meter customers hit with shock energy bills for hundreds of pounds
