direct debit

Energy customers are being incentivised to switch to direct debit by being offfered the chance of winning £10,000. The Bacs Payment Schemes Limited (Bacs) has started a national campaign called the Freedom Guaranteed 2016 scheme to encourage bill payers to switch payment method. Any customer of a participating utility firm can enter a competition with […]

The difference in prices between payment methods for energy has “fallen significantly” since new rules were introduced in 2009, according to Ofgem. The rules allow suppliers to charge different prices for different methods but only if the amount reflects the costs of providing those accounts. They were designed to protect consumers and take into account […]

Four out of the Big Six energy suppliers have agreed to automatically refund direct debit customers who are in credit. EDF Energy, British Gas and SSE as well as smaller supplier First Utility followed E.ON to hand back surplus cash to customers but ScottishPower and npower have yet to follow suit. The money could also […]

Direct debit customers with more than £5 credit at the end of their yearly billing cycle will automatically be paid the amount, SSE has announced. Automatic refunds were previously only made on balances of £100 or more. SSE will also start reviewing all direct debit customers’ accounts twice a year within the next 12 months. […]

Energy supplier First Utility has slashed its charges for customers who don’t pay by direct debit from £8 a month to £2. The cut applies to all the small supplier’s customers immediately, meaning charges tot up to just £24 a year. It is piggybacking on the recent outcry from MPs over the “huge discrepancy” in charges. On […]

Customers face a “huge disparity” in costs when deciding whether to pay for energy with direct debits or by cash and cheques, MPs claimed yesterday. The issue reared its head in the House of Commons when backbench MPs put forward a motion to force government to act on the problem. Mike Weir, the Scottish National […]

At the moment they’re mainly used by big brands like Puma and Ralph Lauren to try and sell products – but the Government thinks the black and white QR codes, which smartphones scan to give users more information, could go onto energy bills. So if the codes eventually work their way onto household energy statements, […]

Big Six supplier E.ON has decided to overhaul its Direct Debit (DD) policy after customer complaints it was unfair. The changes came into effect on January 16th this year but were only announced yesterday. The change centres around something called the “Spring Review” date when they expect customers on DD contracts to have a zero […]