Yes, pre-payment customers qualify for the discount.
Here’s how you can access it.
Location notice
Please note that this page contains information and links most relevant for people living in England, Scotland, Wales.
The £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme payments ended in March 2023 for most households. If you’re on a traditional pre-payment meter, you have until 30 June 2023 to redeem your vouchers.
**************
From October 2022 to March 2023, most homes in England, Scotland and Wales will get a £400 non-repayable discount on their electricity bills. This is known as the Energy Bills Support Scheme, and it will be delivered in six monthly instalments.
Homes in Northern Ireland will get a £600 discount through the Northern Ireland Energy Bills Support Scheme.
Am I eligible for the Energy Bills Support Scheme discount?
01
Check that your energy supplier has your correct contact details
Your energy supplier should have contacted you before the 1 October 2022 about how you’ll get your discount.
If you aren’t sure if your supplier has your correct contact details, get in touch with them and check. This is important because otherwise they won’t be able to tell you how to access the discount.
You can use this Citizens Advice tool to check who your energy provider is.
02
Get the information from your supplier
If your supplier has your correct details, they should have already let you know how you’ll get your discount, which will be either through vouchers or a credit.
If you get discount vouchers, these will be sent to you by text message, email or post. The vouchers will usually be valid for three months.
However, you need to claim your Energy Bill Support Scheme vouchers by 30 June 2023. This means that vouchers issued after March may be valid for less than three months.
Once a voucher expires, you won’t be able to add it to your meter.
Your electricity pre-payment meter can usually hold a limit of around £250. But make sure you contact your supplier to check the exact amount of money your meter can hold, as it can vary slightly. This limit means that you won’t be able to save up all your vouchers and use them in one go.
Alternatively, you might have been told by your supplier that you’ll be credited automatically when you top up at your usual top-up point.
Get in touch with your supplier now if they haven’t already contacted you about how you’ll get your discount.
03
Receive your discount
In Great Britain, you should get the discount in the first week of each month. In October and November 2022, the amount will be £66 and then this will change to £67 each month from December through to March 2023.
Either look out for vouchers from your supplier, or top-up your prepayment meter as usual if you’re getting an automatic credit.
If you get vouchers, you’ll need to use them at a top-up point, such as a Post Office branch or a PayPoint shop. Your supplier will tell you where you can use your vouchers. You may need photo ID to claim them, so we advise you to bring some with you when you go to the top up point.
Remember, you have until 30 June 2023 to claim your vouchers.
Watch out for energy scams
You don’t need to apply for the Energy Bills Support Scheme. Scammers may try to trick you by pretending to be your energy provider or Ofgem. They may ask you to sign up for the energy discount and ask for personal information or bank details. This is a scam.
You’ll receive the discount automatically from your energy provider, and the only information they need is your correct contact details.
Read our blog on how to spot, report and stay safe from energy scams.