The one thing you should never forget to do when switching energy supplier – and it could save you £100s extra a year
You could save hundreds of pounds by switching energy supplier this winter - here's how
AS the weather in the UK continues to get chillier, energy bills for many British households are steadily creeping higher.
That's why it's so important that Brits switch energy suppliers to save money on their bills - particularly those sitting on their supplier's standard tariff, which are typically the most expensive deals.
A Sun investigation last year found that seven in ten customers are on their suppliers’ most expensive tariffs, paying as much as £389 a year more than those on the firms’ best deals.
And there's a way of switching that requires very little effort and can bag you extra money.
Simply checking a cashback website to see if you can get the same deal as through a comparison website, could save you as much as £100.
Just like comparison websites, cashback sites use affiliate links which allow the retailer to track where the traffic is coming from and then pay the cashback sites for the lead.
But with cashback sites, there's the added bonus that when someone purchases a deal through the site, they earn extra cash.
Sun Online reader Vanessa Richardson, 43, switched supplier using a cashback website last year after moving to a house in Hampshire and being automatically put onto the former occupant's standard energy deal with provider EDF.
She was paying £99 a month, or £1,190 a year, for electricity and gas - far more than she was happy to pay.
After deciding to cut costs she found a better deal and then used TopCashback.co.uk to switch from E.ON's duel fuel tariff to ExtraEnergy, an independent energy supplier, which was offering a 12 month contract with six month's free.
As a result, Ms Richardson says she reduced her bills from £99 to £75 a month, saving £290 over the year.
In addition to cutting her monthly bill, she also received £37.80 cashback, making her total saving around £328.
TopCashback is just one of the websites offering customers the chance to earn money back when they switch to a new energy supplier through the website.
Rival Quidco also offers cashback on energy deals, including £50 cashback when switching to EDF Energy or £40 cashback when switching to First Utility.
Currently TopCashback is offering the more competitive deals. It's giving up to £100 cashback (available on duel fuel purchases, until January 22nd) for people who switch to First Utility.
Three cashback safety rules
There are certain things to be aware of when buying on a cashback website.
- Cashback isn't guaranteed. Sometimes link tracking problems occur and customerrs (and sometimes the cashback site itself) isn't paid by the retailer. If you're expecting to be paid and you aren't, make sure to contact the cashbck site
- Cashback sites should be free - don't use one that charges for use
- Once the cash is in your online account, withdraw it straight away (once you've hit the minimum amount at which you can withdraw funds) and transfer it to your bank account. That's because if the company goes bust, your money goes with it.
Its giving up to £57.50 cashback for those who switch to Good Energy and up to £80 cashback for new customers when they purchase a duel fuel deal with EDF (until January 22nd).
But consumers should only switch energy providers through cashback sites if they are genuinely getting a better deal overall.
Although the cashback incentives can be tempting, it's important to weigh up all the costs.
How do I use a cashback website?
You have to sign up to a cashback website. Once you've done this, simply log on and search for the online retailer you want to buy from.
If you don't know which retailer you want to buy from, but know the area, you can search categories including utilities, travel and electrics.
Once you've found the product you want to buy, click the cashback site's link to visit that company. Your visit is then tracked. If you buy something, money is put into your cashback site account once the transaction's processed. The money can usually be withdrawn in a few weeks, but sometimes it can take months.
For some cashback sites, you need to reach a certain threshold before you can withdraw the cash.
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