ENERGY bills have risen this week, dealing a fresh blow to millions of households.
A typical family can now expect to spend £1,738 a year on their energy bill, up £21 under the new Ofgem price cap.
Only those on variable bills will be affected but your bill could go up more or less than this depending on your usage.
Meanwhile, the cold snap this weekend will leave many worrying about whether they can afford to put their heating on.
Thankfully help is at hand as several suppliers will give you £75 free cash with just a few computer clicks.
Most energy suppliers will pay you money to recommend them to your friends or family.
These “refer a friend” programmes will pay you every time someone you know uses your unique link or code to change supplier.
Often there is no limit on how many people you can refer, so you could pocket hundreds of pounds.
Here we explain all the energy suppliers who offer “refer a friend” bonuses.
British Gas customers can get up to £75 every time they refer a friend.
To unlock the maximum payment your friend must switch both their electricity and gas to the energy giant.
Once your friend’s switch is complete you will both get a £75 Amazon gift card.
Those who swap just their gas or electricity will be rewarded with a £35 Amazon gift card.
To get the cash you will need to share your unique referral link which you can find in your online account.
Your friend needs to use your unique referral link when they sign up.
This lets British Gas know that you have referred them.
SWITCHING energy providers can sound like a hassle - but fortunately it's pretty straight forward to change supplier - and save lots of cash.
Shop around – If you’re on an SVT deal you are likely throwing away up to £250 a year. Use a comparion site such as MoneySuperMarket.com, uSwitch or EnergyHelpline.com to see what deals are available to you.
The cheapest deals are usually found online and are fixed deals – meaning you’ll pay a fixed amount usually for 12 months.
Switch – When you’ve found one, all you have to do is contact the new supplier.
It helps to have the following information – which you can find on your bill – to hand to give the new supplier.
It will then notify your current supplier and begin the switch.
It should take no longer than three weeks to complete the switch and your supply won’t be interrupted in that time.
Once they have signed up British Gas will verify their details and send you an Amazon gift card via email.
It can take up to 90 days for the email to come through.
You must already be a British Gas customer to get the deal and your friend cannot have had a British Gas energy contract within the past three months.
There is no limit to the number of people you can refer or the rewards you can earn.
ScottishPower will pay customers £60 in energy credit when they refer a friend.
You and your friend can get £60 each if they move both their gas and electricity to the supplier.
Meanwhile, if they only swap one of their tariffs then you’ll both walk away with £30.
To get the cash you will need to share your link with a friend or family member.
They must use the link and sign up to ScottishPower.
You will receive the money once they have been on supply for 28 days.
There is no limit to the number of friends you can refer.
You can track your referrals in your online account.
Octopus Energy is slightly less generous than its rivals and will pay you £50 to refer a friend.
There is no limit to how many people you can refer.
The money will be paid in credit into your account once your friend or family member is on supply and their first direct debit payment has been taken.
Payments should be automatically made after this criteria is met.
It typically takes around four weeks to get the cash but it can be longer if the previous supplier delays the switch.
To find your referral link go to the Octopus website and scroll down to the bottom of your account homepage.
Every time you refer a friend to EDF then you can get £50 off your energy bill.
You can find your exclusive link on your MyAccount page.
Your friend must switch to EDF and set up a direct debit.
It usually takes around four weeks from when your friend joins for your account to be credited but it can take longer if anything delays their switch.
Once they have met the criteria the money will be paid into your EDF account.
If your friend forgets to use your referral link then then EDF can apply the credit to your account manually.
You can refer as many friends as you want.
You could bag £50 of credit every time you refer a friend or family member to E.ON Next.
To get the cash your loved one cannot already be supplied by E.ON Next.
They must use your unique link to sign up for an account and set up a direct debit.
You will get the reward once their first month’s direct debit has been paid, which usually takes around four weeks.
You cannot get the reward if your friend signs up through a price comparison website or over the phone.
You cannot withdraw the credit from your energy account as cash.
Always shop around to make sure you are getting the best deal on your energy bill.
Check whether a company has good customer service ratings on websites such as Which? and Trustpilot before you join.
If you are struggling to pay your bill then contact your energy supplier for support.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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