Payment Support

Anything 'above zero' is a credit balance. This means if you left Octopus tomorrow - and your bills were up to date - we'd refund you this money to take your balance back to £0. Want to know how to request a refund?

Anything 'below zero' is a debit balance. This means if you left Octopus tomorrow - and your bills were up to date - you'd need to pay us this amount to bring your balance back to £0. Want to know more about how credit and debit work?

Most people use more energy in winter and less in summer but pay the same amount each month via Direct Debit. That means your balance can vary throughout the year as you build credit over the summer to help offset higher winter bills. 

If you pay by monthly Direct Debit and are on a standard Fixed or Flexible tariff, our Balance Forecast tool is a clever way to stay informed and see how your balance will change over the year if your monthly payments increase or decrease.

But don't worry. We'll always let you know if you need to pay more or less each month to help cover the cost of your energy.

On your app:

• Click on the Bills tab
• Toggle to Bills using the sliding button to see a list of your previous bills
• Select the one you want by clicking View
• Click on the share button in the right hand corner to save the bill to your phone or device and print if needed.

On your online account:

• Click on the Payments tab
• Scroll down and click View bills to see a list of your previous bills
• Select the one you want by clicking View bill
• Save to your computer and print if needed.

If you have a smart meter, you’ll receive a statement every month. If you’d like to change the date you receive your statements, get in touch to let us know.

If you have a non-smart meter, we do things a little differently. We won’t send you a statement every month. Instead, you can send us your readings and we’ll send you a statement within a few days. If you don’t send us readings, we’ll send you an estimated bill every three months.

We do it this way because we want to avoid estimating your energy usage where possible. Real meter readings make your statements a lot more accurate. There’s more information about why we don’t send monthly statements on our blog. 

To set up or change your Direct Debit amount, head to your online dashboard.

There you'll be able to see what you're currently paying each month as well as our recommendation to help keep your account healthy.

It's your choice how much you decide to pay each month – just remember that lowering your payments below the amount we've recommended can lead to a build up of debt further down the line.

It's really easy to make a one-off payment and some customers prefer to pay this way. Head to Make a payment on our website and pop in the amount you'd like to pay to top up your account.

Yes! We know some prefer to pay for their full energy bill each month and that’s absolutely fine. Just contact us and say you’d prefer to pay by a variable Direct Debit.

With a variable Direct Debit you don't pay a set amount each month. Instead, we'll take a payment for your full bill shortly after issuing each energy statement.

Bear in mind: you'll likely pay more over the winter months when the heating goes on and the days are shorter. These larger payments can come as a surprise after a year of paying less, and might feel unmanageable for some.

Direct Debit

Our preferred method, we recommend paying by Direct Debit for a few reasons:

• The rates are slightly cheaper, find out why here.
• You’re in control: you can change your payments, and what day they’re taken each month.
• Paying a set amount every month makes it easier to budget

Pay As You Go

Customers can also switch to us with a prepay meter or request to move onto a smart pay as you go meter - find out more about prepayment meters.

Bank Transfer

Pay us directly from your bank account. Our bank details are:

• Account number: 44594118
• Sort Code: 40-05-30
• Reference: your account number (looks something like A-12345678)

Credit or Debit Card

It's easy to make a card payment online. Alternatively you can pay by debit card at your local PayPoint with the barcode at the bottom of your bills.

Cash

Use the barcode at the bottom of any bill we’ve sent to pay at your local Paypoint. Cash payments will be transferred onto your account.

Fuel Direct (Third Party Deductions)

Fuel Direct payments come directly out of your benefit payments, so you can cover your usage in smaller amounts. To set up Fuel Direct, you’ll need to get in touch with us.

Cheque

Make your cheque payable to Octopus Energy Ltd and post it to Octopus Energy, UK House, 5th floor, 164-182 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1NN.

Make sure you write your account number (it’s on any bill or communication from us and will look something like A-12345678) on the back of the cheque. It may take some time for the amount you’ve paid to appear on your account balance using this payment method.

If you've just moved in to a home we supply, Let us know who you are online.

Alternatively, if you've moved into a new home and you want to switch to us, get a quote and have a quick read of our step-by-step guide. (It's super easy!)

If you're moving out of a house we supply:

Let us know you're moving out and whether you want to take us with you to your new property or not. This will help us close your current account, and start switching the supply at your new place if you want too.

Ideally let us know as early as you're able, so we can get your new property switched to Octopus from the day you move in. But giving less notice or telling us after you've already moved is fine too. We know it's already a stressful time so no sweat!

For more information, have a read of our Moving blog.

If you’re in credit, your old supplier will transfer the credit directly to your bank account once you’ve received your final bill.

If you’re in debit, you need to clear it as soon as possible, otherwise they might object to your transfer (which can cause severe delays to your move). If you’re having trouble paying, you can ask for a payment plan, which will still allow you to switch.

We take this first payment to make sure your account opens in credit. It acts as a bit of a buffer so that if you're using more energy than we expect, your account won't fall into debt early on. You'll be able to adjust your payment in your account once we have more information about your usage.

We've got more information about how we bill you for your energy usage at our blog.

We take this first payment to make sure your account opens in credit. It acts as a bit of a buffer so that if you're using more energy than we expect, your account won't fall into debt early on. You'll be able to adjust your payment in your account once we have more information about your usage.

We've got more information about how we bill you for your energy usage at our blog.

If a friend switches to Octopus Energy using your unique referral link, you’ll both get £50 energy credit. Our Octopus Referrals information page has all the answers you need, but here’s a few quick things to know.

How do I refer a friend?

Just send them your unique referral link. Every Octopus customer has one: it looks something like http://share.octopus.energy/adjective-noun-number. You’ll find yours a little way down the home screen of your online account dashboard.

When will I be paid?

Once the new customer has fully switched over and their first month’s Direct Debit has been successfully taken, we’ll be able to add £50 to both accounts. This will happen automatically within a few weeks. You’ll be able to check whether you’ve received your referral credit via by logging onto your account and viewing your account dashboard - there will be an option to check your balance history, which will show any credit as +£50 from Octopus Energy. It typically takes around four weeks from when your friend joins (although it can take longer if anything delays their switch)

If you’ve still got questions, you can find out everything there is to know about referrals here, in our Octopus referral info page.

If you've had a meter reading in the last 14 days and your account is up-to-date, you can refund some or all of your credit by going to your online dashboard.

Building up credit during the summer helps to offset the sting of higher winter payments. Without this buffer, you may need to start paying more to cover any debt accrued. You can read more about this on our blog.

We'll let you know if we think you're paying too much or little each month to help keep your account balance on track, but ultimately, you're in control. You can refund as much as you like – just be aware that doing so could increase your monthly payments in the future.

If you think you're due a refund but don't see an option on your online account, email hello@octopus.energy to speak to the team.