We don’t want to say goodbye
If you’re thinking of leaving us, we’d love to change your mind. If not, we’ll help make your switch as easy as possible.
It’s not too late to change your mind
Once your switch from British Gas starts, you’ll have a 14-day cooling off period. During this time, you can cancel your switch at any time, without having to pay an exit fee.
Why stay with British Gas?
- We supply gas and electricity to more than 7 million homes, so you’re in safe hands
- We’ve been around for over 200 years, so you can be sure we’re here to stay
- We give long term value - if we offer a cheaper tariff, then you can change to it for free
- We’re taking on 500 extra UK-based customer service advisors to be there for you when you need us
- We do what’s right – we stepped in to take care of the customers of many energy suppliers who recently ceased trading
- We’ve provided a £50 million package of extra support for customers facing hardship
Are you actually getting a better deal by leaving?
The quote given by your new supplier may not be what you’ll pay. If you haven’t given them figures for your actual energy usage, it will likely be an estimate, based on national averages for your type of household. It’s a good idea to check to make sure or it might not be worthwhile leaving.
We want you to stay with us
We’d love you to stay and we might have an exclusive offer for you, call us1
Erroneous transfers: Switched by mistake?
Occasionally an energy supplier takes over the supply of a property by mistake. This is called an erroneous transfer (ET) – it’s rare. If you’ve not asked to switch to a new supplier, let us know and we’ll get it sorted for you.
If you’ve made up your mind
We’re sad to see you leave, and still want to make sure everything goes smoothly for you. Here’s some quick advice about what you can expect to happen next.
Additional information
Be sure to provide up-to-date meter readings
Your new energy supplier will ask you for opening meter readings to start your supply, then they will pass them to us. This way, the meter reads your energy bills start with them and end with us will be the same.
We'll use that reading to close your British Gas account, rather than using estimated readings for your final bill.
Look out for a final bill from us
We’ll usually send your final bill within four weeks. Once your new supplier has sent us your meter readings for your switch, your accounts with British Gas will be closed and we’ll send you any final bills.
Please don’t cancel your Direct Debit
Once we’ve closed your account, we'll send your final bill. We'll then request any final payment via your Direct Debit. If your account is in credit, we'll send a refund using the same Direct Debit details.
If your bill usually combines gas and electricity, you may receive separate final bills for each fuel.
If you still have an outstanding balance with us
If you have a large outstanding balance, you may need to pay this before a switch to a new supplier can go ahead. If we stop your switch for this reason, we'll let you know why and explain your options.
If you think you’ll have difficulties paying your final bill, we can offer a payment plan to help spread the cost. Just get in touch and we’ll arrange this for you.
If we owe you money when your account is closed
Once we’ve closed your account, we'll send your final bill. If your final account is in credit, we'll send a refund via your bank account. If we can't do this, we'll send you a cheque.
If you need to access your online account services after you leave
After we close your energy account with us, you'll be able to access your account for up to six months. That means you'll still be able to view and download any energy bills or statements during that time. After six months, your online account will be closed down.
However, access via our App stops from the day your energy supply leaves us.
Switching supplier when you have a smart meter
Some of the earlier smart meters may lose some functionality when you switch to another supplier – we’re working to fix this. However, it will still record your usage, but you’ll have to submit readings like you would with an old-style meter.
Switching supplier when you have a prepayment meter
Your new energy supplier will send you a new prepayment device, which you should start using from the switch date.
Please make sure you use up any British Gas credit you still have on your meter before you insert your new supplier’s device. You might lose this credit if you don’t.
What to do if you currently receive extra help and support from us
If you’re on our Priority Services Register, Warm Home Discount scheme, are visually impaired or need any other extra help, please let your new supplier know. They’ll have similar services they can offer you.
Additional information
Lines open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.