Now you can switch to a cheaper energy supplier without lifting a finger
services are set to revolutionise the way households lock into best-rate deals to keep a lid on key home costs.
Such services, which automatically switch people to the cheapest available deals rather than households having to do it themselves, are currently confined to energy tariffs. But it is only a matter of time before they will be available for other key bills such as car insurance. The Mail on Sunday assesses the merits of the key providers.
WEFLIP
Who is behind it? GoCompare Group. Cost: Free. Details: The latest autoswitcher to join the market, but one backed by a big, recognisable brand.
Weflip takes commission from energy providers and only moves customers to suppliers it has a relationship with – which is still a wide choice. Customers can filter weflip’s selection of providers to ‘popular suppliers’ or just ‘existing supplier’ – for those who want to stick with their current supplier but are happy to change tariffs. Weflip says it will tweak the service in future – potentially adding more preference options – depending on customer feedback.
A switch only happens when a minimum £50 can be saved, including any exit penalties, which it anticipates will happen once or twice a year.
Visit weflip.com.
FLIPPER
Who is behind it? Wessex Water. Cost: £25 a year. Details: The first autoswitcher to launch in 2016. It has since been bought by utility company Wessex Water and is led by Mark Gutteridge – previously of GoCompare. Average saving a year is £385 and a flip only happens when at least £50 can be saved.
The company is not paid commission, resulting in a wide selection of deals. But there are some suppliers it does not use, because of customer service problems for example.
If the company becomes aware of concerns about a particular supplier, it will also offer members the chance to ‘flip’ to a different one free of charge.
It checks customer tariffs every month – not just when a deal is ending. The company’s savings algorithm is affectionately named ‘Joules’, which uses data from customers’ bills
to work out how much could be saved.
Customers can use Flipper via email, live chat or telephone. Visit flipper.community.
LOOK AFTER MY BILLS
Who is behind it? Founders Henry de Zoete and Will Hodson, of collective switching service The Big Deal. Cost: Free. Details: Launched in January 2018, the service takes commission from suppliers. It cannot move people to a supplier it does not have a commercial arrangement with – but says it will not transfer customers to a supplier with terrible customer service. It also charges suppliers the same flat-fee to avoid bias.
Recipients of the Warm Home Discount – a £140 one-off discount on electricity bills for low income households – can also join the service and only switch between companies signed up to the Government scheme. Similarly, customers can also choose only to switch between renewable energy tariffs.
Look After My Bills will only enact switches once a year when a customer can save at least £50 and not if they are in a fixed contract with exit penalties.
Co-founders De Zoete and Hodson recently appeared on hit TV show Dragons’ Den and agreed a deal with Tej Lalvani and Jenny Campbell after receiving offers from all five dragons. The exposure helped boost its membership to more than 75,000 people, making it the largest auto-switcher. The company is also backed by Silicon Valley business accelerator Y Combinator, which helped to launch Airbnb and Dropbox. It plans to open up the service soon to include broadband and other bills. Visit lookaftermybills.com.
LABRADOR
Who is behind it? Founder and chief executive Jane Lucy. Cost: Free. Details: It takes commission from suppliers and only switches to those that have an agreement with its partner – Energyhelpline, which is itself a comparison service.
But Labrador uses data revealing a customer’s specific personal energy use to calculate the best tariff, rather than relying on customer estimates or direct debit payments. Customers might be switched up to three times a year but only when they can save £80, not including exit fees.
Suppliers with poor service ratings can be filtered out but if Labrador has significant concerns about a company it will not make the transfer.
Labrador supports all meter types – traditional, prepayment, Economy 7 and smart. It can also help smart meter households retain the ‘smart’ function even when switching to new providers.
Founder Jane Lucy is a lawyer who also headed consumer campaigns for Channel 4 and celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. She turned her attention to the energy market because of her own experiences. She says: ‘For years I carried with me in my wallet a refund cheque from British Gas, which I was sent at the same time as their debt collectors were harassing me. I was sick of being badly treated with little to defend myself other than literally carrying the evidence with me.’
Visit thelabrador.co.uk.
SWITCHD
Who is behind it? Founders Tom Rogers and Llewellyn Kinch. Cost: Choice of a free or paid-for account, with prices between £1.99 and £4.99 a month. Details: The free option still switches customers to cheaper deals, but its range is limited to what comparison websites offer – typically suppliers that pay commission. There are three paid-for options. The cheapest monitors and switches customers to one of a wide choice of suppliers.
The expensive plan involves more hand-holding – even providing a ‘dedicated support agent’.
Providers demonstrating poor customer service are blocked, but can be reinstated if a customer demands it because the price is keen. Automatic switching happens typically every six to nine months. Visit switchd.co.uk.
SWITCHCRAFT
Who is behind it? Founders Andrew Long and Rob Porter. Cost: Free. Details: Only suppliers that pay a commission are included in its search, though most do. It charges suppliers a flat-rate fee to avoid bias and those failing on customer service are blacklisted.
Co-founder Andrew Long says: ‘This is an important part of our service. Price is still the most important factor when choosing a deal, but service is a close second.’
Switchcraft claims it has a quick and easy sign-up and robust technology. Visit switchcraft.co.uk.