This week people started queuing at Post Offices to cash in their £600 energy vouchers after they started arriving in the mail on Saturday. Many of the vouchers started arriving in Northern Ireland this week with about 500,000 people eligible for the voucher there.
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The vouchers can be redeemed for cash at most Post Office branches or can be deposited directly into your bank account.
‘Massive difference’
One man waiting at a Post Office for his money commented, as per the BBC:
It’ll make a massive difference. Food, gas and electric - that's what I'll be spending mine on.
Those eligible for the voucher include people who pay quarterly for their energy or use prepayment meters. Any eligible households who pay for their energy by direct debit will have the money transferred directly to their account.
The financial boost is a combination of a £400 energy support payment and then an additional £200 for homes in Northern Ireland using heating oil.
The rollout is expected to be staggered over the next four weeks with head of payments for the Post Office, Andrew Goddard, commenting:
This is a major logistical exercise and we are working very hard to distribute the vouchers as quickly as possible.
What do I need to redeem the voucher?
To redeem the voucher at a Post Office, you will need to bring, as per Belfast Live:
- the voucher letter
- proof of address
- a bank card, if you are requesting payment into an account
- a photographic ID, if you are redeeming the voucher for cash
- your top-up card or keypad app, if you are a keypad customer.
The letter includes details of what forms of photographic ID and proof of address are acceptable and names on each form of ID must match.
If you bank with Monzo, Nationwide or a Credit Union, you will not be able to transfer the voucher into your account as these are not covered by the voucher scheme.
If you are physically unable to go to the Post Office it is possible for somebody else to do it for you with further details provided in the letter.
Sources used:
- BBC '£600 energy voucher: People redeeming first vouchers at post offices'
- Belfast Live 'Northern Ireland £600 energy payment scheme - all you need to know as voucher roll-out begins'
