£600 energy voucher: People redeeming first vouchers at post offices

The first people to receive their £600 energy vouchers have been queueing to get their money at post offices across Northern Ireland.

The single one-off payment vouchers started to arrive through letterboxes on Saturday.

They can be deposited in some bank accounts or redeemed for cash at branches of the Post Office.

One man queueing at a post office in Belfast said the cash would "make a massive difference".

"Food, gas and electric - that's what I'll be spending mine on," he told BBC News NI.

About 500,000 households in Northern Ireland - those who pay quarterly for their energy or use pre-payment meters - are eligible for the voucher.

Households that pay their electricity bills by direct debit will see the £600 payment paid directly into their bank accounts.

The payment is made up of a £400 support payment announced last May, and an additional £200 because of the high proportion of homes here using heating oil.

The rollout will be staggered over the next four weeks and completed by the end of February.

It comes as, Anders Opedal, the boss of Norwegian energy giant Equinor said he does not expect gas and electricity bills to return to the levels they were before Covid.

Roll-out warning

While many will be redeeming their vouchers this week, a fuel poverty campaigner has warned that the most vulnerable people might struggle to get their money.

Sinead Quinn, from Derry Against Fuel Poverty, told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme that a "hands-off" approach by the UK government and the lack of a helpline to offer support made it even more difficult.

She also warned of possible issues for those not covered by the voucher scheme rules.

For instance, customers that use Monzo, Nationwide or a credit union for banking cannot have the voucher deposited into one of those accounts as those financial organisations are not on the banking framework used by the Post Office.

So those people will have to redeem the voucher for cash using a photo ID.

However, Ms Quinn said she knows of one vulnerable woman who banks with Nationwide, cannot leave home and has no photographic ID.

"The unfortunate reality is that if her voucher arrives this morning she doesn't know what to do.

"I have friends who are on universal credit getting £77 per week - why would they have an ID? They can't afford to drive or go on holiday."

She added: "The reality is for some people with a Nationwide account is they will not be able to access that money."

Ms Quinn said she had been inundated with queries about the scheme.

'Worked flat out'

Energy and Climate Minister Graham Stuart said energy companies had helplines and were best placed to deal with concerns.

"There should be no need to go to a helpline but suppliers with established relationships with customers are the best intermediaries in what is a devolved energy market," he added.

The energy minister said there would be "some wrinkles" in the system but that they would be worked through with the Post Office and suppliers.

Mr Stuart said the scheme had been rolled out "quickly considering the energy market is so different to Great Britain and is devolved".

"My officials have worked flat out along with suppliers in Northern Ireland to get this scheme out," he said.

"The aim is that everyone will have their money by the end of February."

He said customers should go to the Post Office as soon as they get their voucher.

"We strongly suggest you put it directly in a bank account which will ease the pressure on the Post Office in terms of cash," he said.

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Mark Gibson, external affairs manager at Post Office NI, said the vouchers had been posted on Friday but he was aware that some customers had received their vouchers on Saturday and had already redeemed them.

He added that the majority of vouchers were expected to start arriving from Monday.

The Post Office said that the first people to receive their vouchers have been identified by electricity suppliers as those who merit special treatment on account of age, disability or chronic illness.

The vouchers can only be redeemed at post offices and are being sent to all those who do not pay their energy bills by direct debit, which is estimated to be around 75% of customers in Northern Ireland.

If you pay for electricity by direct debit, you will not get a voucher - the £600 will instead be automatically placed into your bank account from this week.

Mark Gibson says people should to redeem the vouchers as quickly as possible

For customers who use an electricity keypad, the letter will be addressed to 'The Occupier'.

Head of payments for the Post Office, Andrew Goddard, said: "This is a major logistical exercise and we are working very hard to distribute the vouchers as quickly as possible.

"Please do read the voucher very carefully and ensure you take it, plus the forms of ID specified, to ensure the teams can process your voucher and you receive your money.

"We also encourage customers to receive your money and deposit this straight into your bank account," he added.

What do I need to bring?

That depends on how you want to receive the payment and what sort of customer you are:

You will need:

• The voucher letter

• Proof of address e.g. utility bill, bank statement, government letter

• Photographic ID if you want to receive it as cash e.g. passport, driving licence

• Your bank card if you want to pay the funds straight into your bank account

• Your top up card or app if you are a keypad customer

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