Warm Home Discount scams: the real £150 comes by letter, not text

What's happened

Letters about this winter's £150 Warm Home Discount are on their way, and so are the scams. British Gas says the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is sending eligibility letters between 20 October and 31 December 2026. On 22 October MoneySavingExpert updated its guide to the scheme with a warning: "If you're eligible for the Warm Home Discount, you'll receive a physical letter from the Government confirming this."

It adds that if you get "any emails, calls or texts requesting information in relation to your eligibility", these are scams, "so never click links or share your bank details." British Gas says you won't be contacted by the UK government or Ofgem asking for bank details.

The discount is a one-off £150 off your electricity bill. GOV.UK says: "The money is not paid to you." Your supplier takes it off your bill, so there's nothing for anyone to "send" to your bank account.

Who gets it

In England and Wales you'll usually get it automatically if you, or your partner, were getting a qualifying benefit on 23 August 2026 and were named on the electricity bill. Qualifying benefits include the guarantee credit part of Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Housing Benefit and income-related Employment and Support Allowance. Your supplier has to be in the scheme.

Some letters say the discount is automatic, so you don't need to do anything. Others ask you to call the official helpline, 0800 030 9322, open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, before 26 February 2027. In Scotland some people get it automatically, while others in the "Broader Group" apply through their supplier, where places are limited. The scheme doesn't run in Northern Ireland.

The warning signs

• A text, email or call saying you're eligible, or asking you to "claim" or "confirm" it.
• A request for bank or card details. The discount goes on your bill, not into your account.
• A link to click to "check" or "claim" your discount.
• A helpline number that isn't 0800 030 9322.
• A follow-up call "from your bank" after you've entered details, asking you to move money.

One exception: if you have a traditional prepayment meter, MoneySavingExpert says your supplier may send the discount as a top-up voucher by post, email or text, to use at a Post Office or PayPoint within 90 days. If you're not sure a message is real, check with your supplier using the number on your bill.

What it could cost: a worked example

This is an illustration, not a real case. Dave, 70, gets Pension Credit. A text says his "£150 Warm Home Discount" is ready and he must confirm his card details by Friday. He does. Over the next day, £420 is spent on his card in online shops.

Dave didn't authorise those payments. Under the Payment Services Regulations, a bank can usually ask him to pay no more than £35 towards unauthorised payments, and there's extra protection when card details are used for online shopping. He should call his bank straight away.

Then a "bank fraud team" calls and persuades him to move £1,500 to a "safe account". Because he sent that himself by bank transfer, it's covered by the reimbursement rules that began on 7 October 2024. His bank should normally refund him within five business days, though it can keep an excess of up to £100, so he'd get at least £1,400 back.

What to do now

1. Don't click, reply or call any number in the message.
2. Forward scam texts to 7726 for free, and scam emails to [email protected].
3. Check with the scheme or your supplier. Call the Warm Home Discount helpline on 0800 030 9322, or your supplier on the number on your bill.
4. If you've entered card or bank details, call your bank now on the number on your card, or call 159.
5. Report it to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or online in England and Wales, or to Police Scotland on 101.

Your questions answered

I haven't had a letter. Should I worry?

Not yet. Letters are going out until the end of December. GOV.UK says to contact the scheme if you haven't had one by early January 2027 and think you're eligible, and to do it before 26 February 2027.

When will I see the £150?

British Gas says it applies the discount between November 2026 and 31 March 2027, and most of its customers should get it before January. Other suppliers may have different timings, but the discount must be applied by 31 March 2027.

Does it affect my Winter Fuel Payment?

No. GOV.UK says the Warm Home Discount doesn't affect Winter Fuel Payment or Cold Weather Payment.

Sources: GOV.UK: Warm Home Discount Scheme, GOV.UK: if you do not get a letter, MoneySavingExpert: Warm Home Discount, British Gas: Warm Home Discount, Octopus Energy: Warm Home Discount, Payment Services Regulations 2017, regulation 77, Payment Systems Regulator