The Post Office has provided advice to customers in Northern Ireland who are set to benefit from the much-anticipated upcoming £600 UK Government energy support payment.
Speaking today, Friday 6th January, on the BBC Good Morning Ulster programme, Mark Gibson, External Affairs Manager at Post Office NI, confirmed the folllowing details:
• NI residents who pay their electricity bills via direct debit will receive the £600 payment directly into their bank accounts.
• For around 500,000 customers, letters with the attached vouchers will begin being delivered to Northern Ireland homes from Monday 16 January.
• This will be done in a phased approach over a 4 week period, taking up to around the middle of February for everyone to have received their letter.
• The vouchers will be issued from your current energy supplier.
• Customers identified by the electrical companies as ‘most vulnerable’ will receive their letters first.
• Vouchers can only be redeemed at a Post Office. You will need to take along with you:
1) The letter/voucher
2) Proof of address
3) Photographic ID
The documents above must have the same name as the voucher that is being redeemed.
• For security purposes customers are being ask to bring along their bank card so that all or some of the £600 can be directly lodged into the customers account. Although customers can choose to redeem their voucher as cash.
• Vouchers will be redeemable at the Post Office up until 31st March 2023.
• Customers are encouraged to redeem their voucher as soon as possible after receiving it to help the Post Office with managing cash flow through the branches.
• Be scam aware. The Post Office WILL NOT be sending text messages, emails or contacting customers by phone. You will simply receive the letter with voucher in the post for you to redeem at your local Post Office.
• Customers are asked to make elderly parents or vulnerable neighbours and friends aware of this so they do not fall for any scams around the scheme.