British Gas unveils rewards scheme by making 150,000 Sky vouchers available

The Big Six energy giant hasn't yet formally publicised the launch, and as of 3pm on Thursday (27 April) its website still said the rewards scheme was "coming soon". But the rewards scheme is now live, and an internal British Gas memo seen by MSE has confirmed details of how it will work.

The British Gas Rewards programme has been set up to provide incentives to its customers in the form of vouchers and energy discounts, which will be issued to members periodically - you don't need to collect points. The scheme will replace British Gas's long-running partnership with Nectar, meaning customers will be no longer be able to collect Nectar points from British Gas from 30 June.

The memo also says British Gas plans to launch as part of the scheme "special loyalty tariffs with larger discounts for customers who have been with us the longest".

Despite the launch of the new rewards scheme, our top MoneySaving tip remains the same – if you're one of the 66% of the population overpaying on a standard tariff, check NOW if you can lock in a cheap deal as prices continue to rise. You can do a comparison to find your cheapest deal using our Cheap Energy Club.

How the new scheme will work

Rewards are available to British Gas home energy and services customers, including prepayment customers. However on demand or hive active heating subscription customers who don’t have another type of ongoing contract won’t be able to join - and if you're a customer with Sainsbury's Energy (which is operated by British Gas) or a business energy customer, you won't be able to either.

To join, customers need to be on paperless billing. You should then go to the British Gas website and create an online account - or just sign in if you already have one. Once you've accepted the Rewards T&Cs and confirm you want to sign up. you'll be a Rewards member.

However, it's worth pointing out that by joining, customers will agree to receive marketing communications and personalised offers from British Gas. The provider has promised not to give your info to third parties.

How to get the Sky Store movie voucher

The first of the British Gas rewards has gone live today in the form of the Sky vouchers, which are worth £13.99 each - and the good news is that you DON'T have to be a Sky customer to benefit, as you can watch online too.

The Sky Store movie vouchers can be used to buy whatever you want within the Sky Store - whether it's part-paying for a TV box set, or buying a movie. Here's how to get your voucher:

1. Once you sign up to British Gas Rewards, you'll be sent an email. Click the link in it to get your Sky movie voucher code.

2. Enter the code at www.skystore.comedeem (existing Sky customers can sign in to Sky Store, non-Sky customers will need to register for Sky Store).

3. Choose what you want to buy. You can watch online or on your Sky TV/Now TV box (if you have one), or order a DVD by post (this can take up to 14 days to arrive).

Once you've got your Sky movie voucher code you must redeem it by 31 August. You'll have 12 months from the date you redeem the code to use the credit.

If you're overpaying on a standard tariff, check NOW if you can lock in a cheap deal as prices continue to rise

More rewards promised

So long as you remain a British Gas customer and continue to be a member of Rewards the firm will let you know when new offers are available. You can also login to your online account and check for the latest offers.

Again, it's important to remember that, although it's nice to receive rewards from your energy supplier, that doesn't mean you should stop looking out for cheaper tariffs elsewhere - our Cheap Energy Club is there to help on that front.

What does British Gas say?

British Gas hasn't yet released an official statement on the launch, but the memo we've seen states: "We want to give reasons to customers to continue to stay with us and for those not with us to choose us. We will offer customers a wide range of personalised offers; allowing them to choose the benefits and offers they want and need.

"Our customer base is very diverse and what they want and need from us varies hugely and we’re working towards launching a wide range of different offers, including the special loyalty tariffs with larger discounts for customers who have been with us the longest."