What are bills packages?
Moving home is stressful and after a long day of packing, there are the dreaded utilities to think about.
There are two options when it comes to setting up your utilities when you move home. Most people when moving home will set up utilities with individual suppliers and go direct.
The other option is having a bill package service manage your bills for you. You pick and choose your bill package, they'll split it evenly between housemates and you'll never have to speak to a supplier. They'll also means that all your utility payments will be paid at the same time. Your monthly payments for energy, water, TV license, broadband, and TV packages will be taken out of your account at the same time and on the same day.
Make sure everyone pays their share
Splitting bills when living with housemates can be a tricky one. There's the awkward conversation about money, whose showering the longest or who keeps leaving the lights on. Services that specialise in student bill packages split the bills for you. There's no need for you to chase housemates for their share, it's all sorted for you and everyone pays their own share.
How is a bills package different from usual payments for utilities?
To put things simply, a service that can provide bills packages can be a more convenient way of setting up your utilities compared to going direct. Your bills are consolidated into just one, simple utility bill. You'll always know when and how much you'll need to pay, there's no guessing which supplier you're paying and when it's going to leave your bank account.
It makes it easier to budget, too. You'll pay a lump sum each month via direct debit, so you can keep track of your monthly expenses.
They tend to do all the talking to suppliers for you, saving you from spending hours on hold with utility companies. Because they manage everything for you, you'll usually have to pay a small, monthly service fee.
Are there other ways to split the bills?
You can go for the DIY approach to splitting bills. You and your housemates can set up a joint bank account where each housemate will pay their share, the utility companies will then take out your payments via direct debit.
Bank accounts like Monzo and Sterling have a bill-splitting feature available on their app. One person will pay the bills to direct suppliers and they can request a payment from their housemates.
Heads up, with these two options you'll still have to deal with individual suppliers and you won't get the perks of a bill packages service.
What's included in a bills package?
What you can include in your bills package varies by provider. Some will have set utilities that will need to be included in your package, such as energy. Others will let you pick and choose your package, it all depends on what will suit your household and needs.
Here's an example of what can be included:
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Unlimited energy or capped
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Water
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Broadband packages with a choice of provider and speeds
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TV licence
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TV packages from Sky including sports, movies and more
What's Unlimited Energy?
It’s simple really. You can use as much gas and electricity as you want for one fixed monthly price. For example, you may pay £95 a month for your energy, no matter how much you use.
It works similarly to an unlimited mobile contract. No matter how many texts, calls or data you use, the price stays the same. There’s none of this extra charge nonsense, you can use as much as you need without any stress.
Fused has this option to include in your bills package, you can find more about it here.
