Direct Debit & pay-on-receipt support
0330 808 3880Getting to the right team
We don't yet know how British Gas's phone menu is structured, so we're not going to guess. If you work it out, we'd like to hear from you.
Before you call
What to know first
Two British Gas numbers still circulating are stale. Guides give 0800 072 8625 for credit customers and 0800 294 8604 for prepayment. Neither appears on their live contact pages; the current numbers are 0330 808 3880 and 0330 100 0303.
They run a genuine retention page, which opens by saying they would love to change your mind. That is the conversation the number below gets you — unlike Octopus, who offer no such route at all. Verified
British Gas publishes its own Citizens Advice score on that page: 2.3 out of 5. Worth knowing before you decide whether staying is worth it. They also publish current standing charges and unit rates openly, which most suppliers hide behind a postcode. Verified
What leaving costs
Exit fees, cooling off and complaints
Exit feeThey confirm the rule but not the amount.
British Gas states that a fixed tariff may carry an exit fee, that it does not apply in the final 49 days or seven weeks of the term, and that the figure sits in your own tariff terms behind login. They also charge nothing to move to a different British Gas fixed tariff — the fee only bites when you leave for another supplier.
Cooling off14 days
Fourteen days from agreeing a new supply, with no exit fee. Watch the Billing Consent option: agree to it and supply starts immediately and you pay for what you use; decline and supply only begins once the 14 days are up.
ComplaintsEight weeks
Their complaints page publishes no phone number — it routes to a web form, chat or post. The number above appears in their complaints leaflet instead. A manager should respond within two working days, and the Energy Ombudsman opens after eight weeks.
The window worth knowing: Near the end of a fixed tariff you can leave free of charge even if your tariff carries an exit fee. 49 days is the common figure — British Gas, Octopus, E.ON Next and EDF all state it, and British Gas writes it as “49 days / seven weeks”, which is the same thing and explains why some suppliers quote weeks instead. Two do differ: OVO gives 53 days, and ScottishPower’s exit fee page says seven weeks in one section and six in another. Verified
Where this comes from
| Claim | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Number 0330 808 3880 and its hours | British Gas’s own contact page, corroborated in their published complaints leaflet | 27 July 2026 |
| Prepayment, meter reading and payment numbers | British Gas’s own contact pages | 27 July 2026 |
| No exit fee in the final 49 days or seven weeks, and none to change tariff internally | British Gas’s own leaving-us help page | 27 July 2026 |
| 14-day cooling off, and the Billing Consent choice | British Gas’s own help pages | 27 July 2026 |
| Eight-week escalation to the Energy Ombudsman | British Gas’s own complaints leaflet | 27 July 2026 |
| Citizens Advice score of 2.3 out of 5 | Published by British Gas on their own leaving page | 27 July 2026 |
| Numbers 0800 072 8625 and 0800 294 8604 | Widely quoted by third parties; neither appears on British Gas’s live contact pages | Unverified |
| The amount of any exit fee | Not published publicly. British Gas says it sits in your tariff terms behind login | Not known |
Bill Watch
One email, three weeks before your renewal or fixed deal ends, telling you it's time to shop around. Free, and that's the whole product.
No spam, no sharing your address, unsubscribe in one click. We'll email you once to confirm — the reminder only starts after you click that link.