Referral programme

The basics

Octopus Energy runs an official refer-a-friend programme. Every existing customer gets a personal referral link they can share. When someone signs up to Octopus using that link, both people get £50 of energy credit added to their accounts. Not a voucher, not a discount code, not cashback through some third-party scheme. Actual credit on your Octopus energy account that comes straight off your bills.

The person signing up gets £50. The person who referred them gets £50. Everyone wins. Octopus does this because it's cheaper for them than paying a comparison site for the referral, so they pass some of that saving on to both parties.

What happens when you click a referral link

When you click a referral link (like the one on this site), it takes you directly to the Octopus Energy signup page. The referral is tracked automatically through the link itself. You don't need to enter a code, remember a string of characters or do anything special. Just click the link and sign up as normal.

Behind the scenes, the link contains a unique identifier (mine is solemn-boat-668) that tells Octopus who referred you. As long as you complete the signup in the same session without navigating away, the referral is recorded.

Using the code by phone

Not everyone signs up online. If you'd rather do it over the phone, you can call Octopus on 0808 164 1088 and quote the referral code directly to the advisor. Tell them you have a referral code and read it out: solemn-boat-668. They'll apply it to your account manually.

This works exactly the same way as clicking the link. Same £50 credit for both parties. It's just a different way to get the same result.

When the credit appears

This is the bit that catches people out because it doesn't happen instantly. Here's the timeline:

1. You sign up using the referral link (day one).
2. Octopus processes your switch from your old supplier (takes 2-3 weeks).
3. Your supply goes live with Octopus and your first Direct Debit is set up.
4. The £50 credit appears on your account, typically 4-6 weeks after you first signed up.

The credit is applied to your energy account balance. You'll see it in the Octopus app or on your online dashboard. It reduces what you owe on future bills. If you're in credit overall (for example, during summer when you use less energy), the £50 just adds to that credit balance.

What the £50 actually is

It's worth being precise about this because there's a lot of confusion online. The £50 referral credit is:

• Real bill credit. It sits on your Octopus account and directly reduces your energy bills.
• Not a cash payment. You can't withdraw it to your bank account. It stays as energy credit.
• Not a voucher or gift card. It's applied automatically. No codes to redeem separately.
• Applied to your whole account. If you have both gas and electricity with Octopus, it comes off whichever bill is next.

For most people, £50 covers roughly two to three weeks of electricity or about a month of gas, depending on your usage and the time of year. It's a meaningful amount that makes a real dent in your first few bills.

What invalidates a referral

This is the important bit. There are a few things that will stop you getting the £50 credit, and most of them are avoidable if you know about them in advance.

The "add code later" safety net

Life happens. Maybe you were halfway through signing up, got distracted and finished it later without the referral link. Maybe you didn't know referral codes existed until after you'd already switched. There is a safety net, though it's not guaranteed.

If you contact Octopus customer support within a few weeks of signing up, they can often add a referral code retrospectively. Drop them a message through the app, email them or use the online chat. Explain that you meant to use a referral code and give them the code (solemn-boat-668). From what I've seen, they're usually pretty good about honouring this if you get in touch promptly. Leave it too long, though, and they may not be able to help.

The safest approach is always to use the referral link from the start. It takes two seconds and avoids any uncertainty.

Why comparison sites kill the referral

I keep coming back to this because it's the most common way people miss out on the £50. Comparison sites like Uswitch and GoCompare earn a commission when they send a customer to an energy supplier. That commission arrangement takes priority over any referral link.

Even if you've clicked a referral link first, if you then go to a comparison site and sign up through there, the comparison site "owns" that referral. Octopus won't pay both the comparison site and the referral credit. The comparison site wins and you lose your £50.

The irony is that comparison sites don't give you £50 of credit either. Some offer small cashback amounts (£10-20 typically), but it's always less than the £50 you'd get through a referral link. Going direct is simply better value.

A note on honesty

I want to be straight with you. I benefit from this too. When you use my referral link, I get £50 credit on my Octopus account. That's why this site exists. I'm not going to pretend otherwise.

What I will say is that the referral programme isn't a scam, it's not too good to be true and there's no downside for you. You were going to sign up to Octopus anyway (or at least you're considering it). Using a referral link costs you nothing extra and gets you £50 off your bills. Whether you use my link, a friend's link, or a link you found on a forum somewhere, the outcome is the same. You get £50. The only difference is who gets the other £50.

I'd rather you used mine, obviously. I've tried to make this site genuinely useful with tariff guides, a tariff comparison tool and an honest review rather than just slapping a referral link on a blank page. If that's earned your click, I appreciate it.