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What are energy deals?
An energy deal is an electricity or gas plan with discounts, rewards or bonuses. They typically come in the following forms:
- Conditional discounts: Discounts with specific conditions to be met. If you don’t meet the criteria, you won’t get the discount.
- Sign-up bonuses: A bill credit for new sign-up customers.
- Pay on time discount: A discount for paying your bills on time.
- Direct Debit discount: A discount for setting up a direct debit as your main choice of bill payment.
- Paperless discount: A discount for opting for digital invoices instead of paper receipts.
- Guaranteed discounts: A discount applying to all customers, which is usually expressed as a percentage off a plan’s advertised price and is typically active for 12 months.
- Reward programs: Some plans offer free access to reward programs, giving you points for every dollar spent on power bills. These points can be exchanged for rewards (i.e. movie tickets) via the program’s online portal.
- Dual fuel discount: You may be entitled to a ‘dual fuel’ discount if you bundle electricity, gas or even internet plans from the same provider.
These discounts are typically limited to a specified benefit period, meaning the reward no longer applies once this period expires.
All of these features can be found under the ‘special offers’ section on a plan’s energy fact sheet.
How to compare energy deals
1. Input your address details
By default, our rates table (at the top of the page) showcases our database's energy plans for NSW 2000, sorted and filtered based on the following.
- Plans with discounts and offers
- Lowest to highest estimated annual price
- Single-rate or flat-rate tariffs
- No solar panels installed (only for electricity plans).
If you live in a different state or address, click on the ‘showing results for’ field and enter your postcode details.
If you’d also like to see plans with solar feed-in tariffs (a bill credit for your solar panels' energy exports to the grid), specify that your home has rooftop solar in the ‘details about your property’ section.
The results will give you an estimated cost and easy access to each plan’s fact sheet.
To view gas plans, click on the toggle (at the top-left corner of the rates table)
2. Shop around for energy deals and offers
Every energy deal will feature a pop-up banner below it — a teal banner for ‘special offers’ and a dark blue banner for ‘conditional discounts’.
To read the fine print, you can click on the banner for more information.
Keep in mind that each plan’s estimated cost (on our rates table) includes all applicable conditional and guaranteed discounts (excluding special offers).
3. Choose the best electricity and gas deal for you
There is no such thing as a universal best electricity deal or gas deal.
The energy deal that’s best for you will depend on your personal preferences:
- An electricity deal or gas deal with the highest bill credit (in dollars) could deliver the highest immediate savings.
- A dual fuel discount could offer you a monthly saving, followed by a simplified and consolidated bill.
- An energy deal with a rewards points bonus may be attractive if you’re eyeing products or services you’d like to redeem (through their exclusive or affiliate rewards program).
- A rewards points bonus may be worth more than a dollar sign-up credit if the retail prices of products/services redeemed are worth more than the dollar-value of the sign-up credit (provided you already intend to purchase those products/services).
Be wary that these discounts may be compensating for higher rates, meaning you could end up spending more than you’re saving.
For example, a $50 sign-up credit offers little value if you’re spending $100 more on increased rates throughout that billing period. It’s worth comparing how the deal’s rates compare to your own or the cheapest plan on our database.
Some electricity or gas deals may require you to remain signed up for them for a minimum period to be eligible. If the bonus is only applied after six months or more, its ‘real’ savings could be split between two billing cycles if your provider bills you quarterly.
In this scenario, you could be saving more through cheaper running electricity or gas rates over the course of those two billing cycles.
A dual fuel discount also doesn’t guarantee the lowest price for both gas or electricity plans either. In fact, you could be saving more by having different providers supply you with electricity and gas.
You’ll have to work out if having two separate providers saves you more than the dual fuel discount.
Best electricity and gas sign up bonuses
Our editors have selected a handful of electricity and gas sign-up offers with some of the highest bill credits (in dollars) and reward points for the current month.
Please note that :
- We strictly select plans from providers on Canstar's panel.
- They do not cover all deals available in your area.
- They do not compare all types of ongoing discounts.
- They may not always be up to date, with deals and promotions changing over time.
ENGIE
Engie offers customers a handful of sign-up discounts off their first bill, depending on the plan and energy type you sign up for:
- Engie Perks: $125 off electricity and $125 off gas (VIC), $100 off electricity and $100 off gas (NSW), $125 off electricity (QLD)
- Engie Solar: $125 off electricity and $125 off gas (VIC), $100 off electricity and $100 off gas (NSW), $125 off electricity (QLD)
- Engie Everyday: $125 off electricity and $125 off gas (VIC), $100 off electricity and $100 off gas (NSW), $125 off electricity (QLD)
- Engie NRMA: $100 off electricity and $100 off gas (NSW)
- Engie GreenPower: $100 off electricity and $100 off gas (NSW), $125 off electricity (QLD), $125 off electricity and $125 off gas (VIC)
- Engie Movers: $125 off electricity and $125 off gas (VIC)
- Engie Perks Plus: $210 off electricity and $300 off gas (VIC)
Please note that these credits only apply if you have not received a welcome credit from ENGIE in the past 12 months.
Powershop
Powershop currently offers two plans with sign-up credit for residential customers moving from another provider — Switch Saver (electricity) and Power House (gas).
- Switch Saver (electricity): $200 credit in NSW, VIC, QLD and SA
- Power House (gas): $100 credit VIC and NSW.
The credit will automatically be applied 180 days after your online account becomes active.
Momentum Energy
New or current customers switching to Momentum Energy’s Warm Welcome plan will receive up to $100 in bill credit — $50 for electricity and $50 for gas, depending on your state.
- $100 credit (electricity and gas): Available in VIC only.
- $50 credit (electricity only): Available in NSW, QLD and SA.
Bill credit will be applied to your first energy bill.
Origin Energy
Origin Energy’s Everyday Rewards plan offers Everyday Rewards members up to 10,000 bonus points (5,000 points for electricity and 5,000 for gas) at sign-up.
Renewing customers are eligible for 2,500 points for each fuel type. You’ll also earn one point for every $1 you spend on your electricity or gas rates.
Eligible in: in NSW, QLD, VIC and SA
New or moving customers that sign up for the Origin Go Variable plan (for either electricity or gas or both) will receive a $100 bill credit ($200 for both electricity and gas) if they remain signed on until 30 June 2026.
Eligible in: NSW, VIC and SA
Are energy deals worth it?
Whether or not these switching deals are truly worth it depends on whether the switching or bill credit bonus saves you more than a plan with lower usage and supply rates.
It’s important not to get too carried away with promotions and to compare energy plans based on their pricing, rates and conditions first.
However, if you find two similar plans and can’t decide between them, then sign-up incentives are worth considering before making the final decision.
Keep in mind that you may be charged an exit or connection fee for switching, depending on your existing plan. This information can be found on your plan’s energy fact sheet.
Shopping for electricity plans from different retailers ensures you’re securing the best deal for you, regardless of discount or promotion.
