Electricity/Gas Provider Switch

If you cancel the contract after a minimum term of 12 months, it may happen that the new customer bonus is denied to you. The payout often requires a supply of electricity for 12 months. However, this is often not yet reached after the initial contract period, since the contract is usually concluded before the start of supply.

Background: The supply period is not the same as the contract term!

The supply period begins with the supply and therefore usually starts significantly later than the contract term, which starts with the conclusion of the contract. That means: If you cancel a contract with a 12-month minimum contract term at the end of the first contract year, you normally cannot reach a 12-month minimum supply period – the bonus can be lost. A bonus that is linked to the contract term rather than the supply period is legally more secure for you.

Tip: Before concluding a contract, find out how the provider handles the payout of the new customer bonus when canceling after one year of contract term – and research on the internet whether other electricity customers have had problems with the payout of the bonus. Also important to know: Companies that promised their customers bonus payments after 12 months have already gone insolvent. This can cause you great difficulties in obtaining the money – even if you have met the conditions for a bonus.

For me, these two sentences contradict each other in the Vattenfall example:

"This new customer bonus lapses if you terminate the contract relationship before the end of 12 supply months. The bonus does not lapse if the contract relationship ends after 12 months."

Sorry, you have to be a bit independent sometimes. Look for reviews on Google. If that's not enough for you, then call and ask.