Pay as you go meter or direct debit - advice please

[cottagepies]

First time buyer here and I recently got the keys to my new home.

The gas and electric was already supplied by E-on. I rang them last Monday to give meter readings and they said it was on a direct debit, not a pay as you go meter which I had in my last house.

They were going to check if they could swap them over, was going to chase tomorrow but now I'm wondering will a direct debit be cheaper/better?

I always preferred pay as you go due to living alone/having the 1 income and it was just easier to track how much I was spending rather than waiting for the bill to come at the end of the month. Could I stick with this for a month, see how it goes and if I don't like it then hopefully swap over?

Direct debit or monthly billed are much, kuch cheaper than those that you top up. You would be better off getting a smart meter (so you can see what you are spending) and remaining as things are.

If you ever sell, a pay as you go meter would be a massive minus for a lot of people as it is so much more expensive.

I believe the cost difference between top up meters and DD has pretty much been eliminated.

If you can get the DD amount right, it's brilliant - same amount month in, month out. No massive increase to find as Xmas rolls round. BUT it is possible to get into debt on this system.

Direct debit is a lot easier and it used to be considerably cheaper, although I'm not sure if that's still the case?

It's fine and makes it easier to budget as it's the same amount each month but it's important to stay on top of meter readings each month if it's not a smart meter so the company knows what you're using.

I get monthly bills which are not on direct debit, but I have to pay them within 7 days. Rates are slightly higher than direct debit, but I only want to pay for what we use. And I’m with Eon.

I prefer DD because it's spread across the year so you pay the same each month regardless of usage, rather than having higher bills in winter and lower in summer

I prefer to pay what is due each month as I feel direct debits either put the supplier in credit or you in credit which I feel very uneasy about.
I believe in paying for what I have used in any given month.

Payment by DD will be an average monthly spread charge over the year unless you request to pay in full upon receipt of bill. PPs are right that tariffs on prepayment meters are usually much more expensive.

That used to be the case but prepayment and direct debit is now pretty much equal. Standard credit is more expensive.