Deposits and credit checks
A deposit request at enrolment surprises people who have shopped on price and found the plan they wanted. It is a separate decision from the plan, made by the retailer, and it is worth understanding before it happens.
Why retailers ask
A retail electric provider sells you electricity before you pay for it — you use a month of power and are billed afterwards. That is an extension of credit, and retailers assess it the way any business extending credit does.
Most run a credit check at enrolment. The result can be no deposit, a deposit, or a request for other assurance, and the amount is set by the retailer within the rules that apply to them.
This is not a judgement on the plan you chose and it is not something a comparison site can influence. It is between you and the company you enrol with.
What your options usually are
Different retailers assess the same customer differently, so a deposit at one is not a deposit everywhere. If the amount is a problem, it is reasonable to compare the plan you wanted against the next few on the list and ask what each would require.
Deposits are generally refundable, and the terms — how long they are held, whether they earn interest, when they are returned — are set out in Your Rights as a Customer, the document that comes with every plan.
Prepaid products are frequently available without a deposit or a credit check, which is a genuine reason they exist. This marketplace does not list them, because a prepaid balance cannot be compared against a monthly contract on a single number — that is a limitation of this site rather than a criticism of the product.
What this site does not do
It does not check your credit, does not know what a retailer will ask you for, and does not filter plans by whether a deposit is likely. Nothing here requires an account, so there is nothing to run a check against.
If a deposit is the obstacle to getting power on, that is a conversation with retailers directly rather than a shopping problem, and it is worth having before your move date rather than on it.
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