E.ON Next vs British Gas referral: which gives you more?

Affiliate disclosure: this post contains an E.ON Next referral link. If you use it, we both get a £50 retail voucher redeemable at 100+ retailers. It doesn't change the price you pay.

Both E.ON Next and British Gas advertise a £50 refer-a-friend reward for switching energy supplier. On the surface it's a tie — same headline number. But once you look at the conditions, the voucher selection, and how long you wait, the two schemes diverge meaningfully.

I've been an E.ON Next customer for four years (gas was switched over when my supplier Bulb collapsed in late 2021), and I've referred friends to the scheme several times — so I know first-hand how that side works. British Gas I know from the published terms and public sources, not personal use. This post breaks down both schemes honestly and explains who each is actually better for.

Referral reward at a glance

The headline £50 is the same. The four practical differences:

1. British Gas needs a dual-fuel switch for the full £50. If you only switch your electricity (or only your gas), you'll receive £25 — not £50. E.ON Next pays the full £50 whether you switch one fuel or both.
2. British Gas is slower. Up to 90 days vs E.ON Next's ~4 weeks. That's the difference between getting your voucher in early summer or waiting until autumn.
3. E.ON Next gives you voucher choice. Amazon's fine, but 100+ retailers including M&S, Sainsbury's, Argos, Ticketmaster and Greggs is more useful flexibility for most households.
4. E.ON Next caps the referrer. If you're planning to refer many friends, British Gas's unlimited cap is more generous. For most people the E.ON cap (25/year, £1,500 in any 12 months) is well above what they'll ever use.

Customer satisfaction

E.ON Next has the edge on both Trustpilot and the 2026 Which? energy survey — finishing best of the large suppliers at 66% satisfaction. Neither has Which? Recommended Provider status (that's mostly an Octopus/EDF crowd), but among the traditional big suppliers, E.ON Next consistently scores higher than British Gas on independent measures.

Tariff range

E.ON Next has a focused lineup:

• Next Flex — standard variable, capped by Ofgem
• Next Fixed — 12–16 month fixed rate with an exit fee
• Next Steady — variable with a 3% discount on the price cap for year one
• Next Drive — 9p/kWh overnight (12am–6am) for EV owners
• Next Drive Smart — auto-dispatched smart charging; 8p/kWh off-peak applied to whole-home use

British Gas typically offers:

• Standard variable (capped)
• Fixed-rate tariffs (12 or 24 months)
• A rotating range of EV and time-of-use tariffs that have changed several times in recent years
• Smart-meter-required time-of-use options

British Gas's tariff menu is broader on paper but less consistent — products come and go more often. E.ON Next's lineup is smaller but stable, which matters if you don't want to renegotiate every renewal.

Renewable energy

E.ON Next's 100% renewable claim is backed by Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates. That doesn't mean the electrons coming through your meter are physically green — it means E.ON Next funds equivalent renewable generation. British Gas's renewable position is more selective: green tariffs exist but aren't the default. If "100% renewable as standard" matters, E.ON Next wins this one.

Company size and stability

British Gas is the largest UK energy supplier and the most familiar brand on this list — the legacy recognition runs deep. E.ON Next is smaller but still very large by industry standards, and is part of one of Europe's biggest energy groups.

The switching process

Both suppliers run the standard Ofgem-defined switching flow:

1. Sign up using a referral link
2. Your new supplier contacts your old one
3. The switch completes in 2–3 weeks
4. Your energy supply is uninterrupted throughout
5. Your £50 voucher arrives after your first direct debit clears

You don't need to contact your old supplier — both will handle it for you. The only meaningful timeline difference is voucher delivery (see the table above).

The verdict

For the referral itself, E.ON Next is the better deal in nearly every dimension that matters: faster payout, no dual-fuel requirement, broader voucher choice. The only place British Gas wins is the unlimited referral cap — irrelevant unless you're planning to refer more than 25 friends a year.

For the supplier overall, it depends:

• If you want renewable electricity as standard, a modern app, and the best-rated large supplier in the 2026 Which? survey — E.ON Next.
• If you want the most familiar brand and a broader (if less stable) tariff lineup — British Gas.

I switched my gas to E.ON Next by accident when Bulb collapsed and stayed for four years because it just worked. Boring and reliable, fairly priced, no surprises. That's not faint praise — after watching dozens of UK suppliers collapse in 2021–2022, "boring and reliable" is exactly what most households should want.

FAQs

Does British Gas have a referral code I can enter manually?

No. British Gas's referral programme works via a personalised link sent by an existing customer — not a generic code you type in at signup. If a friend or family member is already a British Gas customer, ask them to send you their referral link. The same is true for E.ON Next: there's no manual code, just a tracked referral link.

Why does British Gas split the £50 into £25 + £25?

The £50 reward is conditional on switching both gas and electricity. £25 is paid for the gas switch and £25 for the electricity switch. If you only switch one fuel, you'll only get £25. E.ON Next pays the full £50 whether you switch one fuel or both.

How fast does the E.ON Next referral voucher arrive?

Around four weeks after your first direct debit clears. You'll receive an email with a list of available retailers and pick the one you want. British Gas's voucher can take up to 90 days.

Can I use a British Gas referral if I'm an existing customer switching tariff?

No. Both schemes are for new switching customers only — neither pays out for tariff changes within the same supplier.

Which has the better app — E.ON Next or British Gas?

Both handle the basics (meter readings, bill viewing, direct debit changes) well. E.ON Next's is generally considered more polished; British Gas's has historically had more reliability complaints from customers in App Store and Trustpilot reviews. Neither matches Octopus or Monzo on app quality, but both are functional for routine account management.

You might also like

• Octopus Energy vs E.ON Next referral: which gives you more?
• Is E.ON Next worth it? An honest review after 4 years

Useful links (official resources)

• E.ON Next refer-a-friend T&Cs: https://www.eonnext.com/policies/terms-and-conditions/refer-a-friend
• British Gas refer-a-friend: https://www.britishgas.co.uk/offers/refer-a-friend.html
• Ofgem energy supplier comparison: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-for-household-consumers/energy-company-and-tariff-comparison
• Citizens Advice energy guidance: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/

Both schemes pay £50 — but the conditions and timeline are not the same. If you want the faster payout, the voucher flexibility, and the single-fuel qualifier, E.ON Next is the better referral.

Get your E.ON Next £50 voucher here