What is ending
Many plans come with a benefit for a set period: a percentage off usage for the first 12 months, a sign-up credit, or a bonus feed-in tariff. When the period ends, the plan carries on at its ordinary prices. Nothing about your supply changes, but the same usage costs more from that day.
Some discounts end in another way. A pay-on-time or direct-debit discount is lost on any bill where the condition is missed: a late payment or a failed debit is enough. See direct debit pros and cons.
You should be told first
Under the national rules, when a benefit on your market contract is ending or changing, your retailer must send you a notice between 20 and 40 business days before the change. If you are on a fixed-term contract, they must also tell you when the contract is ending, in the same window, and what you will move onto. Victoria has its own equivalent rules.
Since 1 July 2026, the national rules also put a ceiling on what happens next: when a benefit changes or expires, your retailer cannot charge you more than its standing offer price. That stops the worst outcomes, but the standing offer is a backstop, not a good deal. Most market plans are cheaper. See the energy loyalty tax.
The notice is easy to miss: it often arrives as one email among many, months after you stopped thinking about your energy plan. If you signed up for a deal a year ago, assume the benefit is ending soon and check.
The "better offer" line on your bill
Under the AER’s Better Bills Guideline, retailers in the national market must tell you on the front of your bill, at least every 100 days, whether you could save on another of their plans. If the saving is more than $22 a year, the message must say so.
That is useful, but it only covers that retailer’s own plans. A bill that says you are on their best plan can still be well above the cheapest plan available at your address from another retailer. Treat a "you could save" message as a prompt to act, and a "you’re on our best offer" message as a prompt to check the rest of the market.
What to do
- Find the notice, or your plan’s fact sheet, and note the date the benefit ends.
- Work out what your plan costs without the discount on a year of your usage. A percentage off usage is worth more to a high-usage household than a low-usage one.
- Compare that cost with the plans available at your address now. Discounts are not the only way plans differ: supply charges and feed-in tariffs can matter more.
- If you switch, do it before or soon after the benefit ends. Check for an exit fee first. Most market plans no longer charge one.
- If you stay, ask your retailer whether they can move you onto their best current offer. The Better Bills message on your bill tells you whether one exists.
Why one check a year is not enough
Discounts end, prices reset each July, and new plans appear all year. A plan that was the cheapest when you chose it rarely stays the cheapest for long, and the moment it slips is exactly when no one tells you. See how often you should switch.
This is the job EnergySorted is built for. Upload a bill and we cost every plan at your address on your real usage. After that, we re-cost the market every night and email you when a plan available to you beats yours by enough to matter. If a price change notice arrives, our rate-change reader costs it on your usage. We do not take commissions, so the cheapest plan is the one we show you first. Check a bill free.
Frequently asked questions
What happens when my energy discount ends?
Your plan continues at its ordinary prices, so the same usage costs more. Nothing changes about your supply, and you are free to switch.
Does my retailer have to tell me my discount is ending?
Yes. Under the national rules, a notice must be sent between 20 and 40 business days before a benefit on a market contract ends or changes. Victoria has its own equivalent rules.
Can I end up paying more than the standing offer when my discount ends?
Not since 1 July 2026 under the national rules: when a benefit changes or expires, your retailer cannot charge you more than its standing offer price. That is a ceiling, though, not a good price.
What happens when my fixed-term energy contract ends?
Your retailer must tell you before it ends and explain what happens next, usually a move onto another plan. Check what that plan costs before you accept it.
My bill says I am on the best plan. Is that true?
It means the best of that retailer’s plans for you. Other retailers may have cheaper plans available at your address.
What is the $22 better offer threshold?
Under the AER’s Better Bills Guideline, if another of your retailer’s plans would save you more than $22 a year, your bill must tell you.
I lost my pay-on-time discount because of one late payment. Can I get it back?
It applies bill by bill, so it should return on the next bill you pay on time. Some retailers will reinstate it if you ask, especially after a first slip.
Is a big percentage discount a good deal?
Not necessarily. A large discount on a high base price can still cost more than a plan with no discount. Compare the whole-year cost on your own usage.
How often should I check my plan?
At least when a benefit ends, when a price change notice arrives, and around the 1 July resets. Or let EnergySorted re-cost the market for you every night.