OVO distinguishes between asking for spare credit while you remain a customer and receiving money back after an account closes. The first route is subject to eligibility checks; the second is normally tied to the final statement after moving home or switching supplier.
Requesting credit back while staying with OVO
OVO says an active account generally needs enough credit to leave at least one month’s Direct Debit amount in place. The help guidance also sets other checks, including account age, successful Direct Debit payments, no other refund already pending and a sufficiently recent meter reading for each fuel. Smart-meter data may satisfy the reading requirement when it is communicating correctly.
The supplier publishes a minimum request amount and explains that online requests may be available only when the account holds a larger buffer. A refund can change the amount OVO expects to collect later because removing credit reduces the cushion available for future energy use.
If you move home
Tell OVO that you are leaving and provide the move date, forwarding details and final readings if the smart meter cannot provide them automatically. The account is then closed and a final statement is prepared. If the final statement shows genuine credit, OVO says the amount is refunded automatically rather than requiring a separate claim.
If another supplier takes over
A normal supplier switch also ends with a final balance. The new supplier sends the opening reading, OVO uses it to close the old account, and any remaining credit is returned after the final statement. Keep the paying bank account available until the refund is complete, because the published refund policy normally sends the money to the account used for Direct Debit.
Do not rely only on the live balance
An online balance can be ahead of the next bill and may not yet reflect the latest energy used. If the meter reading is old, update it first. This reduces the risk of withdrawing money that is needed to cover consumption that has not yet been billed.
Example
A customer with several months of accumulated credit who is staying with OVO can ask for a refund only after the eligibility checks are met. A customer moving out does something different: report the move, wait for the final statement and then receive any remaining credit through the closing-account process.
Check the latest requirements on OVO’s official refund help page and its refund policy.