Editorial policy

Who we are and why this policy exists

Octopus50 is an independent guide. It is not operated, endorsed or reviewed by Octopus Energy. We publish guidance on the Octopus Energy referral scheme because readers keep asking the same practical questions — how much the credit is worth, who qualifies, and when it actually lands in an account. This policy sets out how we try to answer those questions accurately, how we are paid for doing so, and what we do when we get something wrong.

Independence and ownership

Octopus50 is an independently run guide. We are not Octopus Energy, we are not owned by Octopus Energy, and nothing on this site has been reviewed or endorsed by them. We use their branding and the word "Octopus" only to describe the referral scheme we are writing about. Where our commercial interest could colour a claim — for example the size of the reward, or how quickly it is paid — we link directly to Octopus Energy's own published terms rather than paraphrasing from memory.

Editorial standards and how we verify offers

Every factual claim about the referral scheme — reward amounts, eligibility conditions, payment timing — must be traceable to a primary source before it is published. That usually means Octopus Energy's own help pages, blog posts and terms and conditions, or, for switching rules generally, Ofgem's published guidance. If a claim cannot be traced to one of these, it is removed rather than softened or hedged.

Offer facts are stored in a single place across the site, so a change to the reward amount, the payment condition or the referral link updates every page at once rather than being edited page by page. We re-check those facts against Octopus Energy's live guidance on a scheduled basis and record when that check last happened.

Sources we use, and how we cite them

We favour primary sources over secondhand write-ups. For the referral scheme itself, that means Octopus Energy's own terms and conditions, its referral help and FAQ pages, and its own blog posts describing the scheme. For general switching rules we cite Ofgem. Where a page states a fact drawn from one of these sources, it links to that source directly so a reader can check it themselves rather than taking our word for it. The full list of sources used across the site is in the panel below.

How we handle changes to the referral offer

Octopus Energy sets and can change the reward amount, eligibility rules and payment conditions at any time, without notice to us. When we identify a change — through our scheduled check, a reader report, or noticing a discrepancy ourselves — we update the shared offer facts, refresh every page that depends on them, and add a dated entry to the public change log. We do not quietly edit a figure without recording that it changed.

Accuracy and corrections

We aim for every figure and claim to be correct at the point of publication, but referral schemes change and mistakes happen. If you spot something that looks wrong, please contact us with what you saw and, where possible, a link to the page. We aim to respond within five working days. Material corrections are made to the page itself, dated, and logged publicly in the change log below — we do not remove or rewrite a factual error without a record of it.

Conflicts of interest and funding

Ad: Octopus50 is an independent site funded by the Octopus referral scheme — if you switch through our link and qualify, you receive £50 account credit and we may also receive £50. That commercial relationship is disclosed at the top of every page, not buried in small print, and explained in full on our how we make money page. Being paid through the referral scheme changes what we have to be careful about — it does not change what we are willing to publish. Our Octopus Energy review sets out the cases where a different supplier or tariff would suit a reader better, even though that does nothing for our reward.

We do not accept payment to remove a limitation from a page, and we do not vary a factual claim depending on which link a reader might click.

Claims we refuse to make

• “Credit within 30 days” or any deadline Octopus has not published
• “Guaranteed” credit — eligibility conditions always apply
• “Cheapest supplier” — price depends on address, usage and tariff
• Testimonials, review scores or customer counters we cannot evidence
• Screenshots or figures presented as current when we cannot re-verify them

Use of AI and human review

Drafting tools, including AI assistance, may be used to help structure a page or speed up research. They are not used as a source of fact for reward amounts, dates or eligibility rules — those come only from the primary sources described above. Every page has a named author who is responsible for its claims and a second named reviewer who checks it before publication. No page goes live on the strength of an automated draft alone.

Author accountability

Every page on this site is written and edited by named people, and each carries the author and reviewer's names along with the date the offer facts were last checked. You can read about their backgrounds, relevant experience and first-hand experience of the referral scheme on our author pages. If you want to raise something directly with an author or reviewer, their contact details are listed there too.

Review process

• An author writes the page and records the sources used
• A second named person reviews every factual and commercial claim
• Offer facts are stored in one place so a change updates every page at once
• Facts are re-checked at least quarterly — last checked 29 August 2026
• Each page displays its author, reviewer and last-checked date

Questions about this policy, or anything else on the site, are welcome via our contact page.