Octoplus is Octopus Energy’s free rewards programme for smart meter customers. It pays out a mix of Octopoints, direct bill credit and rotating brand perks for things like shifting electricity use, using more power when the grid is super green, and basic account housekeeping. This page explains what Octoplus actually is, how the earning routes work, what the rewards are worth in 2026, who’s eligible, and whether it’s worth signing up to.
What is Octoplus?
Octoplus is Octopus Energy’s loyalty programme for households (and businesses) with a working electric smart meter. It launched in October 2023 and has grown to over two million members.
It is not a tariff. It is a free, opt-in rewards feature that sits on top of whatever Octopus tariff you’re already on, whether that’s a standard variable tariff, a fixed deal or a smart tariff like Intelligent Octopus Go. You join through the Octoplus tab in the Octopus Energy app or online dashboard, and rewards are tracked from there.
In practice, Octoplus is how Octopus turns its half-hourly smart meter data into something the customer can engage with. The grid needs flexibility. Octopus rewards customers who help provide it.
How Octoplus works
Octoplus customers earn through three main routes: Saving Sessions, Free Electricity Sessions, and account housekeeping.
Saving Sessions reward you in Octopoints for using less electricity during peak demand events. These typically run on stressed winter weekday evenings, usually in the 4pm–7pm window, as part of NESO’s Demand Flexibility Service. You opt in to each session ahead of time. Octopus then compares your half-hourly meter readings during the session to your typical usage at that time of day, and pays out Octopoints for the difference. According to Octopus’s own figures, the average customer earns around 800–1,000 Octopoints per session, which works out at roughly £1 to £1.25.
Free Electricity Sessions reward you in direct bill credit, not Octopoints, for using more electricity during super-green windows. These usually fall in spring and summer when sunny, windy weather pushes wholesale prices down or negative. You get a day’s notice by email or push notification. The electricity you would have used costs you the same as normal. Any extra you use on top during the session is free and credited back to your account.
Account housekeeping is the smaller third route. You earn Octopoints for submitting meter readings, spinning the Wheel of Fortune (guaranteed eight points per spin), and referring friends. These add up slowly but require almost no effort.
Octopoints convert at 800 points = £1 of account credit. You can also donate them to charity at face value, or spend them on Shoptopus (the Octopus merch shop), where they’re worth double their face value.
| Earning route | What’s rewarded | How it’s paid | Typical frequency | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saving Sessions | Using less electricity during peak demand events | Octopoints (~800–1,000 per session on average) | More common in colder months when the grid is stressed | Day-ahead opt-in by email and app |
| Free Electricity Sessions | Using more electricity during super-green windows | Direct bill credit | Concentrated in spring and summer when wholesale prices crash | Day-ahead notification |
| Account housekeeping | Meter readings, Wheel of Fortune, referrals | Octopoints (smaller amounts) | Ongoing | None needed |
Figures and mechanics as of 2026.
Octoplus perks and rewards
Sitting alongside the earning routes is a rotating perks ecosystem run with brand partners. The exact list changes regularly, so treat the below as a snapshot of the recurring perks rather than a fixed menu.
Recent and current perks include a free weekly hot drink at Greggs, 2-for-£10 ODEON cinema tickets Monday to Thursday, a National Trust or National Trust for Scotland day pass for two adults for 6,000 Octopoints (around £7.50 in points value against a face value of up to £44), discount codes at restaurant chains including Harvester, Stonehouse, Ember Inns and Sizzling Pubs, and periodic prize giveaways. Past giveaways have included a brand-new EV, plushies and free streaming. Some perks are seasonal. Some come and go.
Octopus claim that Octoplus customers had access to over £300 worth of rewards across the last year, which on a typical bill works out at around 17% of annual energy costs. The honest answer is that this figure assumes you redeem most of what’s on offer, including non-cash perks you’d actually use. If you don’t drink Greggs coffee and never go to the cinema, those items are worth nothing to you specifically.
Eligibility
To join Octoplus you need to:
- Be an Octopus Energy customer (residential or business).
- Have a working electric smart meter sending half-hourly readings (SMETS2 or SMETS1 operating in smart mode).
- Pay by Direct Debit or be on smart prepay.
Any standard or smart Octopus tariff is fine. There’s no requirement to switch tariff to join.
Gas-only customers can’t take part, because both Saving Sessions and Free Electricity Sessions depend on half-hourly electricity meter data. The most common reason eligible-looking customers get blocked is a smart meter that’s been installed but isn’t communicating properly. If your in-home display has been blank for months, or you’ve been submitting manual readings without realising, that’s usually the cause.
Is Octoplus worth signing up to?
It costs nothing to join and takes a few minutes to set up, so you may as well sign up.
What you get out of it depends almost entirely on how engaged you are. Households that opt into most Saving Sessions, actually shift some usage during Free Electricity Sessions, redeem the rotating perks they’d already use, and convert points sensibly can extract real value. Households that ignore the notifications, don’t change their behaviour, and don’t care about cinema tickets or Greggs will capture very little.
The £300 headline is achievable but it is not typical. For an averagely engaged household, somewhere in the low tens to low hundreds of pounds of combined credit and perks across a year is a more realistic expectation. The variance is wide.
Octoplus is not a reason on its own to switch to Octopus. Pick the right tariff first. But once you’re an Octopus customer with a working smart meter, there’s almost no downside to joining. It’s free, it’s quick, and even the lazy version (ignore everything, spin the wheel occasionally, redeem the odd perk) still pays out a little.
How to sign up
You sign up through the Octoplus tab in the Octopus Energy app or your online dashboard. If you don’t see it, the usual reason is that your smart meter isn’t sending half-hourly readings yet.
Enable push notifications on the app. Saving Session and Free Electricity Session announcements are time-sensitive, and the email-only route is easy to miss.
FAQ
What is Octoplus?
Octoplus is Octopus Energy’s free rewards programme for electricity smart meter customers. It launched in October 2023 and now has over two million members. Customers earn Octopoints and bill credit by taking part in Saving Sessions, Free Electricity Sessions and account housekeeping activities.
Is Octoplus free to join?
Yes. There is no fee to join Octoplus and no minimum tariff requirement. You just need to be an Octopus Energy customer with an eligible smart meter setup.
What are Octopoints worth?
800 Octopoints equal £1 of account credit. You can also donate them to charity at face value, or spend them on Shoptopus merchandise, where they’re worth double face value (so 800 points buys £2 of merch).
Do I need a smart meter for Octoplus?
Yes. You need a working electric smart meter sending half-hourly readings to Octopus. Without that data, the Saving Sessions and Free Electricity Sessions can’t be measured. If your smart meter is installed but not communicating, contact Octopus to fix the connection before signing up.
Can I join Octoplus on a fixed tariff?
Yes. Octoplus works alongside any standard or smart Octopus tariff, including fixed deals. You don’t need to be on a time-of-use tariff like Agile or Intelligent Octopus Go to take part.
Can I join Octoplus if I only have gas with Octopus?
No. Octoplus is built around electricity smart meter data, so gas-only customers can’t take part. If you have both gas and electricity with Octopus and the electricity side is eligible, you can join.
How do I convert Octopoints to credit?
Open the Octoplus section of the app or your online dashboard, scroll to your Octopoints history, and use the “Convert Octopoints to credit” option. The credit is applied to your Octopus account balance.
What’s the difference between Saving Sessions and Free Electricity Sessions?
Saving Sessions reward you in Octopoints for using less electricity during peak demand events, typically on stressed weekday evenings in winter. Free Electricity Sessions reward you in direct bill credit for using more electricity during super-green windows, mostly in spring and summer. Same programme, opposite behaviours.
Is the £300 a year value realistic?
It’s achievable for highly engaged customers who take part in most sessions and actually redeem the rotating perks. It is not typical. A more realistic expectation for an averagely engaged household is in the low tens to low hundreds of pounds of combined credit and perks across a year.
Can business customers join Octoplus?
Yes. Business customers with an Octopus Energy electricity supply and a working electric smart meter on Direct Debit can join Octoplus on the same terms as residential customers.
How do I sign up to Octoplus?
Log in to your Octopus Energy app or online dashboard, find the Octoplus tab, and follow the prompts. If the tab doesn’t appear, it’s almost always because your smart meter isn’t yet sending half-hourly readings.
Is Octoplus the same as Octopus Power-ups?
No. Power-ups is a separate scheme run with local Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) and is only available in specific postcodes. Octoplus is the umbrella loyalty programme open to all eligible Octopus customers nationally. You can be in both at once. If a Power-up and a Free Electricity Session overlap on your meter, the Power-up reward (usually higher) is the one that’s credited.
Is Octoplus the same as Octopus Agile?
No. Agile Octopus is a tariff, with half-hourly prices that follow the wholesale market and occasionally drop into negative territory. Octoplus is a rewards programme. They’re separate. You can be on Agile and also be an Octoplus member.
Is the Refer a Friend bonus part of Octoplus?
No. The £50 referral credit is a separate scheme. It pays in direct account credit (not Octopoints) to both the existing customer and the new switcher when someone signs up via a referral link.