Fourth Trimester

Fourth Trimester is our way of helping the most vulnerable New Zealanders at a time when they need it most. And at such a busy time in their lives, paying for energy is one less thing for new parents to think about. At Contact, we believe that it’s good to be home and Fourth Trimester is our way of bringing this to life for our customers.

Since 2022, our Fourth Trimester initiative has gifted over 5 million hours of energy to families across Aotearoa, supporting them through parenting in the first three months of their babies’ lives.

We’re eager to help more families enjoy being at home with their newborns, by taking some of the stress away. So watch this space in 2024 and check back here for other helpful information for new parents.

As a Contact customer, we invite you to sign up to receive special offers from us via email. We’ll often let you know about special offers ahead of everyone else, so you can get in first.

You can do this via MyAccount or Contact app:

• click on ‘My Details’
• then click on ‘Account Details’
• then check the box ‘Send me special offers, energy saving tips and news by email’

Not part of the Contact family yet? We’d love to see you back here soon or give us a follow on Instagram and Facebook.

We will be wiping the energy charges (excluding bottled gas) for three monthly bills in a row while on Fourth Trimester. Please note, the monthly bills will follow the standard monthly billing cycle though there could be occasions where the bill is for less than 30 days. If this occurs while on the Fourth Trimester, we will apply an additional credit on a subsequent bill which will be based on your average daily usage.

If you're a Distributed Generation customer (e.g. solar), any credit amounts due for electricity you export during your free energy period will continue to offset the charges for electricity that you import during your free energy  period. Your Fourth Trimester credits will then cover the remaining charges for the electricity that you imported. To ensure we recognise your exported electricity, we will apply a further credit to your bill following the end of  the Fourth Trimester for the electricity you exported over the three free months.

All electricity and piped gas charges within the three-month period is free. This includes daily charges and levies. This applies to both estimated and actual bills with no credits given for any estimated read which is adjusted afterwards.

Please note that:

• Broadband isn’t included.
• Bottled gas isn’t included.
• Outstanding debt is not included in your Fourth Trimester credit, so any outstanding debt will still need to be repaid.
• If you leave or move house, the Fourth Trimester will end with no credits given for any remaining period.

The free period of energy will start on your next full billing cycle following your application confirmation. This means you may get one more energy bill before your free one kicks in – but also means you get to make the most of your time on the programme! This also applies if you have just joined Contact.

Your free period will end after the third full consecutive bill that the Fourth Trimester period applies to. We’ll send you an email reminder a couple of weeks beforehand, so you’ll have plenty of time to prepare.

While on Fourth Trimester, you’ll still receive monthly bills from us, however the energy charges (excluding bottled gas) will be wiped, so no payment is required. If you have broadband, bottled gas or outstanding debt, you’ll continue to be billed for this and payment is still required while on Fourth Trimester.

Regular payments:

• If you have a direct debit set up, no payments will come out as your monthly bills will be zero, unless you have a charge that isn’t covered by the Fourth Trimester, such as broadband or bottled gas.
• Any automatic payments (not direct debit) that you have set up will continue during the free period unless you opt to cancel them. To do this, you will need to contact your bank.

What happens to my plan after the free period ends?

Your plan will continue as at it did before Fourth Trimester, and you’ll still receive any associated benefits of that plan.

What happens to my energy rates after the free period ends?

Your energy rates will be the same as before Fourth Trimester, unless you are on an open-term energy plan where they can change as part of our usual price review process or where your fixed plan ends during the Fourth Trimester, and you move onto another plan. Please see question below for more details.

What happens to my payments after the free period ends?

• You will be billed for your energy usage monthly.
• If you previously paid your bills weekly or fortnightly, you can choose to change back via My Account or app.
• If you had a direct debit set up, you may need to check with your bank that this is still in place, as they may cancel it due to inactivity during the free period. If that’s the case, you’ll need to reinstate the direct debit via My Account or app.
• Any automatic payments (not direct debit) that you have set up will continue unless you opted to cancel them.If you had an automatic payment(not direct debit) set up prior to the free period which you changed or cancelled, you will need to set it up again.
• If you were previously on SmoothPay, you can reinstate this via My Account or app.
• If you were previously on ControlPay, one of our call centre representatives will be in touch to help you reinstate this payment option.
• If you were previously on PrePay, you can choose to reinstate this if you still meet the eligibility criteria. Please give us a call on 0800 245 245

If you’re on Fourth Trimester when your fixed-term plan ends, we’ll let you know and give you all the details to choose another plan (with revised energy rates).

Unfortunately, you won't be able to take any remaining Fourth Trimester free period to your new house and we won’t give credits out for any remaining period.

Unfortunately, you can't pause or use your free energy later. The free period of energy will start on your next full billing cycle based on your application confirmation and will continue for three monthly bills in a row while on Fourth Trimester.

If you’re on an open term energy plan, you can choose to leave Contact at any time. Just note, if you leave or move house during the Fourth Trimester free period, it’ll cease to apply with no credits given for any remaining period.

If you’re on a fixed term energy plan, the terms of the plan still stand. If you decide to end the agreement with us before the plan end date, an early termination fee of $150 per installation control point (ICP) may apply. Please refer to your plan agreement for details.

If you’re on an open-term plan, you are still subject to any price changes as part of our usual price review process. We regularly review our customers’ prices and may choose to increase them based on a number of factors that will be determined at the time. The price increase is not associated with the Fourth Trimester offer.

Your documentation in relation to the Fourth Trimester offer will be kept confidential by Contact. It will be stored securely and with limited access for a maximum of up to six months.

There will not be any price increases associated with the Fourth Trimester offer. If you’re on an open-term plan, you are still subject to any price changes as part of our usual price review process. We regularly review our customers’ prices and may choose to change them based on a number of factors that will be determined at the time.

While on Fourth Trimester, you’ll still receive monthly bills from us, but the energy charges (excluding bottled gas) will be wiped, so no payment is required. However, broadband and bottled gas are not included in the free period, so if you have one of these services, they will be charged monthly as usual. Outstanding debt repayments are also not included, so monthly debt repayments are still required during the period.

If you’re still unsure and would like to talk to someone about your bill, give us a call on 0800 245 245.