Sparkle fizz - have you received a letter? Mine was some weeks back but I was told payment might be January!
Oopsadaisy - you are right that 66 is the current state pension age, but you need to be 66 by late September. Madwoman11 should indeed get hers next year, although the increased rate is only for this winter.
Another strange thing, which many of you will be aware of, is that the payment is per household. If only one half of a couple is of pension age, they get the full amount, £500 this year, the same as a single person. When their spouse reaches pension age, they get half, £250, each.