Pay As You Go
Our prepayment solution
With a prepayment meter, you can ‘pay as you go’ for your gas and electricity - you have control over what you're spending. You put money in the meter and you get energy. If you stop putting in money, the gas or electricity can be disconnected.
There are two types of pre-payment meters:
- Standard meter: Customers have a card for their gas meter and a key for their electricity meter. They take these to specific outlets (such as PayPoints, Payzones or Post Offices) and pay to top them up with credit. They then go home and insert the key and card in their meters, which transfers the credit to the meters and allows the energy to keep flowing in.
- Smart meter: Customers get a payment card for each meter. They take these cards to a PayPoint and pay to top them up. However, they don’t then need to go home and put the cards in the meters. As soon as the credit is in one of the cards, it is transferred remotely to the relevant meter. You can also top-up from anywhere using our Swift app. It's free and once you register, your payment information and unique top up codes are securely stored - so next time, you'll be able to top-up your meter in seconds.
Need help with your meter?
If you're having issues with your meter or having trouble topping up, simply get in touch. Whether you have a traditional or a smart pre-payment meter you can email us at prepayment@sparkenegry.co.uk and an agent will be back in touch.
Check out the info below which will help guide you through getting started and living with Pay As You Go.
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Getting started
There are a few things to remember when your key or card arrives:
1. Use it up
Make sure to use up all the credit on your meter before you insert your new Spark key for the first time. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it, so don’t forget!
2. Set it up
Before you top up your new key you’ll need to enter it into the meter for 30 seconds. This is really important as it updates your meter with all the information about your great new tariff.
3. Top it up
Once you’ve done all that, you’re ready to go and get topped up.The process is the same for both gas and electricity, but if you’re having any trouble, just let us know and we’ll get you back on track.
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Topping up
Where can I top up my credit?
You can top up your key or card at thousands of locations around the country including:
22,000 PayPoint locations
17,000 Payzone locationsYou’ll find PayPoint or Payzone in a corner shop, garage or supermarket near you. Find your nearest PayPoint here.
When can I top up?
You can only top up during the opening hours of your local PayPoint or Payzone location – so try to make sure you don’t run out of credit outside these times.
What if I run out of credit?
One benefit of having a PAYG meter is a service called Friendly Credit, which applies during periods of Non-Disconnect. This means that if you run out of credit between the hours of 20:00 and 08:00 (Monday-Friday) and all day during weekends and Bank Holidays, you will stay on supply until the following day when you can next top-up. Please note that this applies to traditional Electric PAYG meters; Gas ones are slightly different, and you should get in touch with the meter manufacturer if you have any queries regarding Friendly Credit.
What if I have a smart meter?
If you have a smart meter, there are a couple of other options for topping up - read on for more details.
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Smart top-up
Smart meters are ideal for Pay As You Go - you no longer have to worry about inserting a card or key into the meter as the credit will go straight onto the meter automatically.
Swift pay app
Get our stress-free Swift payg app today, so you can focus on the important things:
- Top-up in a few simple taps
- Add a new bank card to your account
- Keep track of your previous top ups
Smart Pay
Don't want the app? That's okay, you can still top-up online using our Smart Pay option from the comfort of your sofa.
Create an account and manage all your payments online or make one-off payments to tide you over until your next trip to the shops – it’s up to you. Once your account is up and running, you can even pay by text if you want to.
What if I run out of credit?
One benefit of having a PAYG meter is a service called Friendly Credit, which applies during periods of Non-Disconnect. This means that if you run out of credit between the hours of 16:00 and 10:00 (Monday-Friday) and all day during weekends and Bank Holidays, you will stay on supply until the following day when you can next top-up.
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Other ways to pay
Call us
Topping up online with our Swift app or via your Smart Pay account is the easiest and quickest way to manage your meter. If you aren't registered for Smart Pay , you can still top-up over the phone, it’ll just takes a little longer. Simply contact us on our automated service by calling: 0333 313 9170
There might be a 10 minute delay while we transfer the credit to your meter, but it should be there by the time you get home from the shops or grab a cuppa.
PayPoint
Note down your unique top up codes and take them to your nearest PayPoint location – you’ll find it in a corner shop, supermarket or garage near you.
If you need help to find your nearest PayPoint visit www.paypoint.com and pop in your postcode.
The cashier will be able to use your unique top up code to add credit to your meter – anything up to £100 per meter.
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Keep track of your spend
You can use the History button on the Transactions screen to view your current balance and recent top-up activity, to help keep track of how much you’ve spent and what’s remaining.
How to access your emergency credit
When your pre-payment credit gets low, your IHD will make a noise to alert you.
You’ll have the option to access £5 of emergency credit per fuel to keep things running until you can get topped up.
To access it, simply hit the E-Credit button on the Low Credit screen. Once you do, you’ll see the credit start to count down, and this is your cue to run out to your local PayPoint and get topped up!
If you don’t top up before the emergency credit runs out, you’ll be cut off and have to reconnect when you do top up again. Remember that you’ll need to repay the emergency credit you’ve used when you top back up too.
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Helping you out with a broken meter
If your prepayment meter isn’t working properly, please let us know as soon as possible on 0345 034 7474 between the hours of 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am and 1pm on Saturdays. If you have an emergency outside of these hours, call the same number and you'll be re-directed accordingly to a helpline. Before you call, if there is an error code on the screen of your pre-payment meter please make a note of this and let us know which one when you call.