How to top up an electricity meter
First identify whether you have a smart prepayment meter or a traditional meter that uses a key, card or token. Your supplier’s name should appear on a bill, statement, email or in-home display; if you have just moved in, do not use the previous occupier’s account.
| Meter type | Ways to add credit | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Smart prepayment meter | Supplier app, online account, telephone payment service or authorised outlet, depending on the supplier | Credit is normally sent remotely; retain the payment reference in case it does not arrive |
| Traditional key or card meter | Take the registered key or card to an outlet approved by your supplier | Insert the key or card into the meter to transfer the purchased credit |
| Token meter | Use the supplier’s specified payment channel | Enter or apply the token exactly as instructed |
Use only your own supplier-issued key or card. If it is lost, damaged or rejected, ask the supplier for a replacement and explain immediately if you are at risk of losing power.
Keep every receipt or digital payment confirmation. It may contain a top-up reference that allows credit to be entered manually if a smart-meter payment does not transfer automatically.
What to do when a top-up does not reach the meter
Check that the payment was made to the correct electricity account and allow the processing time stated by your supplier. Then look in the supplier app, on the receipt or in the payment confirmation for a manual vend or top-up reference.
- Confirm that electricity, rather than gas, was selected.
- Check the meter display for a message such as rejected, failed or credit pending.
- Enter the payment reference using the meter instructions, where this option is available.
- Contact the supplier with the receipt, payment time, amount paid and meter serial number.
If the meter has credit but the property still has no electricity, follow the meter’s reconnection instructions and check whether neighbouring homes are also affected. A wider power cut should be reported through the national electricity network service by calling 105, according to GOV.UK.
Do not remove seals, open the meter casing or interfere with its wiring. Meter faults and account-credit failures must be handled by the supplier or network operator.
Emergency credit and help when you cannot afford to top up
Emergency credit is a temporary amount available through many prepayment meters once ordinary credit runs low. The amount and activation method are set by your supplier and meter arrangement, so check the meter screen or contact the supplier rather than assuming a standard UK allowance.
Ofgem says suppliers must provide appropriate support to customers in payment difficulty. Ask specifically about emergency credit, additional support credit, debt repayment changes and whether another payment method would be safer for your household.
Tell the supplier if anyone is disabled, seriously ill, pregnant, of pension age, very young or dependent on powered medical equipment. Ask to join the Priority Services Register and explain the consequences if the supply stops.
Credit offered by a supplier may need to be repaid, but repayment arrangements should reflect your ability to pay under Ofgem’s consumer-protection rules. For wider bill support, see help with energy bills and emergency household help.
Standing charges, debt and disappearing credit
A prepayment meter can continue deducting standing charges and agreed debt repayments, including during periods when little electricity is used. Ofgem explains that tariffs include unit rates and may include daily standing charges; the exact charges depend on the tariff, region, payment method and applicable price protection.
If a top-up disappears unusually quickly, use the meter screens or supplier app to separate energy use, standing charges and debt deductions. Ask the supplier for a written breakdown if the deductions are unclear or appear inconsistent with your repayment agreement.
- Request an affordability review of debt deductions.
- Check whether you are on the supplier’s most suitable available tariff.
- Ask whether a credit meter, smart credit mode or another payment arrangement is safe and practical.
- Challenge debts from a previous occupier rather than paying them.
Ofgem requires suppliers to consider a customer’s ability to pay when setting debt repayments. SupportFund’s energy debt guidance can help you prepare account details, household costs and an affordable proposal before contacting the supplier.
Protections against forced prepayment
Energy suppliers cannot treat involuntary prepayment as a routine debt-collection shortcut. Ofgem’s rules require suppliers to complete specified checks, make repeated attempts to engage and assess whether prepayment is safe and reasonably practicable before an involuntary installation or remote switch.
Enhanced protections apply where household circumstances make loss of supply especially dangerous. Tell the supplier about medical needs, disability, mobility barriers, communication difficulties or any reason a person cannot safely reach, read or top up the meter.
Act before a visit or remote switch. Contact the supplier, request a vulnerability assessment, propose an affordable payment arrangement and keep copies of messages. If unresolved, use the supplier’s formal complaints process and ask Citizens Advice or the Energy Ombudsman about the next step.
There is no single electricity top-up rate for 2026/27. Prices vary by tariff and region, while Ofgem price-cap periods and supplier tariffs can change during the year; confirm current rates with your supplier and on GOV.UK before acting.