Get help with your prepayment meters.
Not sure where your nearest top-up point is or how to check your credit? Here's how you do it.
Prepayment meters in a nutshell.
A prepayment meter (PPM) is a sort of "pay-as-you-go" system for managing energy consumption, allowing you to pay for your electricity and/or gas upfront. This method helps many of our customers with budgeting and can prevent unexpected bills too.
Frequently asked questions about prepayment meters.
I've moved from another energy supplier, will my prepayment card or key continue to work?
Both electricity and gas card or keys will continue to work while your account moves over. When your move is complete, we’ll send you a new gas card which you can start using straight away.
If you have an electricity prepayment meter we don’t need to send you a new key and you can carry on using your existing one.
If you haven't received your new gas card a couple of days after we've moved your account, please get in touch.
Where can I top up my prepay meter?
You can top up at any Payzone, PayPoint or Post Office outlet. You can find your closest outlet on their website.
What is my emergency credit?
For gas - Your prepayment meter has £10 emergency credit, available when you have less than £2 left on your meter.
For electricity - There's £10 emergency credit and you'll be able to activate this when you've got less than 50p left.
Just remember, you'll need to pay back your emergency credit the next time you top up.
How do I use my emergency credit?
For gas - If you want to use your emergency credit and you’ve got less than £2 left; put your card in the meter then press the red button ‘A’.
For electricity – if you want to use your emergency credit and you’ve got less than 50p left, put your key in the meter and press the blue button. Your meter may make a noise when your emergency credit is available to use.
Why do I need to top up every week?
It’s part of your agreement to top up your meter with credit every week even if you aren’t using energy. This is to ensure that your debt is repaid in line with your repayment agreement.
If you don’t keep up with the repayment schedule, the meter will take an amount each night from the available credit until the repayments are up to date.
If you don’t top up your meter, we’ll carry on taking a higher weekly debt repayment amount until you’ve caught up with your repayments.
If you’re struggling to pay, please tell us as soon as possible on 0808 501 5200 or email us at hi@eonnext.com. We’re here to help.
I use less energy in the summer, do I still need to top up?
In the summer months you must remember to keep topping up your meter. You might use less energy, but the standing charge is still debited each day from your meter during the summer months.
Keeping your meter topped up, helps you spread the cost throughout the year and makes you more prepared for winter.
How do prepayment meters work?
Prepayment meters are really easy to use. It's a bit like a pay as you go mobile, you just top up with credit to get your electricity and gas.
The top-ups work in different ways. For gas we'll send you a card and for electricity we'll send you a key. You can take these to any Payzone, PayPoint or Post Office outlets to top up.
What if I can't get to a shop?
Don't worry, for emergencies you can activate emergency credit on your meter - there's £10 for gas and £5 for electricity (being increased to £10 - we'll contact you when this is changing on your meter). Just remember, you'll need to pay this back when you next top up.
Can I switch from a prepayment meter to a credit meter?
Yes, as long as you're not paying back a debt through your meter and you pass a credit check, we can book an appointment with you within a reasonable time frame to swap your prepayment meter for a shiny new smart meter.
If you switch to a credit meter you'll pay for your energy monthly by Direct Debit or we'll send you a bill (which you’ll need to pay in 7 days).
If your circumstances mean that a prepayment meter is not safe or practical it's really important that you talk to us so we can help.
I'm moving home what should I do?
Moving home can be a really exciting time with lots to organise, but don't forget about your energy.
Just tell us as soon as you know your move date, as we don't want you to end up paying for someone else's energy. We'll ask you to take some meter readings, when you move, so we can close your account with us.
To get in touch about your move just email us at hi@eonnext.com or just give us a call on 0808 501 5200.
I've just moved into a house with a prepayment meter, what should I do?
Don't panic, all you need to do is contact us at hi@eonnext.com or give us a call on 0808 501 5200. If you don't you could end up paying the wrong rates as the previous occupier could have had a debt with us.
How do I top up my gas card?
It’s easy to top up at a Payzone, PayPoint or Post Office outlet. Just hand them your card with the amount of money you want to top up, a minimum of £1 is needed. Fully pounds only as we like rounding!
They’ll put the credit on your card, which will transfer to your meter when you put it back in. Don’t forget to press the red button ‘A’ button when your meter asks as this will transfer the credit over.
How do I top up my electricity key?
It’s easy to top up at a Payzone, PayPoint or Post Office outlet. Just hand them your key with the amount of money you want to top up, a minimum of £1 is needed (full pounds only). They’ll put the credit on your key, which will transfer to your meter when you put it back in.
What do the fault codes on my electricity meter mean?
If your meter displays one of these codes, here's what you need to do:
Error A3 - Don't worry, this just means you've taken out your key too soon. Pop it back in.
Error 10 - Try cleaning your key's chip with a dry cloth. If the message stays, then your key's programmed for a different meter. Please call us on 0808 501 5200.
Blank screen - Insert your key and hold the blue button down. If that doesn't work, call us on 0808 501 5200 and we'll send someone to take a look.
Error number from 6-44, NO, A1, A2, A6, A10, B1-B7, B9, C4, C5, D1-D7, D9, E4, E5 - These different error codes are all caused by a faulty key. Please call us on 0808 501 5200.
Reset, token no, or error number 1, 2, 3, 50, 99, A4, A5, A7, A8, A9, C1, E1, E6 - Unfortunately these error codes all mean that your meter is broken. Please call us on 0808 501 5200.
What do the fault codes on my gas meter mean?
If your meter displays one of these codes, here's what you need to do:
Call help - call us on 0808 501 5200.
Battery fail – call us on 0808 501 5200.
Card not accepted, shown as M***** or M----- on your meter display – call us on 0808 501 5200.
Blank screen – call us on 0808 501 5200.
Card fail 04, 28, 25, 28 shown on your meter display – make sure your card is clean and reinsert the card. If this does not work, call us on 0808 501 5200.
How do price changes work?
If your prices need to change we’ll let you know and we’ll send your new prices to your meter. If for some reason this doesn’t work we’ll investigate and fix this in a reasonable timescale.
Frequently asked questions about prepayment debt.
How much debt do I have outstanding on my gas or electricity meter?
You can find this information on your meter.
For gas:
Press and hold the red button 'A' until you hear a beep or the display on the meter changes.
Now press the red button 'A' again until you get to screen 27.
Screen 27 will show you the total debt balance left to pay.
For electricity:
Insert your electricity key into the meter.
Press the blue button until you see the letter 'S' which will show you the outstanding balance on your meter.
How is my gas or electricity outstanding debt collected?
For gas - your meter will first check to see if anything is owed before giving you credit for gas. If you have a weekly repayment rate the meter will take this amount from your first top up after a Wednesday morning each week.
For electricity - your debt will be taken by your meter regularly throughout the week.
How much debt do a pay I week?
For gas:
Insert gas card into meter.
Press and hold the red button 'A' until you hear a beep or the display on the meter changes.
Now press the red 'A' again until you get to screen 26.
Screen 26 will show you your weekly collection rate.
For electricity:
Inset your electricity key into the meter.
Press the blue button until you see the letter 'T' - this will show you your weekly collection rate.
What happens when my debt is paid off?
When you’ve finished paying your debt - we’ll stop collecting your repayments from your meter automatically.
If having a prepayment or SPAYG meter doesn’t work for you, we may be able to offer a different option, such as a Direct Debit. To change your meter we’d need to run a credit check and potentially take a security deposit - but don’t worry, we’ll go over this with you.
You can check your balance and your debt amount anytime on your meter.
How to check your SPAYG meter.
There are many different types of SPAYG meters - pop over to how to check your SPAYG meter to get your info.
How to check your prepayment meter.
For gas:
Press and hold the red button 'A' until you hear a beep or the display on the meter changes.
Now press the red button 'A' again until you get to screen 27.
Screen 27 will show you the total debt balance left to pay.
For electricity:
Insert your electricity key into the meter.
Press the blue button until you see the letter 'S' which will show you the outstanding balance on your meter.
How can I get support if I'm struggling to pay?
If you’re struggling to pay for your energy we have a range of payment support and independent advice available - from grants funded by the E.ON Next Energy Fund to free, personalised and impartial debt support from StepChange. For mental health support visit our charity partner Mind. Or get in touch and we’ll do all we can to help.
We can set up a long term, affordable repayment plan and we might also be able to offer you extra credit (you'll still need to pay this back but we won’t charge you any extra for this).
Need a bit more help?
Check out the various prepayment guides we have to help solve your query.
New to prepayment meters?
Check out our blog about the 5 things you need to know about your electricity and gas prepayment meters.
Paying debt through your prepayment meter.
Your meter will collect any outstanding balance, if there is one, at the rate we've agreed with you. You'll need to top up enough to cover your weekly repayment amount, regular energy use and daily standing charge.
For gas prepayment meters.
Your meter will take money for this debt until the weekly repayment amount has been paid in full. It will take this amount from your first top up after a Wednesday morning each week, and every top up after that until your weekly amount is paid. Any money owed to the meter will be taken in full before you get any gas or electricity.
For gas, the top up will be allocated as shown in the example below:
Steps | With a debt | Without a debt |
|---|---|---|
Step 1 Value of top up (full pounds only). | £10 top up | £10 top up |
Step 2 Is there a weekly repayment rate? | £5 weekly repayment amount | £0 weekly repayment amount |
Step 3 Is there any Emergency Credit or Standing Charge owed?* | £2 emergency credit and standing charge | £2 emergency credit and standing charge |
Step 4 Any remaining credit will be allocated for gas | £3 credit for gas | £8 credit for gas |
*Press the red 'A' button to check the owed screen
For electricity prepayment meters.
Your debt repayments will be taken at regular intervals throughout the week.
Is there support available?
Yes, we can help you find the resources and advice you need if money is tight. Find out more about what support is available to help you pay your energy bills.
If you're worried or struggling to pay, please contact us so we can talk to you about this. We might be able to offer you extra credit (you'll still need to pay this back).
We'll set up a longer repayment plan if needed so you can pay this in weekly/daily instalments through your meter at an affordable rate. We’ll also give you details of where to go to get free independent advice.
What you can do online.
Still need to get in touch with us?
We've got a number of ways you can get in touch with us through our community forum, WhatsApp or by email and phone.
Contact us by social media.
You can contact us by email or WhatsApp to get a response within hours. We're here to help you 8am - 10pm, 7 days a week. We’ve got all hands on deck and fingers on keyboards to answer questions or concerns as quickly as possible.
Contact us by email.
Drop us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
Home related emails: hi@eonnext.com
Business related emails: hellobusiness@eonnext.com
Contact us by phone.
If you prefer giving us a ring, know that our lines are open 9am - 5pm Monday to Thursday, 9am - 4pm Friday.
Speech or hearing impaired customers can put 18001 in front of our phone number to use text relay at no extra cost. You can find out more on the Relay UK website.
Home related calls: 0808 501 5200
Business related calls: 0808 501 5699
We're always still here for you after 5pm or over the weekend if you have an emergency with your prepayment or credit meter. You can either call 0808 501 5088, or you can email us or get in touch on our Social Media channels.
Why not head over to our community forum?
Chat with other customers just like you to get some hot tips and the latest news.
