Pay As You GoPayments and topping up

How do I activate emergency credit?

Important: you could lose power if you don’t add credit before your balance reaches £0.

Each Pay As You Go meter has emergency credit for times when your balance is low and you’re unable to top up right away. Any emergency credit you use will be repaid from your next top-up.

Here’s how to activate emergency credit:

If you have a traditional electricity meter

If your balance falls below £1, your meter will offer you the option to use emergency credit. To activate, insert your top-up key into the meter. If the key is already in the meter, you may need to remove and re-insert it. You’ll receive a confirmation message that emergency credit has been activated and how much of it is left on the meter. Top up as soon as you can to avoid losing power when it runs out.

If you have a traditional gas meter

If your balance falls below £2, your meter will offer you the option to use emergency credit. To activate, insert your top-up card into the meter with the gold chip facing up. Then press button “A”. You’ll receive a confirmation message that emergency credit has been activated and how much is left on the meter. Top up as soon as you can to avoid losing power when the emergency credit runs out.

If your gas supply is turned off, you’ll need to re-connect your supply when you activate emergency credit. First check that all gas appliances, like hobs and the boiler, are switched off. Then insert your top-up card into the meter. Follow the directions displayed on your meter screen: hold and release button “A” and switch your gas supply back on

If you have a smart meter

If your balance falls below £2, your smart meter will offer you the option to use emergency credit. Once you activate it, you’ll see a confirmation message and how much of it is left on your meter. We’ve put together some videos with step-by-step instructions on accessing emergency credit for your meter below.

If you can’t afford to top up

If your emergency credit runs out and you can’t afford to top up, please contact us – we’re here to help. We can talk through the financial support that’s available, and we might be able to offer additional support credit over the phone.

Just click the green chat icon at the bottom right of your screen. Or call us on 0330 175 9669 Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm and 9am to 5pm on weekends.