One of the great things about today’s digital world is that you no longer need to go to a shop or to your municipality to buy prepaid electricity. It’s something that you can do online from the comfort of your home or office. Buying electricity online has become a popular and efficient way to top up your prepaid meter among South Africans. This method offers flexibility and saves you time compared to traditional methods like visiting a vendor or using a scratch card. This is a general guide on how to buy electricity online.
1. Choose Your Online Platform:
The good news is that there are many options for those looking to buy prepaid electricity online in South Africa;
- Banking Apps: Most major South African banks offer online and mobile banking platforms that allow you to purchase electricity. That’s good news, considering that 85% of South Africans have bank accounts. It means all of these people can buy electricity over the phone. Popular options include:
- Nedbank: You can buy your electricity token using their mobile app or online banking portal.
- Standard Bank: Customers can make use of their online banking platform or mobile app.
- Absa: You can also buy electricity through the Absa app or via online banking.
- FNB: Customers can use the FNB App or online banking platform to buy electricity tokens.
- Dedicated Electricity Supply Websites: Other than banks, there are other places on the internet where you can buy electricity. Several online platforms specialize in electricity purchases. These platforms often offer a user-friendly interface and may support multiple electricity providers. The following are examples of these websites
- electricity.co.za: This is probably one of the most popular options for South Africans. You can use this website to buy prepaid electricity for any provider in the country. To get started, you need to test your meter to see whether or not it is supported by the platform. Next, you need to create a profile. That’s only done once. You will then need to add electricity.co.za as a beneficiary with your bank. You can do so on your bank’s app or through your bank’s online banking. You can now buy electricity. The good news is that you only need to take these steps once. From there, you should be able to buy electricity easily.
- SnapScan: You can also use the snapscan app to buy electricity. Simply install and set it up on your phone. Once that is done, you will be able to quickly and easily top up your meter. You can add multiple meters, buy for other people and view your tokens from the comfort of your home or office.
- easypay.co.za: This is another online platform that you can use to buy prepaid electricity for your meter in South Africa. The steps for doing so are more or less similar to those that we outlined electricity.co.za. You simply need to go to their platform, enter your meter number to see if it is supported,
2. Gather Necessary Information
Once you have identified the platform on which you are going to buy electricity tokens for your prepaid meter, the next steps involves gathering the necessary information. The following information is required when buying electricity online;
- Meter Number: You’ll need your 11-digit electricity meter number to purchase units.
- Payment Details: Ensure you have the necessary payment information ready, such as your bank account details or credit card information.
3. Buy Electricity
- Follow the On-Screen Instructions: The process may vary slightly depending on the platform you choose. If you wish to do so from your bank’s app, search on this website. We have articles on buying electricity for the most popular banks in the country. Generally, you’ll need to:
- Select “Buy Electricity” or a similar option.
- Enter your meter number.
- Choose the amount of electricity you wish to purchase.
- Select your payment method.
- Review and confirm the transaction.
4. Receive Your Token
- Upon successful payment, you will typically receive an SMS or email containing your electricity token.
- Enter this token into your electricity meter to load units.
Tips for buying a prepaid meter token over the internet
The following tips should prove to be helpful to South Africans who are looking to top up their electricity meters online;
- Save Your Meter Number: Save your meter number for easy access in the future. Usually, once you have made a purchase using an app or online, you won’t need to re-enter the required information when making another purchase in the future.
- Check Transaction History: Regularly review your transaction history to ensure accurate purchases. Make sure that you are getting the electricity that you have purchased.
- Use Secure Networks: Always purchase electricity through secure Wi-Fi connections or your mobile data network. It’s best to do so from your home WiFi or using data on your phone. Never ever buy anything online from a public WiFi network. Be particularly wary of free internet. Those are used by thieves to gain access to people’s data.
- Be Cautious of Phishing: Be wary of suspicious websites or emails that may attempt to steal your personal information.
- Don’t buy from bogus sellers: South Africa has been facing a blight of electricity theft over the past few years. It’s the reason why ESKOM recently embarked on a meter recoding exercise, to flush out what are referred to as zero buyers. These zero buyers usually buy from unauthorised vendors, who are not in the ESKOM systems. Doing this can be detrimental to your financial well being, as you may be forced to pay a huge fine at some point.
Benefits of Online Electricity Purchases
Buying prepaid electricity over the internet comes with a number of benefits;
- Convenience: You can buy electricity from anywhere, anytime, at your own convenience. It’s something that we mentioned at the top of this article.
- Time-Saving: Avoid queues at vendors or ATMs.
- Security: Many online platforms utilize secure payment gateways to protect your information.
- Easy Tracking: Keep track of your electricity purchases and spending.
By following these steps, you can easily and conveniently purchase electricity online in South Africa. Remember to choose a reputable platform and prioritize security when making online transactions.