Prepayment and smart PAYG help over the holidays

Find everything you need to stay on top of your energy. From top-up tips to emergency credit and holiday support, we’ve got you covered.

I am a Pay As You Go customer
I have a prepayment meter

Why you won't get cut off during friendly credit hours

We don't want you to worry about running out of credit in the middle of the night – or at any time on weekends or a bank holiday. That's why you won't get cut off if your balance drops to £0 during friendly credit hours with smart PAYG.

Friendly credit hours for smart PAYG

	Spring and summer (when clocks go forward)	Autumn and winter (when clocks go back)
Monday to Friday	6pm to 11am	5pm to 10am
Saturday and Sunday	All day (until 11am Monday)	All day (until 10am Monday)
Bank holiday	All day (until 11am next working day)	All day (until 10am next working day)

Just remember to top up before the friendly-hour period ends, to avoid getting cut off. You'll need to add enough to cover any friendly credit you've used – as well as any daily standing charges or debt repayments you've missed.

How to get reconnected if you run out of credit with EDF smart PAYG

Reconnect your electricity or gas

You'll get disconnected if you run out of credit outside of the PAYG friendly credit period.

If your electricity has been disconnected, you can reconnect your supply via your in-home display or the meter itself.

If your gas has been disconnected, you can only reconnect your supply via your gas meter. Please remember to turn off all gas appliances and your boiler before you reconnect your gas supply.

You'll find step-by-step instructions in our help centre to get your meter reconnected.

Get reconnected

Reconnection not worked?

For your reconnection to work, you need to top up your electricity or gas meter with enough credit to cover:

Any emergency credit or friendly credit you've used
Any daily standing charges and debt repayments you've missed
Your ongoing energy use

Not used gas for a while?

Please remember to add enough credit to cover any missed standing charges or debt repayments when you next top up.

These can build up as debt while you're not using your gas. You'll automatically pay back this debt when you top-up.

Smart Pay As You Go help

You can find the answers to your smart Pay As You Go questions in our help centre. If you can't find what you're looking for, please get i n touch.

What you need to know over the holidays

How to top up

You can find the answers to your top-up questions in our help centre:

How to top up: via the app, online, over the phone or at your local PayPoint retailer
How low-balance alerts work
Set auto top-ups
How long it takes for a top up to reach your meter

How to access your emergency credit

You have £10 of emergency credit on your electricity meter, and £10 on your gas meter. It's there if you need a bit of time to top up when your balance gets low.

You can find step-by-step instructions in our help centre that will help you access your emergency credit via your in-home display, or the meter itself.

It's best to top up as soon as you can. Remember to add enough credit to cover any emergency credit you've used, as well as any daily standing charges or debt repayments you've missed.

Access your emergency credit

How to fix a top-up problem

You can find the solutions to your top-up problems in our help centre:

How to fix a problem with your meter or in-home display

Damaged meter
A damaged meter can be dangerous – please don't touch it and get in touch as soon as you can

Faulty meter
Do you have a noisy meter; do your meter readings not look right; is the clock showing the wrong time, or is there some other fault? Find out what to do if your meter is faulty

Faulty or damaged in-home display

Resetting your in-home display can solve a surprising number of problems. Find out how to reset your in-home display
Is your display missing electricity or gas information; is the balance or time wrong; or is there some other problem? Find out how to fix common in-home display problems

How friendly non-disconnection hours work with electricity prepayment meters

We don't want you to worry about your electricity getting cut off in the middle of the night – or at weekends or bank holidays. That's why many electricity prepayment meters have 'friendly non-disconnection hours'.

If your electricity meter has this non-disconnection function, you won't get cut off if you run out of credit during these times:

Monday to Friday 6pm to 11am
Anytime on weekends and Bank Holidays, until 11am the next working day

Just remember to top up before the non-disconnection period ends, to avoid getting cut off. You'll need to add enough to cover any friendly credit you've used – as well as any daily standing charges or debt repayments you've missed.

Get your gas meter ready for the holidays

Unfortunately, traditional gas prepayment meters don't have friendly non-disconnection hours. That's why it's important to get your gas meter ready for the holidays:

Get topped up before you go – make sure you've topped up with enough credit to cover the standing charges and debt repayments you'll need to pay while you're away

Know what happens if you've not used gas for a while – you carry on paying standing charges and debt repayments, even when you're not using gas; if you run out of credit, these payments will build up as debt and will come off your next top-up

Be aware of what to do if you can't top up – see below to find out about reconnection, emergency credit; a lost or damaged top-up key or card; and how to get in touch.

Did you know all smart gas meters have friendly non-disconnection hours? Find out more about smart PAYG

How to reconnect if your EDF prepayment meter runs out of credit

Get your electricity reconnected

Just top up your electricity key at your local Payzone, PayPoint, or Post Office and place it back in your meter to reconnect.

But please remember to top up with enough credit to pay back:

Any emergency credit and friendly non-disonnection hours you've used
Any missed daily standing charges
Any missed debt repayments

Get your gas reconnected

Just top up your gas card at your local Payzone, PayPoint, or Post Office and place it back in your meter.

Please be aware that if you don't add enough credit to pay back any debt on your gas meter in one go, you'll pay it back in stages.

That would mean some of your top-up would pay off some of your debt; leaving the rest of your top-up for your on-going gas use.

Find out more about paying pack gas debt

Get a smarter way to pay for your energy up front

Smart Pay As You Go comes with three big advantages:

Choose how you top up: via the app, online, over the phone, at your local PayPoint retailer – or auto top-up
Take control: see how much you're spending in pounds and pence
Never get caught short: get a low-balance alert by text or email when it's time to top up

Are you ready to make the switch to smart Pay As You Go? Just ask us to install a smart meter – at no extra cost.

Find out how to switch to PAYG

Prepayment meter help and support

You can find the answers to your prepayment questions in our help centre. If you can't find what you're looking for, please get in touch.

What you need to know over the holidays

How do I top up my electricity or gas prepayment meter?

You just need to take your electricity top-up key or gas top-up card to your local Payzone, PayPoint, or Post Office outlet – or ask a friend or family member to do this for you.

When you slot your key or card back into your prepayment meter, you'll see your credit on the meter display.

Find your local Payzone, PayPoint, or Post Office.

How do I access my emergency credit?

We put £10 of emergency credit on each of your prepayment meters – for emergencies.

It's available when your electricity meter balance drops to 50p or less: and your gas meter drops to £0.

Just take your key or card out of the meter, then put it back in to access your emergency credit.

It's best to top up as soon as you can. Remember to add enough credit to cover any emergency credit you've used – as well as any missed daily standing charges or debt repayments.

Find out more about emergency credit

How can I get a new top-up key or card if it's lost or damaged?

If you've lost or damaged your top-up key or card, please get in touch – but here's a few things to try first:

Electricity key: wipe your key with a clean, dry toothbrush or cloth; check your receipt to see if your top-up worked; add enough credit to pay any debt on your meter

Gas card: wipe the strip on the card with a clean, dry cloth; check your receipt to see if your top-up worked

What do I do if my prepayment meter is blank or shows an error?

Vist our help centre to see what to do when your:

Or get in touch if your gas meter screen is blank or says 'Call help'

Get extra help and support

Do you or someone you know need extra support?

Our Priority Services provide support with stress, illness, bereavement, disability, debt, and other issues.

Some examples of the type of help you can get include:

Getting your bills and letters in large font or Braille; or getting a talking bill
Free gas safety checks to make sure your appliances are safe
Arranging for someone you trust to manage your bills for you

Join our Priority Services

Get help if you're struggling to pay

If you're finding it hard to pay your energy bills, we're here to support you:

Explore h ow to get help to pay and manage your energy bills
Get in touch to find out all the different ways we can help
Get free independent advice from our partner, Citizens Advice Plymouth

Get help with bills

Get help with the Warm Home Discount scheme

Warm Home Discount in England and Wales

The Warm Home Discount (WHD) is a £150 rebate that helps with the cost of energy during the winter.

Everyone who's on a low-income with high energy costs should automatically get a Warm Home Discount letter from the government by 31 December 2024.

The government helpline is open from January for any queries – call 0800 030 9322.

Find out more about the WHD

Warm Home Discount in Scotland

The Warm Home Discount (WHD) is a £150 rebate that's given out once a year to people who need extra support to pay their energy bills.

People in the Core Group in Scotland should automatically get a Warm Home Discount letter from the government.

If you're not in the Core Group, you'll need to apply – do this as soon as you can, as availability is limited. If you're an EDF customer, you can apply through the EDF Warm Home Discount scheme.

What WHD group am I part of?

Apply for the WHD