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andrewthomas4
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April 11, 2026
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Changed from PAYG to pay monthly, but meter still in prepayment mode?

  • April 11, 2026
  • 16 replies
  • 363 views

Hello, I have recently changed from payg to pay monthly but the smart meter is still in pre payment mode. I am worried that when the balance goes to 0 my electric will go off. How long does it take for the meter to change to credit mode and will the power go off when the balance reached 0. If it does run out is it possible to top up the meter now im on pay monthly. Thanks in advance for the info. 

Best answer by Ben_OVO

Good morning ​@andrewthomas4, I hope you’re well.

 

I can see ​@Blastoise186 has stopped by with some great advice here, and I’d agree with him here that signing up to the Priority Services Register would be a great idea in your situation. It’s a free service, and means that the network operator will try and get your property back on with priority, should there be a power cut. They’ll also look to contact you to let you know of any panned outages.

 

Regarding the switch to Pay Monthly, this is definitely a good choice given that there’s a stairlift in your property. Pay Monthly means that there’s no risk of the meter running out of credit and the supply turning off. When we change a customer to Pay Monthly, this can take a little while, due to various different systems having to be updated. 10 days is too long though - it’s normally a lot quicker than this. The correct advice is up to 24 hours. I’m hoping that everything is now ok this morning, and your meter is no longer showing that it’s in prepayment mode?

 

Now that you’ll be a Pay Monthly customer, you’ll have access to our great online account and app. To log in, click ‘set up account, and enter your email address when prompted. You’ll receive an email containing a link from which to set a new password, after which you’ll have access. You can pretty much manage all aspects of your account online and on the app, and I’ve included a tutorial series below explaining how to use the different features. I’ve also included another article which gives you some more info on the Priority Services Register.

 

For more useful articles about your Pay Monthly account, I’d recommend heading over to our Forum Library section, which includes all your need-to-know info.

 

 

16 replies

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Blastoise186
Super User
Blastoise186Super User
Super User
April 14, 2026

You can actually ask OVO to do a top-up now - it’s a safer bet.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
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andrewthomas4Author
Rank 2
April 14, 2026

Just rang ovo they have confirmed they have received the priority service request. They also said the switchover of the meter to credit mode has been completed at there end and it will take unto 10 days for it to show up on my meter. They have 100% confirmed to me that when the electric/gas has reached 0 credit it will not go off. I hope there right. Thank you again for everyone’s help with this matter.

    Nukecad
    Super User
    NukecadSuper User
    Super User
    April 14, 2026

    I’m wondering if the meter is just using up the credit already on there before switching itself to credit (pay monthly) mode?

    If it’s smart enough and programmed to do that then it would save having to sort out a refund later.
    If it can do that then whatever the meter reads when the current PAYG credit runs out would simply be the Start reading for your new Pay Monthly account.

    I don’t know if that is what is actually happening, but to me it would seem a sensible way to do things (if the meter is smart enough).

    I said, Hey - Watts going on.
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      andrewthomas4Author
      Rank 2
      April 14, 2026

      Just got in from work and the smart meter has changed over to credit mode. 😓
      just want to say thanks for everybody’s help and advice with my situation. 
      Not sure if the meter changed to credit mode when it reached 0 balance like nukecad suggested. 

      Blastoise186
      Super User
      Blastoise186Super User
      Super User
      April 14, 2026

      Nice! :)

      Sometimes this stuff just takes a while! But yeah, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.

      Just so you know, the meter would have sent OVO details like:

      • A meter reading at the point of mode switch
      • The final PAYG Credit Balance - OVO usually transfers this to your PAYM Balance
      • Any remaining Debt Balance - only if you had one
      • Any outstanding Emergency Credit balance owed - only if you had some outstanding
      • The last 100 top-ups
      • And a confirmation it was switching to Credit Mode

      You won’t see those but they will be used to help number crunch the account and settle things up as part of the PAYG → PAYM swap. If you haven’t already, please go to https://my.ovoenergy.com/login and do Set Up Account to get full online access. We recommend you download the main OVO Energy app and uninstall the OVO Top Up app as the latter will no longer be useful to you. And please don’t do any further PAYG Top-Ups! You’ll want to do those via the main account from now on. :D

      We’re here if ya need us. Enjoy the freedom of not having to top-up every week!

      Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
      Ben_OVO
      Community Manager
      Ben_OVO
      Community Manager
      April 15, 2026

      I’m wondering if the meter is just using up the credit already on there before switching itself to credit (pay monthly) mode?

       

      ​@Nukecad I know that some improvements have been made recently in the meter mode-change space, however I’m not sure whether the meter running down the credit is yet a function - it hasn’t been previously. I will ask internally though! I’ve managed a large number of mode changes, and they always differ in how long they take, due to the strength of the comms signal.

       

      ​@andrewthomas4 I’m really happy to hear everything is working for you now. Please don’t hesitate to ask any further questions about your new pay monthly set up - we’ve got a really helpful community here as you can see 😁.

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