Traditional Pay As You Go: topping up your key and card meter

Frequently asked questions for topping up your traditional meter

Topping up for the first time?

To register your new electricity key or gas card, put it into the correct meter for at least a minute. The electricity meter will show a message to let you know it's registered, and the gas meter will beep.

How much credit can I top up in one go?

This depends on where you’re topping up, as different shops can have different minimum amounts. But these are the usual top-up limits:

• The minimum you can top up is £1

• The maximum you can top up your gas meter in one go is £49 

• The maximum you can top up your electricity meter in one go is £50 

• You can only top up in full pounds 

• The maximum amount a payment card can hold is £249 and the most a key can hold is £250

How do I add credit to my meter?

To top up your meter, take your top-up card or key to your nearest:

• PayPoint 

• Payzone shop 

• Post Office

For gas meters

Once you’ve topped up in-store: 

• Make sure the gold-coloured chip is facing upwards

• Insert your card into the gas meter and follow the instructions on the screen

• Press and hold the red “A” button, and the credit will appear on your meter

For electricity meters

• Make sure the arrow on the top-up key is facing up

• Insert your top-up key into the electricity meter, and follow the instructions on the screen

• The new credit should show on your meter automatically

Remember to keep your top-up receipt(s) each time, just in case there’s ever a problem. If the credit doesn’t appear on your meter, please get in touch – we might need the information on the receipt to help us look into it for you. You can click the green chat icon at the bottom right of your screen. Or call us on 0330 175 9669.

For even more on this you can also check out our helpful guide here.

My key/card isn’t working – what should I do?

We recommend taking the key/card out of the meter and wiping the chip with a clean, dry cloth. If you re-insert it in the meter and it still doesn’t work, please get in touch with us and we can send you a replacement.

Is your meter showing an ‘error code’ when you insert your key/card? Was there an error code when the shop assistant popped your key or card in a PayPoint terminal? If so, note the error code down and compare it to the list of codes we’ve listed in our guide on error codes here. That’ll help us work out how to fix the issue quicker when you contact our Support team (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, and 9am to 5pm on weekends).

I've lost my top-up key/card – what do I do?

You can get a new meter key/card from any shop that stocks replacement OVO Energy keys/cards.

But before you go, you’ll need to contact our Support team to let us know you’re going to get a new key/card. We’ll provide you with an 8-digit ‘TAG’ code within an hour. Give this code to the shop assistant and they’ll be able to set up your new key/card with our rates and other relevant information so you can register it when you get home.If you don’t need to top-up urgently, we can send you an already programmed key/card in the post. You’ll get it within 3-5 days.

Before you add any credit with your new key/card, please register it in the meter. If you try to do a top-up before registering your key/card, the credit could be wiped.

We’ve also got a really handy topic dedicated to this which may be helpful:

• Have you lost your top up key or card and need a new one? Tutorial

If I pay in advance, how can I owe money?

There are a few different ways:

• You used the emergency credit to keep your power on. If this happens, you’ll need to pay back the amount you used. If you need to do this gradually, get in touch via one of the methods below to discuss spreading the cost of the repayment. 

• You’re repaying a debt through your Pay As You Go meter(s), which will take credit from your balance each day to repay your debt. 

• If you've asked us to apply discretionary credit to your meter, we’ll add this as a debt to your meter. You’ll need to repay it through your Pay As You Go meter(s).

• You missed one or more daily standing charge payments due to not having enough credit. This would mean your meter goes into a negative balance.

• You were in a period of “non-disconnect” overnight or on the weekend (this means you wouldn’t run out of electricity at these times). But as a result, you might’ve built up a negative balance.

You can always contact our Support team if you’re worried or struggling to pay for your energy. 

How will I pay my debt back on a traditional Pay As You Go meter?

If you use any emergency credit, you'll need to pay it back in full from your next top-up. So if you can, make sure you buy enough credit to pay back the emergency credit, and still have some left for you to use for energy.

If you're paying back a bill debt or we lend you some credit when you contact us, we’ll agree how you’ll pay it back at the time. We can spread the cost and you won’t need to pay it back in one go. You can pay it off gradually through your meter, a week at a time.

Part of your gas top-ups will be used for your weekly repayments. This is collected from the first top-up you make from Wednesday each week. Your electricity repayments will be spread out evenly throughout the week. So please make sure you’re making regular top-ups to cover these repayments and the energy you use.

If the repayment rate is ever set too high, please contact our Support team. For information on how to check your repayment rate, see "Understanding your electricity meter screens” or "Understanding your gas meter screens". We’re here to support you and we’ll always find a repayment plan that works for you. Once you've repaid the credit we lent you, your meter will automatically stop taking repayments. You’ll just pay for the energy you use from then on.

Why do I have to keep my supply topped up if I'm not using any energy?

Even though you might not be using any energy, there's a daily standing charge. Also, any debt you might be repaying through your meter will continue to be charged. So if you're away from home or not using any energy for a period of time, please make sure there's enough credit in the meter to prevent the supply from going off. If not, any appliances that need continuous supply, such as your fridge or freezer, might be at risk.

Anything missed?

We’ll aim to update this content to keep it relevant and accurate. If any of the advice doesn’t fit with your experience, leave a comment below to let us know.