Top up key / card compatibility

[Deleted User]

Anyone know if you can use different suppliers key or card if there is no local shop with the relevant supplier? Seems stupid not to have a standard key or card.

mac.d

Wouldn't have thought so, why would you use a different suppliers key/card to top up your meter, you'd be putting money on a key/card not registered to your account, so it wouldn't put credit on your meter?

AFAIK, British Gas now use Payzone or else you can top up at a Post Office, the rest are all PayPoint. Just need to find the nearest one to you and use it.

yksi

If you have a smart meter or access to online billing, speak to your supplier and ask whether you are able to top up online or by phone. I would not recommend just borrowing someone else's key!

Otherwise, you can actually search for PayPoint locations online, it might not be within a five minute walk, but there are a lot of them. Just so that you know, many of the providers have increased their topup limits, some as high as £499 at a time. You can also top up twice in a row on PayPoint keys and cards, even if they have a limit of £29. Either option might help if you don't want to travel to top up quite as often.

pokora

Which supplier have you got ?

dogshome

Your card is specific to your supplier and account, it carries embeded information as to what supplier the money is passed onto, and then the particular meter the credit is allocated to - Use a 'rogue' card and it will just top up someone else's meter

[Deleted User]

The reason I ask is I have some friends who have top up meters and there seems to be confusion over the process required for a new key / card for either changing supply, tenancy or replacement devices.

A couple of shop owners said you can use a blank card or a different supplier card / key, it will work regardless of the supplier. This goes against all the information I've known though! The reason someone might want to use a different suppliers card or key is that with all the different suppliers these days, if it's a case the card / key needs to be from the supplier and you need it urgently via a "Superoutlet", the shopkeeper is not likely to have a wide range of card / keys if the supplier is not one of the big six.
You would think though that a meter's settings (daily standing charge amount and unit price) could be set by a code though from the relevant supplier so you didn't have to worry about going to local shop(s) and having a wasted journey if the shopkeeper didn't have the supplier's key / card.
Or do you think this would be asking too much?
Hope this makes sense!

mac.d

The key you use to top up the meter is, well, key. Each key will be programmed with the supplier information and when you insert the key into the meter, if its properly registered to your account with your supplier, it updates the standing charge/unit price, any debt repayment etc. Which is why you have to register with the current supplier when you move into a house and start using the key that was left with the meter. If you don't, you will be able to top it up and use it, but you might be paying another person's debt. Prior to using keys, the old card meters were only updated periodically when a meter reader visited the house and could use a wee tool to update the prices/charges on the meter directly.

The new smart meters make pay as you go meters easier to use. As you will be able to top up online and won't need to worry about using cards/keys.