Prepay power in New Zealand

Prepay is the same electricity through the same wires, bought in a different order. You top up first and use afterwards, instead of using first and being billed a month later.

What it is good at

No credit check, or a much lighter one. Nothing is being lent to you, so a thin or damaged credit record matters far less. This is the main reason people arrive at prepay, and it is a genuinely good reason.

No month-end surprise. You see the balance falling in real time rather than discovering in July what June cost. For a lot of households that visibility is worth more than any rate difference. It is the same benefit a smart meter's usage graph gives, made unavoidable.

Small, frequent payments. Topping up twenty dollars at a time fits an irregular income better than a single monthly invoice does.

What it is bad at

There is no buffer. Run the balance to zero and supply stops. Retailers warn you and many carry a small emergency credit, but the arrangement has no equivalent of "pay it next week".

That matters more than it sounds for two groups. If your income arrives unpredictably, the thing that looked like flexibility can become a week without power. And if anyone in the household depends on electricity for medical reasons, prepay needs a serious conversation with the retailer first. Tell them, get the medical dependency recorded, and understand exactly what protections apply.

What we can and cannot tell you

The table above is the honest state of our data: prepay availability is a field we track and have not confirmed for any of the 8 companies we compare. "Not confirmed" there means we have not verified it on the company's own website. It does not mean no.

We could have filled that column from memory or from a competitor's page. We would rather show you the gap and tell you what to ask.

What to ask before you sign up

1. What are the rates on the prepay plan compared to your standard billed plan? Ask for both, in writing. This is the question that gets skipped.
2. Is there a fee to set up prepay, or to switch back to a billed account later?
3. What emergency credit is available, and what triggers it?
4. How and when am I warned about a low balance? Text, email, app notification, and how much notice.
5. What happens if someone here is medically dependent on electricity?

Get the answers before you commit, not after. The Electricity Authority's Consumer Care Obligations set standards for how retailers handle customers in difficulty, and they apply to prepay customers too.

We compare 8 power companies and can show you what each of them offers at your address.