How can I top up my Pay As You Go meter?

If you have a traditional meter

To top up take your top-up card or key to:

Any PayPoint shop. Find your nearest at paypoint.co.uk or call 0330 400 0000.
Any Post Office. Find your nearest at postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder
Any Payzone shop. Find your nearest at storelocator.payzone.co.uk

Once you’ve topped up, follow the instructions below.

For gas meters

Insert your card into the gas meter and follow the instructions on the screen.
Make sure the gold-coloured chip is facing the meter display. Press and hold the red ‘A’ button, and the credit will appear on your meter.

For electricity meters

Insert your key into the electricity meter, and follow the instructions on the screen.
See Also
How much credit can I put on my top-up key and electricity prepayment meter (not smart)?MOJEC Meter Activation Guide - Ikeja Electric How much credit can I put on my top-up card and gas prepayment meter (not smart)?Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure the arrow on the key is facing upwards. The new credit should show automatically.
If you’ve topped up at a shop, keep your receipt each time just in case. If the money doesn’t appear in your meter, we’ll need to look into it for you.

If you’ve topped up at a shop, keep your receipt each time just in case. If the money doesn’t appear in your meter, we’ll need to look into it for you.

If you have a smart meter

You can add credit to your meter in 3 simple ways.

Helpful to know: you’ll need to add credit to your electricity and gas meters separately, if you have both.

OVO Energy Top-up app Download the OVO Energy Top-up app from the Apple App Store or Google Play to add credit anytime, anywhere. You’ll need your top-up card number handy – this is the 19-digit number on your gas or electricity Pay As You Go top-up card that we sent you. The app lets you track all your top-ups, check your balance and save bank cards to make the process easier. You can also set up a monthly top up in the app.
In storeGo to any PayPoint or Payzone shop, or Post Office with your top-up card(s), or the barcode(s) in your OVO Energy Top-up app.
- Find your nearest PayPoint shop
- Find your nearest Payzone shop
- Find your nearest Post Office
See Also
Help & Support - British Gas
Top up online You can top-up online here.

When you top-up, it might take up to 40 minutes to show on your meter. If the signal in your home is ever too low to pick up your credit, you can add it yourself. You’ll need the 20 digit UTRN (Unique Transaction Reference Number), also known as the “VEND” code on your payment receipts. See the videos below for a step-by-step guide on using this UTRN depending on your meter type: