I’m running out of credit and I can’t afford to top-up right now - How can Boost help?

Noticed that your balance is nearly at zero and can’t afford to make a top-up? Don’t sit in the dark!

We know it can be difficult to make a payment at certain times, so we want you to know that there’s support we can offer to keep you on-supply until you can next top-up. The way you access this extra help varies slightly depending on the way you top-up:

PAYG Smart (Topping up via the Boost App or using Top-up barcodes at a Paypoint)

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that you’ll get £5 emergency credit per meter, so even if your balance reaches zero - you’ll be able to use this emergency credit. 

The method for accessing this does depend on the type of smart meter you have - SMETS 1 (which has a numbered keypad on the meter) or SMETS 2 (which just has two buttons on the meter - 1 red, 1 blue).

Accessing emergency credit with a SMETS 1 meter

1. Activate your emergency credit using your IHD

When your balance drops below £5, your IHD will flash and tell you that you can activate the emergency credit. If you don’t, it’ll then flash again when your balance is below 50p:

• Navigate to the main menu

• Click on Account

• Press the  emergency credit button

(You’ll find more detailed information on what to do in your IHD booklet.)

2. Activate your emergency credit using your meter:
 

• Press the 7 on the keypad

• You’ll see a message saying EC OFFER – tap A to accept the emergency credit or B to ignore

• Then tap B to confirm

• By pressing 7 you’ll see whether the credit has been activated – it’ll tell you EC SELECTED

Accessing emergency credit with a SMETS 2 meter

1. Activate your emergency credit using your IHD:

If your balance drops below £5, the IHD will tell you that your emergency credit is available:
 

• Press the menu button

• Tap E-Credit

• Select the fuel you want emergency credit for (gas or electricity)

• Press OK

• The IHD will confirm your request

• You’ll see Emergency credit in use next to the fuel you’ve added it to

2. Activate your emergency credit using your meter

For electricity:

If your balance goes below £0, your meter will say EMC available:

• Press A to cancel or B to activate it

• You should now see 2 emergency credit balances. The first is how much emergency credit you have left and the second shows how much has already been accepted

• If you select the emergency credit, you’ll see an EC sign on the display at the bottom-right corner

For gas:

• Press any button on your gas meter to wake up the screen

• If you have any emergency credit available, you’ll see an EC logo on the screen, next to the signal bar icon

• Press C to enter the menu and B to scroll to Prepayment

• Tap C to enter

• Press B to scroll down to the Emerg. Credit option, then C to enter

• If the status says Available, press C to accept the £5 emergency credit (you should hear a beep sound and the status should change to In-Use)

• You can check your emergency credit balance by going through the same menu options until you see Limit and Remaining

It’s worth bearing in mind that your meter should be in ‘friendly credit’ (non-disconnect setting) for most of the weekend (the periods when our phone lines are closed, more info on friendly credit periods here), until 10am on Monday, and from Monday to Friday, from 4pm till 10am the next day. If you’re still having difficulty accessing your emergency credit at this point or have used all the emergency credit available and still need extra support - give the team a call on 0330 102 7517 or 0117 332 3728, lines are open from 8am - 8pm, Monday - Friday and 9am - 5pm over the weekend.

Traditional PAYG meters  (Topping up using a key/card at a Paypoint)

You also get £5 emergency credit per meter with this meter type. If you notice your meter beeping to indicate a low balance you can access the emergency credit by inserting your key/card and pressing a button on the meter to activate.

As with a smart meter when the emergency credit runs out on your electricity meter, you won't go off supply during evenings, weekends or bank holidays, however your gas will disconnect after the £5 emergency has been used, so it’s worth getting in touch before the balance is used up if you’re not able to make a top-up at this point. If you’re at risk of going off-supply or are already without power we may be able to loan you a small amount of credit to see you through until the next pay day. Give the team a call on 0330 102 7517 or 0117 332 3728, lines are open from 8am - 8pm, Monday - Friday and 9am - 5pm over the weekend to discuss this option. If eligible the team can send a message to a Paypoint for you to collect which will add some credit to your meter.

It’s important to remember that any credit offered is then added as a debt to your meter and will be deducted daily from your future top-ups. Our team will send you an email to confirm any credit that has been loaned as well as your daily repayment rate.