As a property owner you want to make sure you understand what sort of prepaid electricity or water meter to purchase. It’s always a good idea to talk to your qualified electrician or plumber who should be able to advise you. Understand the most commonly used types of prepaid meters here.

When it comes to prepaid meter installation costs, there are only two initial upfront costs and that is the purchasing of the meters from a preferred Citiq Prepaid wholesaler or electrical retailer and the meter installation costs by a certified electrician or plumber. It is important to note that we do not charge connection fees.

Please note that you cannot replace an Eskom/ Municipal meter with a Citiq Prepaid sub-meter. For you to be able to buy tokens through us you will need to install a sub-meter downstream from the main meter.

Our meters are available for purchase at reputable electrical wholesalers and retailers, and should be installed by a qualified contractor to connect it to the main Eskom/ Municipal meter. If you decide to install one of our meters, you can contact us to register/activate it on our meter management system.

If you have any questions regarding this issue or where to buy our meters kindly let us know via email or give our friendly call centre a call on 087 55 111 55.

Once the meter is installed, the next step is to register it on the Citiq Prepaid System. Only once it is registered and we have your banking details will the meter be ready to accept tokens and provide your tenants with access to electricity and/or water.

You will need to complete an activation form (contact our Call Centre for the form) and send it to us. Once it’s completed please email to help@citiqprepaid.co.za or fax to 086 606 6381 Alternatively, you can call us on 087 55 111 55 and our agents will do the registration on the phone with you and then email you a confirmation. You can also request a registration form via WhatsApp: 087 55 111 17 that will be emailed to you.

To register as a landlord on the Citiq Prepaid Meter Management System fill out the registration form that comes with the physical meter that you purchased (or call our call centre who can send you the form. Fill in the form and send it along with a utility bill to us via email to help@citiqprepaid.co.za. We will then complete the registration process. You will then receive an activation email with a link to set your password and then be able to log in.

To register as a tenant on the Citiq Prepaid Meter Management System simply click on the sign up button at the top right of this website and complete the form. It is important to have the meter number you will be purchasing tokens for handy as it is required at sign up. After completing the form you will receive an activation email with a link to set your password and then you will be able to log in.

Sign up to the Citiq Prepaid Meter Management System via our website and get access to transaction and usage data and reports for all your meters. The system provides a more complete view of the property’s consumption, enabling owners and property managers to make more informed decisions. Tenants also benefit as they are able to purchase prepaid electricity and water online, view tariff details and access the last 5 purchases.

A token is an STS (Standard Transfer Specification) compliant 20 digit number issued upon purchase that will release the specified amount of electricity (in kwh) or water (in kL) on your prepaid meter. A token can be purchased using your meter number. Once you pay we generate a token that gives you the units for the value paid. You can then punch the token number into the meter to get the electricity/water equivalent. The amount due will then be paid to the landlord.

Tokens can be purchased in multiple ways, including both offline and online. For more information on how to buy tokens, click here.

Tokens purchased over the website are available to customers either via SMS, email or displayed directly on the website. Tokens purchased from Easypay or Cigicell stores will provide you with the 20 digit token number which can be keyed directly into your meter. UniPin vouchers (Cigicell) will require that you SMS your voucher number to the number provided, whereafter your token will be sent to you via SMS.

Tokens are unique to each meter; this means that no one can steal your token and use it on a different meter.

If you lose a token, you can SMS your meter number to 31371 for the most recent token to be sent back to your cell phone, or contact our call centre on 087 55 111 55 or log into the online meter management portal at any time to obtain the most recent token.

The cheapest way to purchase tokens is via the Citiq Prepaid website because there is a 0% convenience fee. Simply register for the online meter management portal in order to purchase tokens online.

Depending on your location, electricity costs can vary. Power is provided by Eskom or the relevant municipality with each provider setting their own tariffs, within NERSA (National Energy Regulator) guidelines. This results in a wide range of base unit rates from as little as R1,24 to over R1,85 depending on the exact location of the property. Also note that some providers work on ‘volume based’ pricing (Incline Block Tariff), which means the cost increases the more you purchase within a calendar month. For example, there could be different rates for the first 500 units, 1000 units, 2000 units and units over 3000. This is why, for these tariffs, electricity generally costs more when purchased on the 26th of the month than on the 2nd.

While most of the money will go towards purchasing electricity there are potentially a number of additional costs. Prepaid utilities from any provider attract additional costs due to the nature of service. Here is a breakdown of costs in answer to a very common question we get from Citiq Prepaid customers:

According to the Rental Housing Act, a landlord can’t make a profit on the provision of utilities. We need to verify that the tariff is set correctly so that the landlord doesn’t over-or under recover, and that tenants don’t pay too much or too little.

Incline Block Tariffs (IBT) were invented by Eskom/NERSA as a way to make electricity affordable for those who use little and also discourage consumption. The electricity price per unit is divided across several blocks. The first block is the cheapest price per unit but there is a maximum quantity of how many units you can buy at the cheapest rate i.e. block one. After you’ve purchased the maximum units from block 1, you will move to block 2, a more expensive rate per unit and so on. Read this article for more information on Incline Block Tariffs.

If you purchased prepaid electricity multiple times in a month and wondered why your tariff rate differed, it is most likely because of Incline Block Tariffs. Incline Block Tariffs (IBT) were invented by Eskom/NERSA as a way to make electricity affordable for those who use little and also discourage consumption. The electricity price per unit is divided across several blocks. The first block is the cheapest price per unit but there is a maximum quantity of how many units you can buy at the cheapest rate i.e. block one. After you’ve purchased the maximum units from block 1, you will move to block 2, a more expensive rate per unit and so on.

Click here for more information about Incline Block Tariffs

To see what rate your recovery rate is set at, please log in to the Online Tenant Portal and locate the recovery rate under your meter details. If you require more assistance, please contact our call centre.

The tenant buys a token and pays for it upfront through the Citiq Prepaid Collection service which is connected to any of the preferred means of token purchasing. The money is paid into the Citiq Prepaid trust account, which in turn is paid over to the landlord or body corporate bank account.

Citiq Prepaid transfers all recovered utility costs to the property owners into their registered bank account by the 2nd working day of each month. This recovery includes the base unit rate and building recovery fee. The property owner is then responsible for settling all accounts with their electricity and water providers.

Changing your bank details with Citiq Prepaid is an easy process. 

You can email us at help@citiqprepaid.co.za or call our friendly call centre on 087 55 111 55 to request a banking details change form. Alternatively, you can download the form here. 

Please send the previous owner’s (or your old account’s) original banking details, including the new owner’s (or your new account’s) banking details. Once you’ve filled it in and sent it back to the call centre, we will verify that all the details are correct, and if so, update our system with your new information.

Changing your ownership details with Citiq Prepaid is an easy process. You can email us at help@citiqprepaid.co.za or call us on 087 55 111 55 to request a change of ownership form. Alternatively, you can download the form here. 

Please send ID copies of the previous owner and the new owner. It is also necessary to attach a copy of the transfer deed/letter of authority along with the completed form. The call centre will verify that all the details are correct, and if so, update our system with your new information.

The electricity and/ or water tariff is on the bill that you receive from Eskom/ the municipality. You need to provide us with the municipality name, and also confirm the tariff on the bill. See the image below:

Compare your statements from Citiq Prepaid for the same period as your municipal bill. If there is a significant difference (either over or under) then please contact our call centre to have your tariff adjusted.

STS (Standard Transfer Specification) is an internationally accepted system developed by the STS Association to ensure complete security of your meter and the tokens that will work with them. The Citiq Vending system is STS compliant and has been certified by the STS Association. Furthermore, Citiq is a member of the STS Association which is responsible for ensuring compliance with the system. Go to www.sts.org.za for more information.

Citiq Prepaid has a call centre that assists clients on weekdays between 7am and 8pm, and weekends and public holidays between 8am and 5pm. We can assist you with any issues you might be experiencing, including those relating to already purchased recharge tokens. You can reach us on 087 55 111 55 or emailing help@citiqprepaid.co.za or on WhatsApp: 087 55 111 17.

To view our warranty information, click here.

Step One – Contact your service provider and inform them that you would like to switch and request a key change. Your service provider may charge you for this, and you will need to pay them directly. Once you have successfully paid for the key change, your service provider will give you a key change token. Keep this safe! – The next step is to contact Citiq Prepaid on the same day!

Step Two – Call Citiq Prepaid on 087 55 111 55 or email help@citiqprepaid.co.za and let us know you’re switching to us. Our friendly call centre will talk you through the switching process. Once your details have been captured and confirmed, we will provide you with a second key change token.

Step Three – Punch in your first key change number (from step one) into your meter and then punch in your second key change number (from Citiq Prepaid) into the meter.

Congratulations, you have successfully switched to Citiq Prepaid. You can now register for the Citiq Prepaid Meter Management System to purchase tokens immediately. Call us on 087 55 111 55 to register!

Remember, the switching process needs to all happen on the same day to ensure your meter works efficiently. Please note that it can take up to two days for the meter to register as “switched” with our Citiq Prepaid vending partners. This means that you should ideally have enough units on the meter for 2-3 days in case you’re unable to purchase tokens at our vending partners.