How to buy a prepaid electricity token online

A prepaid electricity meter lets you pay for power before you use it — you buy a token, load it on your meter, and it adds units (kWh) you can use until they run low. Here's how to top up online in Nigeria, and what to do if anything goes wrong.

What is a prepaid electricity token?

A token is a 20-digit code tied to your meter number. When you buy electricity online, your distribution company (DisCo) generates a token for the amount you paid. You type that token into your meter's keypad to load the units — measured in kWh (kilowatt-hours).

How to buy a token online

1. Have your meter number ready — it's printed on the meter and on past tokens or receipts.
2. Open Easy Recharge, tap Electricity, and choose your distribution company.
3. Enter your meter number and the amount you want to buy.
4. Confirm with your PIN. Your 20-digit token appears on screen and in your transaction history within seconds.

How to load the token on your meter

Type the 20-digit token on your meter's keypad and press the enter (often blue) button. The meter beeps and shows "Accept" or "Confirmed" and adds your units. If it shows "Reject", re-enter the token carefully — the most common cause is a simple typo.

The main distribution companies (DisCos)

Nigeria has 12 electricity distribution companies, and Easy Recharge supports them all:

• Ikeja Electric (IKEDC) — Lagos (Ikeja, Ikorodu, Shomolu, Oshodi…)
• Eko (EKEDC) — Lagos Island, V.I., Lekki, Apapa, Festac
• Abuja (AEDC) — FCT, Niger, Kogi, Nasarawa
• Enugu (EEDC) — Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo
• Port Harcourt (PHED) — Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, Akwa Ibom
• Ibadan (IBEDC) — Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara
• Kaduna (KAEDCO) — Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara
• Kano (KEDCO) — Kano, Katsina, Jigawa
• Jos (JED) — Plateau, Bauchi, Benue, Gombe
• Benin (BEDC) — Edo, Delta, Ondo, Ekiti
• Yola (YEDC) — Adamawa, Taraba, Borno, Yobe
• Aba Power (APLE) — the ring-fenced Aba franchise in Abia

A token is encrypted to your specific meter number — a token bought for one meter won't work on any other. Meters are either prepaid (you buy units in advance) or postpaid (you're billed for what you used); this guide is for prepaid meters.

What if my token doesn't arrive or is rejected?

If your payment goes through but no token appears, you're covered: Easy Recharge automatically refunds failed transactions to your wallet, and your token is saved to your transaction history the moment the DisCo confirms it.

If the meter shows "Reject", the usual causes are:

• The wrong meter number was entered when buying — the most common cause. Check the meter number on your receipt matches your meter.
• The meter needs a configuration ("key change") token first — this happens after a tariff-band change or a meter upgrade. Your DisCo issues these special tokens.
• A mistyped token, or one that's already been used.

Re-enter the token carefully; if it still won't load, contact support (or your DisCo) with your meter number and transaction reference.