Add prepaid electricity sales to an existing till
Before you add electricity to the till, find out which meters your supplier can serve and how the till delivers the token. Agree how to fund the sales, what the receipt will show and who handles a missing result. Cashiers need a way to find the first order before anyone tries again.
A cashier who sells airtime may still need practice checking a meter number and explaining an electricity receipt. Check the supplier's service areas before you advertise. Test whether staff can explain the result without reading out details the rest of the queue doesn't need to hear.
Rollout checks
| Area | Confirm before launch | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Product coverage | Areas and supported product types | Current supplier confirmation |
| Customer input | Required meter or account details | Approved field instructions |
| Till workflow | Product selection and status display | Test or accepted workflow record |
| Receipt | Sale ID, value and support route | Reviewed sample receipt |
| Exceptions | Original-reference status process | Named support owner |
| Closeout | Category sales and balance matching | Reconciliation report |
By Freepaid · Published
Verify the product and customer steps
Ask the supplier which electricity products are available to your outlet and what information the customer must provide. Check how the result is delivered, what the receipt should show and which route handles disputed or delayed transactions. Confirm whether the system distinguishes a request that has been submitted from one that has completed. Use the provider's own documented status terms.
Keep customer prompts short and visible. Cashiers should know which details must be entered, how to confirm them with the customer and what evidence they should retain. Avoid reading sensitive numbers aloud if the outlet environment makes that inappropriate. If the value or product selection is wrong, staff should use a defined correction process rather than altering the original record informally.
Sign off coverage by vending route
Record whether the proposed meter is served by Eskom, a municipality or another provider, and check that the outlet's supplier supports the route. Eskom's prepayment guidance describes buying through a vending agent that serves Eskom customers and using the meter number on the card or receipt. Confirm separately which municipal or private meters your outlet can serve. Add a supported sample and an out-of-scope sample to the acceptance test. The cashier should identify which case can proceed and where to direct the other customer. Eskom prepayment FAQs
For the supported case, test whether the till prints the result, preserves the original reference and gives the next shift a way to find it. For the out-of-scope case, check that staff can stop before collecting money or releasing an order. Use the wider electricity vending guide for the full setup sequence. SIMcloud guide to selling prepaid electricity from a shop
Worked example: one-week pilot
For a shop that plans 25 sales at R100 each, the week comes to 25 × R100 = R2,500 in face value. Match each till receipt to a supplier reference and status, then compare the totals at the end of the week. If a sale is still open, list it separately and check its original reference.
Use your supplier's written charges and funding terms for the actual pilot. Alongside the money, record which details customers needed to correct, which orders stayed open and where cashiers needed help.
Prepare staff and support
Provide a short cashier guide that shows product selection, required customer input, receipt handling and the safe response to a missing result. Give staff a contact for questions they cannot resolve. The person who handles supplier queries should be able to find the original order reference and see what has already been checked. Do not train staff to make a second order when the first outcome is unknown.
Have a small group of cashiers try the process before you add more tills. Watch someone find the original reference, explain a delayed result to a customer and hand an open order to the next shift. Agree a review date and fix any gaps before expanding.
Reconcile and assess the pilot
- Approve the product scope, funding cap and responsible owner.
- Verify service coverage and customer requirements with the provider.
- Review till fields, receipt wording and support instructions.
- Train cashiers and test an approved workflow before general availability.
- Match sales to supplier evidence by reference and separate unresolved items.
- Review demand, corrections and support effort before expanding.
Keep electricity totals separate from airtime and data in operational reports. Use consistent product labels and period cut-offs so finance can investigate differences. If an order may have been accepted but its outcome is unclear, reconcile the original request before any new submission. For help choosing which categories to pilot first, see which prepaid products should a small retailer add first.