Every way to pay or recharge your electricity bill
Postpaid customers settle a monthly invoice; prepaid customers buy units in advance as a 'token' or instant credit. Both can be done from a phone in under two minutes once you know your customer or meter number — here is every channel that actually works in Bangladesh today.
Payment and recharge channels compared
| Channel | Type | Works for | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| bKash | Mobile financial service | All prepaid & postpaid, all six utilities | Usually free; some MFS apply a small % cap on large amounts |
| Nagad | Mobile financial service | All prepaid & postpaid, most utilities | Free for most bill-pay flows |
| Rocket | Mobile financial service (DBBL) | Postpaid bills, select prepaid tokens | Free to low flat fee |
| Upay | Mobile financial service (UCB) | Postpaid bills, expanding prepaid support | Free for most |
| Bank apps (BRAC, DBBL Nexus, City, IBBL, EBL etc.) | Internet/mobile banking | Postpaid bills via biller ID; prepaid support varies by bank | Usually free |
| DESCO / DPDC / NESCO / Palli Bidyut app or web portal | Utility's own app or website | Direct card or MFS-linked payment, bill history, load info | Free; card gateway may add ~1.5–2% |
| Bank counter / cash collection booth | In person | Postpaid bills, cash | Free |
| Agent / mobile banking point | In person | Both prepaid recharge and postpaid, cash | Free to small service charge, varies by agent |
Fees change over time and vary by promotional period — always check the fee shown on the confirmation screen before approving a transaction.
Step-by-step: recharging a prepaid meter through bKash
- Open the bKash app and tap "Pay Bill" from the home screen.
- Select your utility from the biller list — DESCO, DPDC, NESCO or the relevant Palli Bidyut Samity are listed by name.
- Choose "Prepaid" if asked, then enter your 11-digit or 13-digit meter number exactly as printed on the meter or an old token receipt.
- Enter the taka amount you want to recharge. There is usually a minimum (often ৳100–200) and no fixed maximum below your daily transaction limit.
- Confirm the customer name shown on screen matches your meter — this is the system pulling live data from the utility, and a mismatch means you typed the wrong meter number.
- Enter your bKash PIN to authorise. You will receive an SMS/notification with a transaction ID.
- Within 30–120 seconds you should receive a 20-digit token by SMS or see instant credit reflected on a smart meter. Enter the 20-digit token on your meter keypad if your meter is not auto-updating, then press Enter.
Common failures and what to do
Recharges fail for a handful of predictable reasons — check these before calling the hotline.
Money left your account but no token arrived
Wait 15 minutes — tokens can be delayed under network load. If nothing arrives, do not retry the same amount immediately; check 'Transaction History' in your MFS app for the reference ID and use it when contacting your utility's hotline. Refunds for failed recharges are typically auto-reversed within 24–72 hours if the meter never received the token.
"Invalid meter number" or wrong customer name shown
Re-check the meter number for a mixed-up digit — the last 2–3 digits are the most commonly mistyped. If you recently had a meter replaced, the old number in your saved billers list is now inactive; delete and re-add it.
Token entered but meter rejects it
Re-enter carefully — one digit wrong invalidates the whole token. If it still fails after three careful attempts, the token may have expired (tokens are typically valid 90–120 days) or your meter's token counter is out of sequence, which needs a technician visit to reset.
Recharge succeeded but fewer units appeared than expected
This is usually correct, not a fault — see the callout below on how a recharge is split.
Postpaid bill payment not reflected as paid
Keep the transaction ID and screenshot. Utility billing systems typically sync payment status within 24–48 hours; if a disconnection notice was already issued, take the receipt to the local office rather than waiting for the system to catch up.
Related
If a payment succeeded but the amount charged looks wrong altogether, see disputing an incorrect bill. For a channel that keeps failing with no clear cause, escalate through the hotline and complaint directory.