Buy Electricity Token Online: 20 Digits, From ₦500 (IBEDC ₦5,000)

You end up with a 20-digit token that you type into your meter's keypad. It usually arrives by SMS and on your receipt a minute or two after you pay. This guide follows one purchase from meter number to keypad, stopping where it usually goes wrong. Most DisCos sell tokens from ₦500, as at 11 October 2026.

To buy electricity token online in Nigeria, you need three things: your meter number, the name of your distribution company (DisCo) and a funded wallet or bank card.

Before you pay: your meter number and the right DisCo (Lagos, Kaduna)

Your meter number is on the meter or the keypad beside it, and on any old token receipt, which is easier to check if you can't reach the meter. Skip the account number on a postpaid bill. It pays a bill and can't produce a token.

Next, confirm your DisCo. Lagos trips people up because it has two DisCos, with Ikeja Electric (IKEDC) covering the north of the state and Eko Electricity (EKEDC) covering the south. Pick the wrong one and your meter number won't validate. An old receipt names the DisCo, so check one if you're unsure.

Kaduna has its own snag. Two Kaduna entries sit in the DisCo list: "Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company [KAEDCO]" and "Kaduna Electric". Try the first one, and if it can't find your meter, go back and pick the second.

Last, choose prepaid or postpaid. A prepaid meter takes a token, while a postpaid account gets a payment against its bill and no token, so pick prepaid if you have a keypad to type numbers into.

How to buy electricity token online, step by step

Fund your wallet first. A transfer from any bank to the dedicated account number under Wallet works, and so does a card. Then, on AidaPay:

1. On the Home screen, tap Electricity.
2. Pick your DisCo.
3. Choose Prepaid.
4. Type your meter number.
5. Read the customer name that appears.
6. Enter the amount.
7. Confirm with your PIN.

Step 5 is where a wrong meter number or DisCo shows itself. Don't worry if the name belongs to your landlord, or to a tenant who left years ago, because meters often keep the old name and the token still works.

A name you've never heard of is different. It means the meter number or the DisCo is wrong. Check both before you pay.

Topping up your mum's meter in another city works the same way. Enter her meter number, confirm the name is hers, pay, then forward her the token from your receipt so she can key it in herself.

Minimum token by DisCo: ₦500, ₦1,000 or IBEDC's ₦5,000

As at 11 October 2026, the smallest token is ₦500 for IKEDC, EKEDC, AEDC, KEDCO, PHED, JED and KAEDCO, and ₦1,000 for Enugu (EEDC), BEDC and Kaduna Electric. IBEDC starts at ₦5,000. A single purchase tops out at ₦50,000 for most DisCos, ₦60,000 for IBEDC and ₦100,000 for IKEDC.

IBEDC is the outlier. If you live in Ibadan or Abeokuta and money is tight this week, plan your top-up around that ₦5,000 floor rather than waiting for the units to run out. If you need more than your DisCo's cap in one go, split it into two purchases.

Your ₦5,000 won't buy the same number of units everywhere. The reason is your tariff band, which sets the price of each kilowatt-hour (kWh, the unit your meter counts down). Band A feeders promise at least 20 hours of supply a day and pay the highest rate, while Bands B to E pay less because they're promised fewer hours. Every purchase also carries 7.5% VAT, which comes off before your units are worked out.

Before you top up, you can check which tariff band your feeder is on. If the units still look short for your band, call your DisCo and ask whether it's recovering a debt or another charge from your purchases.

Paid but no token? Check Transactions first

You've paid, the screen said success, and your phone is quiet. Open Transactions before you do anything else, because the token sits on the receipt there even when the SMS runs late.

A pending order isn't a lost one. Tap it in Transactions and requery it, which asks for the token again. If the receipt still shows no token, raise a ticket from the same screen with the transaction reference and hold on to that reference until support closes the issue.

Loading the 20 digits, and why a meter says Reject

Type all 20 digits on the keypad and press Enter. On some keypads, that's the # key.

When the meter rejects a token, start with a mistyped digit: clear the screen and key in all 20 again, slowly. Next, think back to whether you've already loaded this token, since each one works only once and a second try on the same meter will always fail. Then make sure it's the right meter, because a token bought for your old flat won't load on the one in your new place.

Sometimes the meter itself needs updating. It may ask for key change tokens (KCTs), which are two 20-digit codes from your DisCo that you load before any new credit will go in. Many meters needed them after the token ID rollover in November 2024, and a tariff change can trigger the same request. The guide to common electricity token problems and fixes explains each error message.

Have four things ready when you call DisCo customer care: your meter number, the token, the date you bought it and the amount you paid, so the agent can trace your purchase quickly.

Light just gone and the meter showing low credit? Start with your meter number and DisCo name. From there, you can buy an electricity token on AidaPay and key in the 20 digits as soon as they show on your receipt.

Frequently asked questions

Published 11 October 2026. Prices and codes change - if you spot one that has moved, tell us and we will fix it.