How to Pay an Electricity Bill in Thailand — Every Method (2026)
Official apps, LINE, bank apps, agent counters, direct debit, credit cards and utility offices — with the actual fees and the conditions most people miss. Every fact on this page comes from official MEA/PEA pages only.
The easiest way: your utility's official app — MEA Smart Life if you're in Bangkok, Nonthaburi or Samut Prakan, PEA Smart Plus everywhere else. Check the balance and pay inside the app. Alternatives: any major Thai mobile-banking app, agent counters (Counter Service, Lotus's, Big C, Thailand Post — cash, 10 THB/bill fee on MEA bills), direct debit (free — the utility absorbs the bank fee), or credit-card auto-debit. ⚠️ The rule most expats miss: ordinary agents only accept bills still within their due date — for an overdue bill call MEA 1130 / PEA 1129.
First: Which Utility Are You On — MEA or PEA?
MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority) covers exactly 3 provinces: Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan. PEA (Provincial Electricity Authority) covers the other 74 — Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya, Koh Samui and everywhere else. The name is printed at the top of your bill, and the two utilities run separate apps and payment systems — details on MEA vs PEA.
Every channel identifies you by the Contract Account (CA) number printed on the bill — photograph a bill before you start. (MEA ATMs ask for the CA number plus the 11-digit bill number.)
Quick Answer: Method × Where × Fee
MEA states its agent-channel fee outright (10 THB per bill); PEA's page says fees are "at the rates set by the service provider / agent" — the app or counter shows the fee before you confirm:
| Method | Where | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official app | MEA Smart Life / PEA Smart Plus | MEA: card/QR via agents · PEA: provider-set | Also checks balance, history, outage reports |
| LINE | MEA Connect / @PEAThailand | Provider-set | Bill alerts + check + pay in chat |
| Mobile / internet banking | All major Thai bank apps + e-wallets (TrueMoney etc.) | MEA: 10 THB/bill | Due-date bills only |
| Agent counters | Counter Service, Lotus's, Big C, Thailand Post, CenPay | MEA: 10 THB/bill (cash only) | Due-date bills only |
| Direct debit | Set up at your bank or a utility office | Free (utility absorbs it) | Active in ~1 billing cycle |
| Credit-card auto-debit | Set up at the bank / card company | Free (MEA) | Active in ~1 billing cycle |
| Utility offices | 18 MEA district offices + mall One-Stop desks / PEA front offices | — | The channel for special cases / overdue bills |
| ATM | Participating banks' ATMs (MEA) | 10 THB/bill | Needs CA no. + 11-digit bill no. |
The Official Apps: MEA Smart Life & PEA Smart Plus
MEA Smart Life (Bangkok metro)
MEA's official app on iOS and Android: pay with a Visa/MasterCard credit card or by QR code/barcode through payment agents, view 6 months of usage history, and report power outages. MEA also runs MEA e-Service (website) and MEA Connect (LINE account) — both can check bills, pay, and register for the electronic e-Bill.
PEA Smart Plus (the other 74 provinces)
PEA's official app: check and pay bills, report outages, file online service requests (new meter, meter size changes) and get alerts. PEA also runs LINE @PEAThailand — bill notifications, balance checks, payment and 24/7 outage reporting in chat — and a web Bill History lookup that shows 6 months of usage from your CA number, no login needed.
Tip for newcomers: have a paper bill in hand when you register — the apps link your account through the CA number printed on it.
Bank Apps & e-Wallets
Every major Thai bank supports electricity bills in its mobile/internet banking app (look for “Bill Payment / Utilities”, then pick your utility): Bangkok Bank, Krungthai, Krungsri, Kasikorn, TTB, SCB, UOB, GSB, BAAC. On MEA bills the fee is 10 THB per bill, and only due-date bills are accepted. Officially-listed e-wallets work too: TrueMoney, Rabbit LINE Pay, ShopeePay and mPAY (plus some kiosk/top-up machine networks on the PEA side).
No Thai bank account yet? Pay cash at any agent counter (next section), or use a foreign Visa/MasterCard credit card inside the MEA Smart Life app.
Paying Cash: 7-Eleven (Counter Service), Lotus's, Big C, Thailand Post
Hand the bill (paper, or the barcode on your phone) to any authorized agent's payment desk. The official MEA terms: cash only, a 10 THB service fee per bill, the amount must be within the agent's payment limit, and only bills still within their due date are accepted (except for agents specially authorized to take overdue payments). The official agent lists include Counter Service — the payment network you'll recognize from 7-Eleven checkouts — plus Lotus's, Big C (PEA side), CenPay, Thailand Post (for MEA bills: Bangkok/Nonthaburi/Samut Prakan areas only) and every commercial bank branch. The utility's official receipt/tax invoice follows by mail or attached to your next bill.
Set-and-Forget: Direct Debit (Free) & Credit-Card Auto-Debit
Direct debit from a Thai bank account is the one channel that is explicitly fee-free — the utility absorbs the bank charge — and you still receive the bill in advance to check before the deduction. Apply with a form plus your latest bill or receipt and a copy of your bank passbook's first page, at your bank branch or at any utility district office; it takes about one billing cycle to activate (participating banks include Bangkok Bank, Krungthai, Krungsri, Kasikorn, TTB, SCB, UOB, GSB, GHB, BAAC, LH Bank, Islamic Bank and more). Credit-card auto-debit is likewise fee-free on MEA bills — apply at your bank or card company (on the PEA side: Krungsri, Kasikorn, UOB, Bangkok Bank, KTC and GCS).
What If the Bill Is Already Overdue?
The rule MEA prints on every agent channel: only bills within the due date and without overdue amounts are accepted, "except for agents authorized to accept overdue payments." So once a bill is overdue, don't waste a trip to a counter — go direct: call MEA at 1130 (Bangkok metro; you can pay at any of the 18 MEA district offices or the mall One-Stop desks) or PEA at 1129 / your local PEA front office to confirm the amount and where that bill can still be paid.
Transparency note: MEA/PEA do not publish disconnection timelines or reconnection fees on their public pages, so we don't quote any — confirm your case on 1130 (MEA) / 1129 (PEA) rather than trusting forum numbers.
Paying Your Landlord Instead? Check the Rate First
Everything above assumes a bill in your own name. If instead you pay "electricity" to a landlord at the building's own rate, first check whether you're being overcharged: the official OCPB (สคบ.) B.E. 2568 calculation-method cap works out to about 4.88 THB/unit, yet our 400-listing survey found 98.8% of advertising listings charge above it (median 7.0 THB/unit). Punch your rent-bill numbers into the free rental electricity checker, and see the full price picture on how much electricity costs in Thailand.
About the Author
Written by Frank Lee, Founder of CapSolar (a Thai-registered commercial solar company, DBD no. 0105566207625). Every fact on this page was verified against live official mea.or.th and pea.co.th pages on the date shown above — nothing here is sourced from blogs or forums.
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