Pay As You Go Electric

Pay As You Go Electric service means you purchase electricity before it is used. You will not receive a regular, monthly bill. The continuation of electric service depends on you prepaying for service on a timely basis. If your current account balance falls below zero, your service will be terminated until a payment is made.

There are several things to consider before signing up for PAYGE:

• Continued electric service depends on you prepaying for service on a timely basis.
• If the current balance on your account falls below zero, your service will be terminated.
• You must be able to receive certain notices by phone, text or email.
• You will not receive a monthly bill.

There are several questions to consider with respect to prepay service:

• Do you prefer to pay as you go?
• Do you prefer not to pay a deposit?
• Are you okay with not receiving a monthly paper bill?
• Do you prefer to review and monitor your daily energy usage?

You must first contact a Customer Service Representative at Santee Cooper.

If you have an existing Santee Cooper account, you may change your existing account to a Pay As You Go Electric (PAYGE) account. You must pay a nonrefundable $20 connection fee, plus applicable taxes, and at least $50 to establish an initial prepaid credit balance. The connection fee is a one-time charge and those funds are not applied toward your credit balance or energy usage.  Additionally, any outstanding balance from your existing account will be placed on a deferred payment plan on your new prepay account and 25% of all future payments will be applied to this deferred balance.

If you are establishing a new account, you must pay a nonrefundable $20 connection fee, plus applicable taxes, and at least $50 to establish an initial prepaid credit balance. The connection fee is a one-time charge and those funds are not applied toward your credit balance or energy usage.

PAYGE customers do not receive a monthly bill. You will receive electronic communications from Santee Cooper letting you know approximately how many days of service you have remaining. You may also retrieve your current balance and account status online, via a mobile device or by dialing an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. You have the option of selecting which method(s) you wish to use.

You also have the option of viewing detailed usage and payment statuses online as well as a brief overview of the last five days on your smart phone.

Account updates on balance and payments are sent via text message, email or phone. When you set up your PAYGE account you will choose how and when you want to be notified. This will give you time to purchase more power before the meter is disconnected.

If you do not purchase more power when you receive a low balance notification and your credit runs out, the meter will stop and your power will turn off. However, purchasing power is quick and easy, even after hours, on weekends and holidays. Once a payment is made, you will have the ability to reconnect your service almost immediately.

You will be charged the standard monthly customer charge that all Santee Cooper customers must pay. There are no additional charges or fees for being a PAYGE customer.

PAYGE accounts are not eligible for payment arrangements, credit extensions, Special Medical Needs Program account status or for participation in budget billing.  If an eligible assistance program provides utility assistance, an agency voucher may be applied towards a PAYGE account to prevent the termination of service until agency funds are received.  It is your responsibility to maintain and review the credit balance on your PAYGE account until Santee Cooper receives the actual payment for the voucher.

You have the option of choosing which method(s) you prefer.  Available options are:

• • Email
  • Text messaging
  • Outbound phone calls

If you’d like to receive Santee Cooper’s e-newsletter, you can subscribe here.

Continued PAYGE service depends on you prepaying for service. If your current account balance falls below zero ($0.00), your service will be terminated with little notice. However, you will be notified three (3) days before and one (1) day before your account balance is expected to fall below the zero credit balance. These notifications are an estimate only and are based on your usage history, weather and other factors.  Your account balance may fall more quickly than expected based upon weather, additional guests, weekends, a change in your daily habits, and other activities that may impact consumption.  You are responsible for checking your account balance and ensuring that the balance does not reach the termination balance of $0.00.

If your service is terminated and your account has a zero or negative balance, you must pay the negative balance, but no less than $10.00, to be reconnected.  

If Santee Cooper allows you to transfer your balance from your existing postpaid account to a PAYGE account a Deferred Payment Plan may be made available.  Permission to transfer postpaid account debt is solely at the discretion of Santee Cooper.  If Santee Cooper consents to your transfer of postpaid account debt, between 25% and 40% of every payment to your PAYGE account that you make will be applied to the deferred balance and the remainder of the payment will be applied to your prepay account.

Santee Cooper has several payment options available for your convenience.  These options are subject to change.       

• Credit/debit card via phone at 844-332-3757
• Credit/debit card online here
• Cash or check at Santee Cooper retail office (Myrtle Beach or Moncks Corner) Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.