Possible to manage power bills via bank account?

[konisaan]

In some countries you can get bill notifications from your bank so that when there are new bills you can just log in to pay them or even have the bills paid automatically. I don't know if this is possible in Thailand.

Currently I am responsible for payment of power bills for 2 condos which I only go to occasionally. The power bill gets pushed under the door, which is not very useful when you are not around. I tried coming to an arrangement with condo management whereby I paid an amount in advance which would be adequate for a few months but this too was problematic. i.e have to keep checking if there is money still left because if it runs out, they only contact you when the power company is threatening to cut supply.

I suppose I could ask to have the bills forwarded but I'm guessing this would also be unreliable. Any suggestions?

[ubonjoe]

It is possible to arrange for a direct debit from your account The PEA does it and I assume Bangkok will do the same.

[lopburi3]

Yes Bangkok does it - have been doing for decades - automatic payment from bank account and get bill in mail a week or so before due. Also can have internet/phones/water done the same way.

Take a current bill to bank and they will have you fill out forms to do. Will take awhile but well worth it.

[nowork114]

You have two options, pay directly from account or by Thai credit card. I chose the 2nd option because it waives credit card fees and also getting quite a lot of points ... In both cases you have to visit MEA or PEA office where the bill came from and fill few forms. It can be only done by the person whose name is on the bill. Documents required are ID/PASSPORT, Meter number (el. bill), bank book or credit card. It takes 1 billing period to activate.

[Langsuan Man]

Depends, if you bank has your electric company on it's list of approved billers then you can just pick that one and pay the bill using online banking since it will have a template listing all your billers information (bill number, account number, amount etc.)

If your bank does not have your electric company on it's list, then the other option is direct debit which most banks support, but sometimes it can be location specific

My electric company is a "cooperative" in Sattahip but they will only direct debit from the one SCB branch in town. Even though I already had a SCB account in Pattaya I had to open another account (without debit card) at the Sattahip SCB branch to get direct debit. Fortunately both accounts are listed on my SCB online banking page so I can make sure that I transfer enough money out of the Pattaya account into the Sattahip account to cover the bill

[Pib]

I don't think there is a Thai bank with a Bill Pay system lke we are use to in the west where the bill arrives your ibanking Bill Pay which shows your the bill and then you decide when and how much to pay...that is, it's a two step process where the bill arrives your ibanking and then you must manually complete the payment or have it setup to automatically pay when the bill arrives (not to be confused with direct debit).

Instead a person needs to setup a direct debit between the biller and your bank, or you get the bill in the mail and then logon to your ibanking and make the payment....and without getting that bill in the mail or via email you won't know how much to pay or have the Ref 1 and Ref 2 numbers to make the ibanking payment.

[ChiangmaiRob]

Yes, I have had a direct debit with PEA for years through my K Bank account so no worries about getting cut off when I'm away for any length of time. I just filled out the form and took it to the PEA office in Naklua, job done!

[stevew407]

I have the same issues and getting anything in the mail back in the states is an issue. I have a rental ( studio condo-will be available july 23) - Making some progress, but SLOWLY and leaving soon. Will try and take the bills to the Electric company and try the points given here.

[seancbk]

My bill is issued by the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, and I've setup my Kasikorn Online Banking to let me pay it.

I just log into Kasikorn, select Bill Payment, choose my Electric Bill and when I hit pay it tells me how much the bill is.

All you need to do is remember to do it once a month on or around the same date.

[Minnehaha]

You have two options, pay directly from account or by Thai credit card. I chose the 2nd option because it waives credit card fees and also getting quite a lot of points ... In both cases you have to visit MEA or PEA office where the bill came from and fill few forms. It can be only done by the person whose name is on the bill. Documents required are ID/PASSPORT, Meter number (el. bill), bank book or credit card. It takes 1 billing period to activate.

we chose credit card as well, for the same reasons.

plus it is my habit to review credit card statements, whereas with a debit - savings account I only pay attention to the balance and take a look for details if something catches my eye.

[Keesters]

My bill is issued by the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, and I've setup my Kasikorn Online Banking to let me pay it.

I just log into Kasikorn, select Bill Payment, choose my Electric Bill and when I hit pay it tells me how much the bill is.

All you need to do is remember to do it once a month on or around the same date.

Available for MEA but not PEA.

[catman20]

yes

[gallyer]

You have two options, pay directly from account or by Thai credit card. I chose the 2nd option because it waives credit card fees and also getting quite a lot of points ... In both cases you have to visit MEA or PEA office where the bill came from and fill few forms. It can be only done by the person whose name is on the bill. Documents required are ID/PASSPORT, Meter number (el. bill), bank book or credit card. It takes 1 billing period to activate.

we chose credit card as well, for the same reasons.

plus it is my habit to review credit card statements, whereas with a debit - savings account I only pay attention to the balance and take a look for details if something catches my eye.

If you have a credit card you don't even need to visit MEA office, just call your credit card support line, read them the number for the bill and they will set it up immediately. This goes for all your bills like MEA, TRUE, mobile phone etc.

Additionally, for MEA, you can sign up to receive a PDF bill by email and SMS notification for MEA on their website. It's all in Thai though. They still send a paper one a few days after the PDF one.

You might not get points for utility bills on your credit card, mine explicitly excludes them.

[jadee]

Hi, I need help with this. I'm leaving Thailand and need to pay my MEA electricity bills for my condo. I phoned Bangkok Bank and they explained how to add MEA to ibanking and pay bills. The problem is I will need the reference number shown on the invoice and the amount to pay this way. When I leave Thailand, I obviously won't know this information. What's the solution? Can I ask the MEA to send me electronic invoices via email or am I missing something?
thanks for any replies

Edit: sorry I just read the above post that answers my question.

Edited July 18, 2015 by jadee