NEWBERRY – Signing up for the City of Newberry’s prepaid billing system is a simple process for residential customers.
Finance Director Shannon Smith said interested customers can sign up as soon as today by coming to City Hall, 1330 College Street, and filling out the appropriate paperwork.
There is no enrollment fee to set up a prepaid account, Smith said. Customers can get started by putting a $30 payment to their account. However, after that initial $30, the amount of money put onto a customer’s account is up to them.
“Customers can purchase utilities to last for a few days or up to several months,” said Utility Director Tim Baker. “The flexibility is what makes this system so unique and customer oriented.”
To recap, with prepaid billing, city residential utility customers can pay for their utilities how and when they choose. By purchasing their utilities before they use them, this system allows the customer to manage their budget and pay how much they want when they’re able.
Instead of a monthly billing statement, utility usage is calculated daily and customers can track that usage by smartphone or online.
When an account is running low on funds, the customer will receive an alert by phone, email or text message to let them know it’s time to reload their account. This gives the customer time to purchase utilities before the meter actually stops.
If more utilities are not purchased, the meter will disconnect. Once a payment is made, utilities will reconnect on their own, usually within one hour without a disconnection or reconnection fee involved.
Payments can be made when the customer wants – whether online (www.newberryutilities.com), at City Hall or at one of the city’s retail partners. A customer’s account can be reloaded 24 hours per day online or at partner locations during their business hours.
While current retail partners for the program include Dollar General and Family Dollar, new partners are being added to include more in the future for added customer convenience.
Customers can check their account balance at the website above by clicking on “My Portal” to login. They can also call the city’s finance department at 803-321-1007 to receive information regarding their prepaid account. Access information is provided to customers when their account is established.
While the prepaid billing option will certainly benefit many of the city’s customers, Baker said it may not be the best option for every customer and those wishing to remain on their current billing cycle may do so.
For more information, customers may contact the City of Newberry’s Finance Department or come by City Hall.
“We welcome customers to stop by and sign up for this new service,” Baker said.