How to shop for power
At Powershop we’ve put the power in your hands to make savings. Instead of paying for your electricity when you get your monthly bill, you can pre-purchase Powerpacks and pay for them when it suits you within your billing cycle.
We sell power in units that we call Powerpacks. It’s like buying data for your mobile when you’re on a pay as you go contract. Except its pay as you go power with the ability to buy now and pay later, within your billing period. And most importantly, we don’t cut off your power if you haven’t pre-purchased Powerpacks covering your usage! Win win!
Most types of Powerpacks give you a discount on your Standard Rates for the amount of power covered by the Powerpack, so you get value for money for the power you use.
Choose how you pay and when you pay
Choose how you pay and when you pay within your billing cycle. Shopping gives you more flexibility than regular billing.
Don’t worry, we won’t cut you off if you’ve used more power than you’ve pre-purchased as Powerpacks.
You can pre-purchase power up to six months in advance to help you save and budget.
Unlike the Colonel’s herbs and spices, we’ll give you the secret recipe for what to buy to make the most savings.
Choose how you pay and when you pay. Shopping gives you way more flexibility than regular billing.
If you’re busy or away for a while and want to take a break from shopping, you can.
Learn more about the shop
What is the Shop?
Once you’re an eligible Powershop customer you’ll have access to the Shop. Within the Shop you can buy units of power called Powerpacks. They come in a range of price points. Most types of Powerpacks give you a discount on your Standard Rate for the amount of power covered by the Powerpack, helping you to get great value for money for the power you use.
Why shop for your power?
By shopping for your power, we’re giving you the power to:
- Save money by shopping for Powerpacks that give you a discount on your Standard Rate.
- Buy now and pay later at any time within your billing cycle, because we’re flexible like that.
- Buy power in advance of using it.
- Get rewarded for your loyalty. The longer you’re with us the bigger the discount you’re eligible for on your monthly Staying Power Powerpack.
How does shopping help me save on power?
When you shop for your power, you buy Powerpacks which give you a discount on your Standard Rate. Powerpacks are dollar amounts of power that come in a range of sizes and are available for purchase in our Shop
On the first of every month we release a monthly Staying Power Powerpack which gives you approximately a weeks’ worth of power at a discounted rate from your Standard Rate. This Powerpack has the biggest discount on your standard power rate for the power covered by that pack. So, you want to make sure you get this Powerpack each month.
We also release limited time Specials nearly every week. Specials give you approximately two days of power at a discounted rate from your Standard Rate. Make sure you have your app notifications turned on to be notified when Specials land in the Shop.
To amp up the savings even more, make sure you shop for Future Packs. Future packs give you up to 10% off your Standard Rate if you buy them up to 6 months in advance. You can buy a maximum of two Future packs for each future month.
Learn more about the secret savings formula here.
Getting started
We’re here to guide you through the how and why of shopping for your own power. Don’t worry, it’s easy.
How do I shop for power?
We have a special area within your account called the Shop. In the Shop, we sell power in units that we call Powerpacks. Once you’re an eligible Powershop customer you’ll be able to buy Powerpacks through your account on desktop or through our mobile app.
Track your usage and shop on the go
While you can shop on desktop, using our app is easier. With the app means you can shop for power anytime, anywhere and monitor your usage on the go. Best of all, if you’ve got the app notifications turned on, you’ll be notified when Powerpacks arrive in the Shop, so you never miss a chance to save.
What are Powerpacks?
We sell power in units that we call Powerpacks. It’s like buying data for your mobile when you’re on a pay as you go contract. Except its pay as you go power with the ability to buy now and pay later, within your billing period. And most importantly, we don’t cut off your power if you haven’t pre-purchased Powerpacks covering your usage! Win win!
Powerpacks range in price. Most types of Powerpacks give you a discount on your Standard Rates for the amount of power covered by the Powerpack, so you get value for money for the power you use.
Pre-purchase power up to six months in advance
You’re also able to pay in advance for power you’re going to use in future months by buying Future Packs. You can pre-purchase Future Packs up to six months in advance. And the further out you buy these Future Packs, the bigger the discount you’ll get on your Standard Rate for the power covered by the Future Pack. You can buy up to two Future Packs for each future month.
That means in summer when you usually have lower power bills, you can pre-pay a portion of your power to use in winter months to help you budget. Sweet right?
How do I know how much power I need to buy?
Once you’re logged into your account, it's easy to see how much power you’ve used versus the power you’ve pre-purchased by way of Powerpacks. The inside green circle shows the power you’ve bought. The pink circle on the outside shows the power you’ve used.
In the centre of the circle, you can clearly see if you have bought enough power (ahead) or not (behind). If you click the centre, it will show you how many days you’re ahead or behind.
Learn more about how we calculate whether you’re the ahead or behind.
How do I know what to buy to save the most on my power?
It’s easy by following this magic formula. Unlike the Colonel’s herbs and spices, we’re not keeping our recipe for how to get the best deal on your power a secret.
- Reach your Special rates
To reach your Special Rates, you need to buy the monthly Staying Power Powerpack and all the limited time Special Powerpacks within your billing period. Staying Power is released on the first of every month and has the biggest discount on your Standard Rate for the power covered by the Powerpack – which we’ve estimated will give you about a week's worth of discounted power (based on your recent usage). Specials are released almost every week and available for a limited time in the Shop. - Pre-purchase power six months in advance
Use Future Packs to buy power up to six months in advance to get up to a 10% discount on your Standard Rates for the power covered by that Future Pack. The further out you buy our Future Packs, the bigger the discount. For example, if it’s December you can buy two Future Packs for the month of June (which is six months out) you get this power at a 10% discount on your Standard Rate. This power will then sit in your account till June when you come to use it. That’s how Future Packs help you budget and save. - Get any additional power you need by buying Value Packs
Use Value Packs if at the end of your billing cycle you need to buy additional Powerpacks to cover your usage. Value Packs have a smaller discount than other Powerpacks but still give you a discount on your Standard Rate for the power covered by that Value Pack.
In summary: Staying Power + limited time Specials + Future Packs + Value Packs (if needed) = MAX SAVINGS.
What happens if I don’t buy enough power to cover my usage?
Don’t worry, we won’t cut you off! If you have used more power than you’ve bought when it comes to the end of your billing cycle, you can buy a Powerpack to make up the balance. Or if you forget to do this, the system will automatically buy your default Powerpack for you, to cover your power used. For most customers, this will be equal to the power you have used at your Standard Rate. Your Standard Rate is still very good! The debit/credit card or bank account you have on file will be charged for this purchase.
What happens if I buy too much power?
If you’ve purchased more Powerpacks than you need they will automatically be rolled over to your next month's power. Meaning you never lose out on the power you’ve bought.
Do I have to shop? Can I take a break from shopping?
You don’t have to shop for Powerpacks if you don’t want to. You can still be a Powershop customer. If you forget to buy Powerpacks or you want to take a break from shopping, at the end of your billing period we’ll buy your default Powerpack for you, to cover your power used. For most customers, this will be equal to the power you have used at your Standard Rate.
Pay for your power when it suits you
We’re really flexible when it comes to payments. We let you choose when, where and how you pay for your power within your billing period.
Buy now, pay later explained
With our 'Pay later' option you can buy Powerpacks without having to make an immediate payment. This means you can grab limited time Specials as they are released and choose to either pay for them right away, at the end of your billing cycle or any day in between. This means that if you prefer to only pay for your power once a month you can still get access to the great specials in the Shop.
Using ‘Pay later’ is a great option for those customers who pay manually using online banking or if you would like to have a single monthly manual or auto payment at the end of your billing cycle. If you go the auto payment route, we’ll debit your default payment method for the outstanding balance owing at the end of your billing cycle (Account Review period).
Learn more about payments.
Set and forget payment options
You can nominate either a direct debit or credit card as your preferred payment method. Note that a 0.76% processing fee applies for credit card and debit card transactions. We’ll then use this payment method when an auto-payment is created on your account. For example, when you buy a Powerpack. We’ll also use this method of payment when you have an outstanding balance at the end of your billing cycle (Account Review period).
More info about payments.
How much can I save?
Give us a recent bill and we’ll tell you how much you can save.
Got another question?
Check out our handy help section. All the answers you need are ready and waiting. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, our friendly Christchurch team are here to help via live chat.