FAQs

Pogo Energy offers the same electricity as other without the ball and chain. Pogo allows you more freedom and control. We don’t require a long term contract, we don’t ask for a deposit and we don’t have mystery fees. Since Pogo is a pay-as-you-go electric service provider you won’t get a bill at the end of the month. Pogo sends daily text messages or emails to keep you informed about your electric usage. You charge up your account with as much or as little as you like and can adjust your usage to stay within budget. Pogo offers you more control where as other electric companies take control.

The Pogo Promise is a commitment we make to you, our customer.

-We commit to treating you fairly while providing you low cost electricity
-We commit to not tricking you with hidden fees
-We commit to no “gotchas” like so many companies do

With Pogo’s prepay electricity service, you can expect honesty and transparency and a helping hand when you need assistance keeping the lights on.

Pre-Approved Deferred Payment Plan (DPP): we pre-approve all our customers for a Deferred Payment Plan without any fees, interest or credit checks (within certain limits). This way, if your account balance ever goes negative and you need a little help paying that balance, we have you covered. Please see our FAQ on Deferred Payment Plan and PogoEnergy.com/legal-privacy for all the terms and conditions relating to our DPP.

Satisfaction guarantee: We’re so confident that you’ll love Pogo that if you’re ever unhappy with our service at any time, you can switch to another provider without penalty and we will refund any unused service balance (net of any print and post fee). Customers on a Deferred Payment Plan will need to pay their remaining balance before switching.

Pogo Perks is Pogo Energy’s customer rewards program with daily deals and giveaways. Pogo customers are automatically enrolled to receive Pogo Points every month and can redeem them in more than 500,000 ways.

Just as reliable as the big electric companies because Pogo’s prepaid energy service is delivered to you the same way that the big guys deliver electric services to you. What’s more, if your area experiences any kind of power outage, weather-related or other, we will put you in touch with your Transmission and Distribution Utility (TDU) provider who is responsible for delivering electric service safely and securely.

No, with Pogo Energy you will not have to sign a long-term contract when you enroll in our pay-as-you-go electricity plan. If you decide to leave Pogo for any reason, you are free to do so without paying a fee as long as you do not have a DPP set up to pay a negative balance on your account.

Pay-as-you-go electricity, or better known as prepaid electricity, allows you to deposit funds into your account and use those funds to cover the cost of your electric usage. When the funds in your account run low, you deposit more to keep the lights on. This allows you to know how much electricity you are using so you can adjust your energy usage and stay within a budget. You are not sent a bill at the end of a cycle. Pogo does not charge you late fees, disconnect or reconnect fees. No surprises, no hassles, and no BS. With a pay-as-you-go electricity plan, we will not run your credit and we do not charge a deposit for your service to be turned on.

Postpaid electricity plans are almost always a “surprise” as in, “Surprise, you used this much electricity this month, and owe us this much – time to pay up.” We call it “bill shock” (BS). If you don’t pay your energy bill on time, you will likely get hit with late payment fees, be subject to having your power disconnected and then need to pay a reconnect charge. Postpaid electricity companies often require that customers have a credit check and pay a deposit based off of the results before electric service is started. Pogo doesn’t do any of that stuff, and that’s why Pogo is different.

Back in 2002, Texas transformed (or using a big fancy word, deregulated) the way electricity is delivered to consumers in about 85% of the state. Deregulation separated the electricity generators (power plants), the distributors (TDUs or TDSPs) and the retail electric providers (REPs). Pogo Energy is a pay-as-you-go REP that participates in virtually all of the deregulated electricity markets in Texas.

Pogo commits to keeping your power on. Pogo Energy will not turn off your power at night, on weekends, or on holidays – and certainly not during extreme weather (hot or cold), as determined by the National Weather Forecast and your TDU. Your power remains on, even if your account balance goes negative during that time. Here are the TDU holidays that apply.

Pogo has an easy 3-step process:
Step 1: Enroll online in under a minute (no deposit, no credit check, no long-term commitment, no B.S).

Step 2: Sign up with autopay for a “set it and forget it” experience. Simply charge up with $60 on autopay and get same day power on. If autopay isn’t for you, charge up with as little as $40 and still get same day power on (no strings attached – cancel anytime without risk).

Step 3: Get daily updates and start saving money while saving the world (you’re using 100% renewable energy with Pogo) – without any extra effort and take control and recharge when you want with what you want.

Yes. Probably. Pogo Energy provides pay as you go electricity across Texas in most deregulated areas. It’s easy to find out if it’s available to you. Just enter your address or zip code, in our address look-up tool, and see if Pogo can service you. Then you can enroll online in under 2 minutes. If you have trouble, give Pogo a call and a representative will help or connect with us over chat.

We keep it simple. All we ask for is your name, physical address, email, and mobile number (that’s how we keep up updated and send balance alerts). We will never ask for your social security or driver’s license number and we don’t run credit checks. We would like your birthday (you know, to send you Happy Birthday greetings) and you will have to create a password (both for account access validation in the future) but that’s it. Enroll and start saving money immediately. Just visit PogoEnergy.com/enroll to get going or you can chat or call us at 888.764.6669.

Give us one minute and we’ll give you same-day power on (during normal business hours). Visit PogoEnergy.com/enroll or chat or call 888.764.6669. We’ll keep it fast and easy!

You can get started with us for as little $40 if you opt-out of autopay, and $60 if you start with autopay. And because we have no start-up fees, 100% of your initial charge-up goes to your energy account. This is not a deposit – it is your money that is used for your electricity as you go. With Pogo Energy you can cancel at any time, so there’s no risk to trying something new and taking control of your energy bill. Visit our Enroll page to get started to get started or chat or call us at 888.764.6669.

Yes, if you activate during normal business hours Monday through Saturday, we expect to have your service activated the same day. We rely on support from the transmission and distribution utility (TDU) to get things going so we can’t provide a guarantee on the exact time, but we’ll do everything in our power (see what we did there?) to have you activated ASAP after you make your initial payment. What does this mean, especially as it gets later in the day, and since we don’t control how fast they process (they do take their time), the TDU may not process our request to turn your power on same day so it might end up coming on next day (the TDU apparently doesn’t embrace modern technology).

You can get your service started during normal business hours Monday through Saturday. If you’re already a customer making a payment to reconnect power, then we’re available 24 x 7 x 365. Just Recharge your account. Service should be started the same day if we receive payment before 6pm Monday through Saturday.

Yes, we encourage you to switch. We’re so confident we can save you money and provide a hassle-free, no surprise charges along the way that we make switching to Pogo’s prepay power plan, easy and simple. Plus, most providers require you to pay them a deposit. So you’ll get that back when you switch to us (less anything you might still owe them on your final bill).

Yes. Enroll with Pogo Energy, make your first payment of $40 to activate your service and any deposit you have with your previous provider should be refunded to you per the requirements of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT).

It should not cost you a thing to switch. If you have a deposit with your current provider you should get that back, too. You may also want to check if they have an early termination fee.

We got you covered. Just enroll with us and we’ll take care of notifying your current provider that you switched to Pogo Energy to save a whole lot of money. There should be no service interruption whatsoever.

After you’ve enrolled and charged up your account to activate service with Pogo Energy, during normal business hours (including Saturday), we should have you up and running the same day.

No. We work directly with your current provider to make sure your electricity stays on through the transition. No glitches or interruptions.

Pogo Energy is the electricity that moves with you. As long as the new place is in our service area, you’re all good – and you keep your current balance through the move. To transfer your service, simply click to chat or call us at 888.764.6669. All we need is the new address, the date for stopping service at the old place and the date for beginning service at the new place. Simple, right?!

For more information, click MOVE for more details.

You bet. During enrollment, you will have the option to enroll immediately or pick a future date to coincide with a move or end of a contract. All you have to do is charge up your account with at least $40 after you enroll. Helpful tip: if you’re moving in to a new home or apartment, you may want to schedule your power to turn on a day early, the TDUs may take all day getting power on to your new location, and we have no control over that. And we agree with you that the TDUs are way to slow and unhelpful in getting your power turned on, so plan ahead and schedule your power-on a day early.

Unfortunately, you can’t (we’d welcome you with open arms but it’s out of our hands). The Texas Public Utility Commission does not allow Critical Care Residential Customers or Chronic Condition Residential Customers to enroll in any pay-as-you-go (prepaid) electricity services.

We provide no contract electricity in Dallas, Ft. Worth, Houston, Corpus Christi, Rio Grande Valley and many other locations throughout Texas. You’ll need a mobile phone and email address so we can message you regarding your account.

Once you’ve enrolled in our month to month pre pay energy plan you’ll need to make a payment of at least $40. No deposit. No credit check. No social security number or driver’s license number. Plus, with Pogo you can cancel at any time. Just charge up your account with as little as $40 and we’ll get your power on today.*

Our goal is to save you money on electricity every month. You can check to see what our electricity price (rate) is in your area.

Absolutely not. Unlike the big guys, Pogo Energy doesn’t require a deposit to get started. In fact, you can get started with as little as $40, without a deposit, annual contract, or credit check. Go to PogoEnergy.com/Enroll to enroll online in as little one minute and start saving today, or you can click to chat or call us at 888.764.6669.

While we can’t guarantee that we’ll never raise rates, our goal is to provide you predictable, reliable service, even without a long-term contract or deposit.

But be aware that summer in Texas means hot weather. That means your air conditioning unit is working harder to keep up. You may hear it chugging along like the little engine that could. Just like people, it could seem a bit sluggish on a 100+ degree day – and add the bonus of humidity, and your AC unit may seem like it needs almost as much relief as you do. This means even though you’re paying the same energy rate, you’ll likely be using twice as much energy in the summer, which means an increase in your total monthly expense (sorry, but we don’t control the weather in Texas!).

Additionally, in an attempt to provide you a rock-bottom energy rate and also provide you predictability, we do have a $1.00 per day base charge.

A Deferred Payment Plan (or DPP) is our no fee, no interest, no credit check payment plan that we establish with you in the event your service balance goes negative (or is about to go negative) and you need a little help making a payment. When you’ve started a DPP with us, two important things will take place.

First, your future payments will be split so that 80% of your payment goes into your service account and 20% goes to pay down your DPP (until your DPP is repaid). And to be clear, we do not charge any fees or interest on your DPP account. This is our way of helping you keep your power on.

Second, when you establish a DPP with us, there will be a switch hold on your account. A “switch hold” means that you may not switch to another electric service provider until your DPP is repaid. As a good neighbor, we’re happy to help keep your power on when you need us to, but we also need to ensure we are repaid the outstanding balance.

To request a DPP, please let Edison help you via chat, just type DPP in your chat window to get started or call us at 888.764.6669 and select Option 4 from the voice menu (you may also call us to establish a new DPP even if you’re currently under a DPP). Visit PogoEnergy.com/legal-privacy for all the terms and conditions relating to our Deferred Payment Plan.

Our customer service hours are Monday thru Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, and Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm Central. If you need to reach us, please click to chat or call us during business hours at 888.764.6669.

Pogo Energy provides electricity without a monthly bill – you pay in advance for electricity as you go. However, sometimes you need proof that you have electricity with us or you just want to see your history of payments and usage. You can download a copy from your Account menu under Usage History, or we can email you an official “Summary of Usage and Payments” (SUP) document for free, or we can print and mail you a SUP for a $5.00 fee. Click to chat or call us during business hours at 888.764.6669 to request a SUP.

We understand that things don’t go always as planned. Click to chat or call us at 888.764.6669 during our business hours and ask about our Deferred Payment Plan (DPP) options. We’ll do our best to help.

If you need additional help, check out local Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP), a federal program designed to aid in paying the electricity bill.

Welcome to Pogo and a better way to consume your electricity… finally! Pay-as-you-go energy with Pogo works a little differently than the old guys (the old guys are postpaid, monthly bills with ‘Surprise, you used this much electricity this month, now pay up or get hit with late payment fees, disconnect or reconnect charges, or both, and other hidden fees’ – in other words, tons of BS (bill shock). That’s so not Pogo! We’ve got your back and help you save $$$, while you save the world with 100% clean, renewable energy – just like the superhero you are!

As a Pogo customer, you get the benefits of no deposit, no contracts, no surprises, no hassles and no ‘gotcha’ fees. If you enroll with autopay you can start for just $60. If autopay isn’t for you, you can sign up for as little as $40 and still get all of the same great benefits. You control your budget and can pay as much or as little as you need. Pogo tells you how much electricity you’re using each day. From your dashboard, you’ll also know how much electricity you’ve used and how much you have left.

Welcome to the Pogo community and congrats on giving your old energy company the finger!

While we hate to see you go, you have absolutely no long-term commitments with us. If you switch to another electricity provider, they will notify us, and your service will transfer to them automatically. Plus, we’ll return all your unused funds back to you (unless we need to print and mail you a check, then we will deduct $5.00 for handling and postage).

In the event of an electricity-related emergency, such as a power outage, or in the event of problems related to the Transmission & Distribution Utility (TDU), please contact your TDU.
-Oncor (DFW and West Texas): 888.313.4747
-CenterPoint (Houston and surrounding areas): 800.332.7143
-AEP Central (CP&L Area): 866.223.8508
-AEP North (WTU Area): 866.223.8508
-TNMP (Texas-New Mexico Power): 888.866.7456

There are no surprise bills at the end of the month with Pogo Energy – in fact there are no bills at all. You can always check your current service balance and estimated number of days of power remaining at PogoEnergy.com/MyAccount. For a Summary of Usage and Payments (SUP), click to chat or call us at 888.764.6669 and we can email a SUP to you for free, or we can print and post an SUP to you for a small fee.

A switch hold may be placed on a your account when you have agreed to the terms of a Deferred Payment Plan with Pogo Energy (or your current electricity provider). If you feel that a switch hold has been placed on your account by mistake, please click to chat or call us at 888.764.6669.

If you are experiencing switch hold issues during enrollment, it’s possible the previous occupant left without clearing outstanding debt. To remove the switch hold, you will need to show proof of occupancy so that the TDU or the previous REP will agree to remove the switch hold so you can continue enrollment. For more information, please visit Switch Hold Release.

While Pogo Energy provides your electricity service, we do not generate electricity nor do we manage the extensive network (or power grid) that distributes the electricity to your home. This distribution is the responsibility of the TDU, and they are responsible for power outages and repairs. We also pass through all the TDU charges without markup. This can be up to 50% of your monthly spend – it’s not us, really, it’s them. If you have have active service with us and are experiencing a power outage, you should contact your TDU. A list of TDUs and their contact information can be found on our Contact Us page.

Pogo provides you with SMS keywords that help you get the information you want easily and quickly. Just text our short code at 24197 to get started. Here’s the list of keywords and descriptions.

BAL – balance request
LAST – last recharge amount
DPP – request Deferred Payment Plan through Edison, our virtual agent
OUTAGE – information on reporting a power outage
BARCODE – sends you your ACH barcode (for security reasons, your barcode is refreshed periodically. if you have difficulty using a barcode to make a payment, please request a new and retry.)
RECHARGE – options on how to recharge your account
ASSIST – provides info to auto response SMS keywords
MOVE – info on how to take Pogo with you when you move
SWITCH HOLD – explanation and process for switch hold
HOLIDAY – explanation of how things work on a holiday
START – subscribe to SMS notification
STOP – unsubscribe to marketing SMS notifications

Yes. If you are moving you can take Pogo with you as long as your new place is in our service area. Your current balance will transfer over with you to your new home. To transfer your service, simply click to chat or call us at 888–764–6669. All we need is the new address, the date for stopping service at the old place and the date for beginning service at the new place. Simple, right?!
For more information, simply click MOVE for more details.

The ESI ID is a unique number that identifies your electric service location. If you are experiencing ESI ID hold issues during enrollment, it’s possible the previous occupant left without clearing outstanding debt. To remove the ESI ID hold, you will need to show proof of occupancy so that the ESI ID hold can be removed and you can continue enrollment. For more information, please click here.

While Pogo Energy does not provide direct assistance, Congress boosted funding for the LIHEAP energy assistance program by more than 7% nationwide which provided an energy assistance allotment for Texas of $152 million in 2018. As all of us Texans experience higher bills during the summer season, these LIHEAP funds could provide critical assistance.

If you’re a Texan in need of electricity assistance, we encourage you to call 877.399.8939 and talk with a CEAP administrator for your area. Prepaid energy services as well as postpaid energy services are eligible for this assistance.

Additionally at Pogo, we do have deferred payment programs in the event your account balance goes negative and you need a way to pay it back over time. Please let Edison help you via chat, just type DPP in your chat window to get started or call us at 888.764.6669 and select option 4 from the voice menu. You may also call us to establish a new DPP even if you’re currently on a DPP. Click here for all the terms and conditions relating to our Deferred Payment Plan.

And we also accept payments from local charity and support groups on your behalf. Ask them to contact us at [email protected] to get started.

There are several options to choose from for making a payment to Pogo Energy – and most of them have no payment fees. The most convenient way to pay is online, 24 x 7 x 365, at PogoEnergy.com/Recharge or over the phone at 888.764.6669. Both of these payment options are free. You can also pay in person with cash at many locations near you. Visit PogoEnergy.com/Locations to find the nearest Pogo Energy authorized payment location to you. These locations typically charge a cash handling fee, and these fees (and their hours of operation) vary by location.

Certainly not. It’s not right that the big guys hit you with hidden fees – so we don’t charge you a fee just because you paid a little late, were disconnected or are trying to reconnect service. It’s our privilege to have you as a customer, and we hate fees as much as you do.

Yes. We’re always happy to receive a payment and restore your power. Please note, you only have five days to make a payment once your service has been suspended. After five days your service is permanently disconnected.

First of all, we don’t charge any disconnect, reconnect or late payment fees for our prepaid energy services. Second, even if your account balance goes negative, as long as you pay us before you’re disconnected, you only need to pay enough to get your balance back above zero. In fact, even if your service is temporarily disconnected due to non-payment, then you only need to charge up your account to get your balance above $0. I know this makes sense – and that’s why we do it.

If you have been disconnected for non-payment, simply charge up your account to get your balance above $0. After that, your service should be restored in under two hours, 24 x 7 x 365. We’ll send you a text message as soon as we reconnect your power.

We don’t charge a fee when you add money to your account if you charge up with $40 or more. You can charge up on our website, PogoEnergy.com/Recharge, and over the telephone when you call us at 888.764.6669. We accept all major debit and credit cards, and you can recharge your Pogo account anytime 24 x 7 x 365. We do have a $2 transaction charge for recharges of less than $40 as some banks charge us up to 30% of the total transaction when smaller recharges are made.

We’re fully committed to keeping your energy costs low, and we can cover the bank’s transaction charges when you recharge your account with $40 or more, but the banks crush us when you charge up with less than $40. We hate fees and extra charges as much as you do, that’s why we’re trying to strike a balance between low energy rates and absorbing all the transaction charges where practical.

We also accept cash at thousands of locations throughout Texas, but full disclosure these authorized payment locations charge a cash handling fee, usually $2, but these fees can vary by location. FWIW, we’re not involved with fees at these locations, and we certainly don’t “double dip” by charging you any fees on top of their fees, regardless of the amount you’re adding to your account.

Please note that if you’re on a DPP, some of the money you use to recharge your account (typically 20% of your recharge amount) is used to pay down your DPP balance. We figure the best way to help you out is for you to pay us back a little at a time when you’re able to make a charge up instead of forcing you to pay extra on a fixed schedule. There are no fees associated with a DPP, this is just how you pay us back.

At the risk of being annoying, we’ll send you a text (or email) before your balance hits $0, and we will definitely let you know if your balance gets to $0 (or lower). We don’t want to disconnect your power any more that you want us to, so we’ll send one last alert two hours before your service is scheduled for disconnect. This way, you will still have a couple of hours to recharge your account – we know how busy you can get (and we all procrastinate). If you need a little help to keep your power on, let us know and we can likely add funds to your account. You can pay us back over time with our Deferred Payment Plan option. Lastly, you’ll always receive a text (or email) receipt for all of your charge ups, so you’ll have a record of what’s going on.

You have questions, we have answers. A Transmission and Distribution Utility, (TDU) is the company that transmits and distributes electricity to your home from power generators. TDUs manage “The Grid” of wires and poles. They’re the ones who get in those buckets on a crane and fix high voltage stuff the rest of us want no part of. So, while many companies provide your electricity service, only the TDUs are allowed to manage the poles, wires and other high-voltage stuff that distributes electricity from the power generators to your home.

That’s the TDU, and that’s how we backup our claim that you get the same power from us as you do from the “big guys” – we all get it from the same generators and delivered to your home by the same TDUs. Plus, if there’s ever a power outage in your area or repairs are needed, the TDU handles it. And because they’re transmitting and delivering all this power to your home, they charge a fee, two fees actually: a monthly TDU Charge and a per kWh (usage) TDU Charge. We simply pass those charges through to you without markup. These charges can be up to 40% or more of your monthly energy expense. Of course we don’t like them any more than you do, but the TDU is kind-of important as they connect your home to the power grid, and they manage all the high voltage wires and repairs.

TDU charges are the costs your local TDU charges to get electricity to your home and take care of the power network (the grid). Your TDU manages the high voltage wires as well as the meter for your home, storm restoration, and lots more. These charges are approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and get passed through to you with no markup by us. TDU charges apply to all residential customers serviced by the TDU. It does not matter who their provider is. For more details on your TDU charges, chat with or call us and ask for a Statement of Usage and Payments (call it a “SUP” and we’ll know what you’re looking for).

Yes. TDU charges can change — not very often — but never say never. It is something we do not have control over.

There are two different TDU charges: monthly and usage. We pass through the monthly charges on a daily basis, and then do a true-up for months that aren’t 30 days (you know, like January, February, March, etc.). We also pass through the usage charges each day based on your actual usage (in kilowatt hours, aka kWh).

For a full breakdown of all the TDU charge components here’s a useful summary of the current TDU charges. Note also that TDUs serve specific areas within Texas. Generally, ONCOR serves the Dallas/Ft. Worth area (DFW) and parts of central/west Texas; CenterPoint Energy serves the Houston area; AEP Texas Central generally service Corpus Christi and the Rio Grande Valley; and AEP Texas North serves parts of north and central Texas.

The new ERCOT Winter Storm Uri Charge is a fee that ERCOT is implementing to collect the money that they billed to electric companies that have gone out of business due to the February 2021 storm, thus leaving an unpaid balance. ERCOT is passing on the unpaid charges (the debt) to all Texas retail electric providers who remain in business and to their customers.

In February 2021, the extreme temperatures of Winter Storm Uri caused a surge in the demand for electricity across Texas.
ERCOT kept the price of electricity at $9,000 per megawatt-hour in place throughout the demand causing companies to accrue astronomical costs. The unprecedented cost triggered a series of financial defaults for power companies across the Texas electricity market and many of those companies ended up going out of business as they were unable to pay ERCOT.
To address the financial defaults the Texas Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 4492 in June 2021. HB 4492 added Subchapters M and N to Chapter 39 of the Public Utility Regulatory Act (PURA) and granted authority to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to approve two debt financing mechanisms. One of which is the “ERCOT Winter Storm Uri Charge” that is passed on to Texas customers.

We believe that all energy providers and customers in the state of Texas are being made to pay ERCOT additional money to cover their loss. If you would like further information about Subchapters M and N to Chapter 39 of the Public Utility Regulatory Act, read about it on ERCOT’s website.