What is SmoothPay?

People generally use more electricity in the hottest or coldest months as they try to cool and heat their homes. With Amber the price of electricity can also fluctuate month to month, or trend higher in Winter when there is less cheap renewable solar energy in the grid.

This means your electricity bills with Amber can vary month to month, and seasonally. With SmoothPay you choose a fixed amount to pay towards your energy bills each month. During the times of the year when your bills are lower than the fixed amount you’ve chosen, the difference will go towards building your SmoothPay balance. Then you can use this balance to cover the extra costs when your bills are higher than usual.

How to opt in to SmoothPay?

To opt in, head to the 'Bills' section of the Amber app, tap 'Payment options' in the top right hand corner, and follow the instructions under 'Set up SmoothPay'

Why am I not eligible for SmoothPay?

If you are on a payment plan, have direct debit turned off, or your average daily cost is below 0, you are not eligible for SmoothPay.

Why is my suggested payment so high?

We may suggest a SmoothPay amount to minimise your need to top-up your monthly amount during months with traditionally higher bills.

This means the suggested monthly amount might work out to be a bit more expensive over the course of a year than your estimated bill, so you build credit to avoid those higher seasonal bills!

Furthermore, if you’re setting up SmoothPay in the month or two before we forecast a jump in your bills (for example, starting in May right before you get your seasonally higher winter bills) we may suggest a higher total, so that you don’t need to make any top-up payments in the first couple of months on SmoothPay

You can always review and change your monthly SmoothPay amount in the future.

What is a Top-up Payment?

If your regular SmoothPay payment plus your saved SmoothPay balance is not high enough to cover a bill, you will be required to make a Top-up payment to bring your account back to $0 balance. In this case your account will be debited on the bill due date the remaining amount you owe to bring your account to $0 balance. We will send you an email when this happens, letting you know the top-up amount and due date.

For example, if you pay $100 every month with SmoothPay, and have a balance of $20. If you get issued a $150 bill, your account will be debited a Top-up payment of $30 on your Bill Due Date.

What happens if I miss a payment?

If you miss a SmoothPay payment, or the direct debit fails, you can either top up your account using BPAY for your nominated amount,
Or,
You account will be debited the value of your invoice on the due date as a top-up payment (see above)

What if my annual bill ends up being less than what I have paid?

If your account credit is growing, it might also be a good time to review your SmoothPay amount.

You will be able to roll your account into your next bill. If you would like you refund your credits to you bank account, you can contact support by following this process How do I refund credits to my bank account.

I can't select the date I want for SmoothPay

The dates shown are based on your expected billing cycle so that your SmoothPay payments successfully clear before each of your bills are issued.