Collect Free Basic Electricity only after the household is approved and the correct meter is configured. A collection code requests a benefit already assigned to an eligible account. It does not make an unregistered household eligible or create unlimited free electricity.
Confirm the three records first
- Ask the municipality whether the household's indigent/FBE registration is active.
- Confirm the complete electricity meter/account linked to that approval.
- Ask the supplier how the current month's benefit is delivered: token, automatic loading or account credit.
Start with the municipality chooser if you have not applied. A landlord's approval, a previous occupant's receipt and your current submeter can describe different records. Resolve that mismatch with the authority and administrator before attempting collection.
Eskom's published collection codes
Eskom's FBE guidance lists *130*869# and *130*269#. Use a supported channel for the eligible configured meter. The page also describes collection through a vendor and says a qualifying household can claim without buying additional electricity.
Read the current prompts, select the intended meter and preserve the result. If a channel is unsupported or returns no benefit, do not interpret that alone as a refusal of the household's application. Check registration status, meter configuration, benefit month and previous collection.
Municipal and bank collection routes differ
Some suppliers load support automatically or credit a conventional account. Others issue a token through supported vending or banking channels. The relevant municipality's approval and the supplier's configuration still govern access; a bank's “claim FBE” button is not an eligibility assessment.
For example, the eThekwini guide explains its published automatic-loading guidance, while the Cape Town guide distinguishes the household's tariff and benefit. Follow the process for the actual account rather than copying a code from a different city.
Collect monthly and check validity
Eskom's page says unclaimed benefits do not accumulate and describes monthly collection and token-validity restrictions. Do not store an FBE token for a future month on the assumption that it behaves exactly like a paid credit token. Confirm the issuer's current rules and the benefit period.
One household's entitlement is not multiplied by claiming from different municipalities or channels. Keep the confirmation and ask the responsible supplier to trace a result that says already claimed when you cannot account for it.
Load and record the result
Compare the meter number before entering a token. Follow any issuer-provided sequence and wait for acceptance. An accepted token and a later remaining balance differ because electricity may have been consumed. Use the model-specific balance guide to read credit where supported.
If a token is rejected, record the exact message and use the token decision guide. Repeating collection will not necessarily fix a communication fault, key-change issue or wrong-meter token.
Ask a precise support question
Provide the application/approval reference, meter identifier, benefit month, collection time and exact returned message through the authority's private support route. Ask whether the problem is eligibility, supplier configuration, prior collection or token acceptance, and which team owns the next action.
Collection questions
Must I pay for electricity to get FBE?
Eskom says eligible households can claim without a paid purchase. Confirm the supported collection route for your supplier.
Can SIMcloud approve me?
No. Use the municipality's official application process and the supplier's collection process.
Official source reviewed 1 November 2026. No application or token request is submitted from this article.