How to pay electric bill in Thailand

Question

I got my first electric bill

I am used to get bank account number I need to pay into with my bill. I then usually can go and pay online, however I couldn't find any bank numbers on the slip...

How does one pay electric bill in Thailand?

Answer 1

I apologize for an extended quotation, but there's really little to add to what this article says. I've just highlighted the most outstanding details:

By far the easiest way to pay an electric bill in Thailand is to go to your local 7-Eleven or Tesco Lotus Express, which can be found on practically every town block.
Make sure to bring the original bill with you and go to any register.
The cashier will scan it and ring it up separately from any other purchases you may have. There will be a small convenience fee added to the bill (we’re talking only a few baht) and then the cashier will staple a receipt to the original bill for you to keep after you’ve paid it.

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Alternatively, you can pay the electric company directly at one of their offices.

You may find PEA office locations in your area

…which are easily recognized by the buildings’ white and purple exterior.

If you pay here, there’s a good chance that there will be a bit longer wait than if you were to pay at your local 7-Eleven or Tesco Lotus Express. It’s simply because these offices handle more than just monthly payments. On the plus side, you won’t be charged a convenience fee.

When you first walk inside one of the PEA offices, you should spot either a number-generating kiosk or a little table or podium with paper slips in numerical order. Grab a number and take a seat. Big offices are usually equipped with an announcing system and number display board (similar to the DMV), so all you have to do is wait for your number and respective counter number to be called.

Bring with you your original bill and the cash to the counter. You won’t have to say a word to the cashier. Just pass everything over and in less than a minute the cashier will return the bill along with a payment receipt and any change.

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Also, make sure your payment doesn't go overdue. From the same article:

You’ll have ten days to pay your PEA electric bill after it’s been issued. The payment period (not just a single date) is listed at the bottom right hand corner of the receipt in the format:

DD-DD  MM YYYY     or    DD MM-DD MM YYYY

In your sample bill, 08 ก.พ. 2560 stands for 08/Feb/2017.

Answer 2

I have my electric bills automatically withdrawn by MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Agency) from my bank account at Bangkok Bank. This has the advantage that I can never forget to pay my MEA bills, even while I am out if the country.

While this is common in my country (Germany), here in Thailand only authorities may do that. And install it is quite complicated: you have to go to MEA and tell them that you want to have the money withdrwan from your bank account (ผม/ฉันอยากให้ MEA หักเงินราคาไฟจากบัญชีของผมครับ/ฉันค่ะ). They will give a paper document which you have to have sighed by your bank and then bring it back to MEA.

I do live in Northaburi which is Covered by MEA. I do not know whether other electricity suppliers in other cities do money withdrawal too.