Power bills aren’t exactly a bundle of fun at the best of times, but thanks to COVID-19 and the uncertainty that’s tagging along on the back of it, in the coming months it’s likely lots of Kiwis will feel the pinch when it comes to paying their power bills.

We know it’s super stressful, especially if you own a small business or are working in an industry that’s likely to be (or is already) heavily impacted.

How can we help? Well, one tool in the Flick armoury that we reckon you might find useful is Volt. This nifty little bill-smoother helps you to build up credit on your account that can be used when your power bills are a bit higher than normal or when money’s looking tight.

So, how does it work?

By paying slightly more than your typical weekly, fortnightly or monthly bill, you’ll be stashing money away in your Volt so that when you have a bill that’s higher than normal you can automatically dip into your Volt to help pay for it. And because you’re paying a regular amount on a regular basis, it’s nice and easy to manage your household budget.

How do I use it?

To set up your Volt, head into your dashboard, click the ‘Volt’ tab at the top of your screen and then click the ‘Set up your Volt’ button.

From there, it’s pretty simple. You simply need to decide how much you want to pay each bill (aka the ‘Minimum payment’), and when you want us to use money from your Volt to help pay your bill.

What amounts should I choose?

As a guide, it’s a good idea to set the ‘Minimum payment’ around 20% higher than your typical weekly bill. That way, any money that’s left over from your payment amount – once it’s covered your weekly bill – will be put into your Volt.

The amount you add under ‘When to use Volt’ is the threshold that’ll notify us to take money from your Volt. So, when you get a bill higher than this amount, we’ll use your Volt to pay anything over that.

There are a couple of ways you can think about using Volt:

If you’d like to pay the same amount for bills throughout the year? Set it to match your minimum payment amount. Just make sure enough is going into your Volt to cover any higher bills, otherwise your payments may still vary.

If you’d like to use your Volt only for the most expensive bills, we’d recommend making it about double your average bill cost. Bills that cost less, but are above your minimum payment amount, will be paid as normal.

How will it work with my bills?

When you get your bill, one of three scenarios will play out:

• If it costs less than what you’ve set to pay each bill, the difference goes into your Volt.
• If it’s more, we take the full amount.
• If it’s over the amount you’ve set for when to use money from your Volt, we use your Volt balance to pay the difference.

What if I have a high bill and don’t have enough in my Volt?

No problemo. We’ll empty your Volt to cover it, and any outstanding balance will be deducted from your bank account or credit card. Simple!

Can I get my money back?

Of course. If you want to request a refund of the credit in your Volt, call us on 0800 4FLICK or flick us an email at hello@flickelectric.co.nz. We’ll check out your debt balance, the timing of upcoming bills and how much is in there, and make a plan with you to get it sorted. Check out the Terms & Conditions of Volt for more details.

Can I change my settings or close my Volt?

For sure. Like everything with us, you have the power. That means you can open, pause or close your Volt at any time. And you can change your amounts from week to week easily in your app and dashboard. You’re the boss!