Buy ESCOM units
Every way ESCOM says you can buy prepaid electricity units, how to type the 20-digit token into your meter, and what to do when a token fails or never arrives.
- Airtel Money · Mpamba
- Token history: 90 days
- Faults: 2020 / 3030
Quick answer: ESCOM sells prepaid units through Airtel Money, TNM Mpamba, banks, ESCOM service centres and Puma filling station agents. Pay with your meter number, then type the 20-digit token into the meter. Lost the token? Get it back on ESCOM’s token page or app. Still stuck? Call toll free 2020 (Blantyre and East) or 3030 (Lilongwe, Mzuzu and the North).
Where to buy ESCOM units
These are the five channels ESCOM lists in its FAQ. Tap one for the steps.
Buy ESCOM units with Airtel Money
Have your meter number ready
It is the number on your prepaid meter, and it is printed on every token receipt you have had before. Units go to the meter number you give, so check it twice.
Pay for the units
Pay ESCOM from your Airtel Money menu or app. ESCOM names Airtel Money as a selling channel but does not publish the menu path or a short code for it, so check with ESCOM or Airtel if you cannot find the ESCOM option.
Get your 20-digit token
You get a receipt or notification SMS with a 20-digit token. Keep it until the units show on your meter. Then type it in (see entering the token).
Buy ESCOM units with TNM Mpamba
Have your meter number ready
It is the number on your prepaid meter, and it is printed on every token receipt you have had before. Units go to the meter number you give, so check it twice.
Pay for the units
Pay ESCOM from your Mpamba menu. ESCOM lists TNM Mpamba as a selling channel but does not publish the steps or a code, so check with ESCOM or TNM if the ESCOM option is not where you expect.
Get your 20-digit token
You get a receipt or notification SMS with a 20-digit token. Keep it until the units show on your meter. Then type it in (see entering the token).
Mobile money fees. ESCOM does not publish a charge for buying units this way. To compare what Airtel Money and Mpamba charge in general, see our mobile money fees guide.
Buy ESCOM units through your bank
ESCOM says banks sell prepaid units and that tokens come from bank accounts too. It does not say which banks, or whether through an app, USSD or a branch.
Have your meter number ready
It is the number on your prepaid meter, and it is printed on every token receipt you have had before. Units go to the meter number you give, so check it twice.
Pay for the units
Look for ESCOM or electricity under bill payments in your bank’s app, USSD menu or internet banking. In a 2019 Facebook notice ESCOM named Mo626 (National Bank), FMB Mobile (now First Capital Bank), NBS Eazy Mobile and FDH Mobile; names may have changed since, so if you cannot find it, ask your bank.
Get your 20-digit token
You get a receipt or notification SMS with a 20-digit token. Keep it until the units show on your meter. Then type it in (see entering the token).
No bank account yet? Our banks in Malawi guide compares all 8 banks and what you need to open an account.
Buy at an ESCOM service centre
ESCOM has customer service offices across all regions (full list). Take your meter number.
Most offices are open 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. In Lilongwe (Magetsi House and Game Complex) and Mzuzu (Mpico House) the list also gives 8am to 12 noon on Saturday. The list was last updated in December 2023, so call ahead before a long trip.
- Southern Region
- 0111 822 000 / 0111 830 336
- Central Region
- 0999 970 241 / 0999 970 242
- Northern Region
- 0111 612 011
- Blantyre offices
- Limbe Aram Mall, Puma Office (Independence Drive), Chichiri Shopping Mall
Buy at Puma filling stations
ESCOM’s FAQ lists Puma filling station agents. An older ESCOM page also names Chipuku shops.
Have your meter number ready
It is the number on your prepaid meter, and it is printed on every token receipt you have had before. Units go to the meter number you give, so check it twice.
Pay for the units
Give the agent your meter number and pay. ESCOM does not publish which stations or shops sell units (its ‘selling points’ page was offline when we checked in October 2026), so ask at the counter or check with ESCOM.
Get your 20-digit token
You get a receipt or notification SMS with a 20-digit token. Keep it until the units show on your meter. Then type it in (see entering the token).
How to enter the 20-digit token
ESCOM’s prepaid meters use a standard secure token (STS): every token is 20 digits with a built-in security code.
Type all 20 digits
Key in the token exactly as it is on your receipt or SMS, on the meter’s keypad. ESCOM does not publish keypad steps for each meter model; if your meter does not accept it, check with ESCOM.
Got more than one token? Keep the order
Sometimes a receipt has key change tokens before the units token (ESCOM sent these during its 2023 to 2024 meter upgrade). Load any units you bought earlier first, then enter the key change tokens in the order on the receipt, then the units token. ESCOM warns that units bought before a key change are rejected if you enter them after it.
Keep the receipt
The receipt shows the units (kWh) you bought and your meter’s KRN. You need both if you call ESCOM.
Check your KRN. At the bottom of any token receipt, the line SGC/TI/KRN ends in a number. KRN2 means your meter was upgraded; KRN1 means it was not and will not accept new tokens, so contact ESCOM straight away (ESCOM notice). You can also enter your meter number on ESCOM’s meter status page.
Token not working or did not arrive
Work down this list. Every number here is from escom.mw.
Lost the SMS? Get the token back
On ESCOM’s Retrieve Prepaid Tokens page, enter your meter number and a date range within the last 90 days, then tap Search. It lists each token with the date, amount and units, and a PDF receipt.
No data? Dial *2020# and choose 6 to look up your tokens (ESCOM’s steps on its Facebook page). The ESCOM app on Google Play also retrieves tokens, and so can the WhatsApp chatbot on 0886 302 774. (ESCOM’s iPhone App Store link was not working when we checked in October 2026.)
Meter rejects the token? Check the meter
Make sure the meter number on the receipt is yours and that you typed all 20 digits. Then check the KRN on the receipt (above). In November 2024 ESCOM said meters starting 3711, 3712 or 37132 had not been upgraded and needed attention; if yours starts with one of these, contact ESCOM.
Paid but no token? Contact ESCOM
ESCOM does not publish a separate process for a payment that gave no token, so contact ESCOM and the channel you paid with. Have the meter number, the amount, the date and time, and the mobile money or bank reference ready.
ESCOM contacts
- Toll free: 2020 for Blantyre and the Eastern Region, 3030 for Lilongwe, Mzuzu, Karonga, Salima, Dwangwa and Nkhotakota (ESCOM’s Facebook page, October 2026). The website gives 2020 for the South and 3030 for the Centre and North.
- WhatsApp only: Central 0887 386 338, Northern 0888 866 182, Southern 0887 030 605, chatbot 0886 302 774.
- Email: [email protected].
- Meter upgrade (KRN) helplines, published November 2024: Northern 0884 932 455, Central 0885 730 425, Southern 0889 764 780, Eastern 0889 641 153.
- Walk in: any ESCOM service centre.
ESCOM’s contact page also has a form that asks for your account or meter number.
How many units your money buys
From ESCOM’s tariffs page, rates in effect from 1 February 2025, in kwacha per kWh (one unit). Prepaid meters have no fixed monthly charge.
Homes with a single phase prepaid meter are on ET1: the first 50 units in a month are cheaper than the rest. Your receipt shows how your payment was split, including tax, and the units (kWh) it bought.
- ET1 home, first 50 kWh
- K79.90 per kWh
- ET1 home, above 50 kWh
- K122.25 per kWh
- ET3 home, three phase
- K173.45 per kWh
- ET5 business, single phase
- K253.35 per kWh
- ET7 business, three phase
- K284.15 per kWh
Apps, WhatsApp and official pages
USSD *2020#. On any phone without data: dial *2020# and choose 6 to look up your tokens, as ESCOM shows on its Facebook page. ESCOM does not say whether the menu also sells units, so check with ESCOM before relying on it.
ESCOM units FAQ
Where can I buy ESCOM units?
At ESCOM service centres, banks, Airtel Money, TNM Mpamba and Puma filling station agents. That is ESCOM’s own list.
How do I buy ESCOM units with Airtel Money?
Pay ESCOM from your Airtel Money menu with your meter number, and you get a 20-digit token by SMS. ESCOM does not publish the exact menu path, so check with ESCOM or Airtel if you cannot find it.
How do I buy ESCOM units with Mpamba?
The same way: pay ESCOM from the Mpamba menu with your meter number and wait for the token. For the exact steps, check with ESCOM or TNM.
I lost my token SMS. Can I get it again?
Yes. Use ESCOM’s token page with your meter number (last 90 days), USSD *2020# then 6, the ESCOM app, or the WhatsApp chatbot on 0886 302 774.
Why does my meter reject the token?
Check the meter number and all 20 digits first. If your receipt says KRN1, your meter was not upgraded and will not accept new tokens: contact ESCOM. If you have key change tokens, enter them in the order on the receipt.
How much is one ESCOM unit?
For homes on ET1 prepaid, K79.90 per kWh for the first 50 units in a month and K122.25 above that (ESCOM tariff from 1 February 2025).
What is the ESCOM toll free number?
2020 for Blantyre and the Eastern Region, 3030 for Lilongwe, Mzuzu, Karonga, Salima, Dwangwa and Nkhotakota. Email [email protected].
Someone offers cheap units or a meter bypass. What do I do?
Do not buy. ESCOM asks people to report vandalism, illegal connections and meter bypasses to the police, an ESCOM office, or 847 on TNM and Airtel.
Related guides
GuideFuel pricesMERA petrol, diesel, paraffin
GuideESCOM new connectionSteps, documents and costs
GuideReport an ESCOM fault2020, 3030, WhatsApp and district numbers
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GuideMobile money feesAirtel Money and Mpamba charges
GuideBanks in MalawiOpen an account, all 8 banksSources: FAQ, Retrieve Prepaid Tokens, meter status, contact, service centres, fault reporting centres and tariffs pages on escom.mw, ESCOM’s TID meter upgrade announcement (16 May 2023) and its KRN notices (12 and 13 November 2024). Checked October 2026. Channels and contacts change; check with ESCOM.
