No Deposit Lights Today: 3 Companies That Turn You On Same-Day

If your lights are off, or about to be cut off, and you cannot make a deposit, you can have lights on at your address by tonight. Three Texas light companies handle this every day. No credit check, no Social Security number, no deposit. You will pay between $40 and $75 to start, and you can be on the phone in the next ten minutes.

This guide is the playbook. It assumes you need lights on today, you cannot wait for credit approval, and you cannot put $200 to $400 on a deposit. If that is your situation, here is exactly what to do.

The three companies that turn lights on today, no deposit

Each one is a Texas prepaid light company. Prepaid means you pay before you use, the way you pay before you fill your gas tank. There is no credit check because there is no credit being extended. You put money on your account, the meter draws from it, and when the balance gets low you add more.

Payless Power. Call 1-888-963-9363. Minimum to start is $40. Same-day connection if you call before 5pm Central Time on a weekday, or before 1pm on Saturday. They serve Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP, and TNMP territory.

Acacia Energy. Call 1-877-997-2946. Minimum to start is $50. Same-day connection before 5pm Central, Monday through Friday. Acacia also has a Spanish line at the same number.

First Choice Power. Call 1-866-258-1148. Minimum to start is $75. Same-day connection before 4pm Central. First Choice has a slightly higher starting cost but also a slightly lower rate per kWh once you are on.

Call the one that lines up with your money and your timing. If one cannot do same-day for your address, the next one might.

What you need ready before you call

Put these in front of you so you can answer their questions fast. The whole call takes about 15 minutes if you are ready.

• The full service address, including apartment or unit number.
• The ESI ID for the meter at that address. This is a 17 to 22 character number that identifies your specific meter. If you have a prior light bill from that address, it is on the bill. If not, the light company can look it up by address.
• A government-issued photo ID. Your Texas driver license or state ID. Some companies will also take a passport.
• A working phone number. They will text you a confirmation and the meter restoration window.
• A debit card, credit card, or prepaid card with at least the minimum amount on it. If you do not have a card, you can pay cash at 7-Eleven, Family Dollar, Walmart, ACE Cash Express, or any MoneyGram or Western Union location, and tell the agent on the phone which retailer you used.

That is everything. If you have all five, the call is straightforward.

If your lights got cut off already

Same answer. Call one of the three numbers above. When the new light company submits the connection order, the TDU (the company that owns the wires, Oncor or CenterPoint or AEP or TNMP) gets a same-day priority order. As long as the order goes in before the cutoff time (4 to 5pm depending on company), the TDU restores power that evening, usually between 6pm and 10pm.

You do not need to call the company that cut you off. You do not need to settle the old balance to get new service. The new prepaid light company starts you fresh.

If you owe a different light company

Your old balance does not block you. The three companies above do not run credit checks and do not query whether you owe another light company. They cannot see it. Get the new lights on, then deal with the old balance when you can.

If the old balance is large enough to be in collections, eventually it will show up on your credit report. That is a separate problem to handle on a separate day. Right now, you need lights.

What you give up with prepaid

The rate per kWh on prepaid lights is higher than on a normal postpaid plan. Expect to pay 13¢ to 17¢ per kWh on prepaid, compared to 10¢ to 12¢ on a fixed-rate postpaid plan. On a 1,000 kWh month, that is about $30 to $50 more per month.

That is the cost of skipping the deposit, the credit check, and the wait. For most people in a crisis, the math is fine. You can switch to a postpaid plan later, once you have built six months of on-time payments and can pass a credit check or pay a deposit.

If you cannot get to a phone right now

Each company also has online signup. Search the company name in your browser, look for “Sign Up” or “Get Started.” You can complete the entire enrollment online, including payment, in about 10 minutes. Same-day connection cutoffs still apply.

If none of the three work for your address

It is rare, but it happens. If you call all three and none can connect by tonight, ask each of them for the next-day connection window. Most of the time the next morning is available. You will spend one night without lights and the rest of the month with them on.

Get on the phone. The lights can be on tonight.