TID Rollover 2024: What You Need to Know

Corné Lindeque - 31 October 2024

South Africa’s prepaid electricity meter Token Identifier (TID) Rollover is a hot talking point all across the country at the moment, and with good reason.

As South Africa’s dedicated online electricity partner, Prepaid24 wants to help you cut through the noise and get a proper understanding of what the TID Rollover is, what it means for you, and what you need to be concerned about (or not).

We’ve done the research and compiled the answers so that you don’t have to.

What is the TID rollover?

The TID rollover is a mandatory update for STS-compliant prepaid electricity meters all across the world, including South Africa.

The current token system (Standard Transfer Specification, or STS), which was initiated in 1993, will reach its sequence limit by 24 November 2024, after which tokens will be generated on a new sequence. This was always part of the system’s design and is not the result of a glitch or mistake on anyone’s part.

However, unless a prepaid meter has its Key Revision Number (KRN) updated, it will not be able to accept tokens generated on the new sequence, meaning that it cannot be recharged with more credit.

Thus, to prevent service disruptions, all prepaid meters must be updated before this deadline to ensure purchase tokens continue to work.

This update is done by entering two key change tokens into the meter, which then reprogram the meter from KRN1 onto KRN2. These tokens can only be issued by the municipality or electricity supplier under which the specific meter falls.

How to know whether your meter has been updated?

To continue accepting recharge tokens after 24 November 2024, every STS-compliant prepaid meter needs to have it’s Key Revision Number changed from KRN1 to KRN2.

The easiest way of knowing whether your meter has already been updated to KRN2 is to check your latest electricity slip.

Here’s an example of a purchase slip for a City of Cape Town client issued through Prepaid24 on 29 October 2024:

As can be seen on the above slip screenshot, the meter’s KRN shows as “2”, indicating that the meter has already been updated.

If this still displayed “1”, that would mean that the meter still needed to be updated.

Eskom-Direct Users

If your prepaid electricity meter is supplied directly by Eskom, you can check whether your meter is on KRN1 or KRN2 by entering the below code on your meter's keypad:

1844 6744 0738 4377 2416

If you see the number 1, your meter is still on KRN1 and needs to be updated to KRN2.
If you see the number 2, your meter is already updated to KRN2 and no further action is needed.

Feel free to visit Eskom’s Key Revision Number Rollover page for more Eskom-specific information.

Prepaid24 Is Here to Help

If you’re struggling to figure out whether your meter has already been updated, feel free to make a R20 test purchase through Prepaid24 or send your latest electricity to our online support team.

Our electricity experts are available from 7 am – 11 pm, 365 days a year. We’ll be more than happy to assist you and advise you on the next steps you need to take.

If your meter is already updated…

If you’ve checked your slip and have confirmed that your meter has already been moved over to KRN2, you do not have anything further to worry about.

From now on, all your recharge tokens will be issued on the new STS token sequence and your purchases can continue as normal.

Do not listen to common myths saying that “all” electricity meters will stop working at the end of November. This is simply not true. As long as your meter is updated, you are totally in the clear.

What if your meter has not been updated yet?

If you discover that your meter has not been updated yet and is still on KRN1, best will be for you to get in contact with your municipality or electricity supplier as soon as possible. They are the only ones who are able to issue key change tokens for your meter.

But remember, even if your municipality does not provide you with key change tokens before 24 November 2024, any remaining credit on your meter will still remain available for use. You will just not be able to make additional purchases, which is why the update needs to be done as a matter of urgency.

Important Note

It is vitally important that you enter all the electricity tokens which you have already purchased BEFORE updating your meter to KRN2. Once your meter is updated, any previously purchased tokens will not be accepted by your meter, as they would have been issued on KRN1.

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Sources & Additional Articles

Many of SA’s news outlets have covered the TID Rollover for some time, and their journalists have done a great job of gathering the information South Africans need.

If you’d like to read up more extensively on this topic, feel free to check out the below pieces which also helped in compiling this summary article for our clients: