In short. The PLN meter at a villa is prepaid: you buy electricity in advance as a token, a 20-digit code that you enter on the meter's keypad. Tokens are sold by the PLN Mobile app (with no surcharge), the GoPay, OVO, DANA and ShopeePay wallets, marketplaces, ATMs and the tills of Indomaret and Alfamart; you need the meter number or the customer ID (ID pelanggan). The unsubsidised tariff on the date of checking: 1,444.70 rupiah per kWh for 1300 and 2200 VA, 1,699.53 for 3500 VA and above, plus the local electricity tax (in Badung 5% for housing). If the power goes out: first the balance on the meter, then the outage map in PLN Mobile. Before renting, find out who pays for electricity, and photograph the balance on the day you move in.
How the meter works and why it beeps. A PLN prepaid meter (prabayar) works like a prepaid phone: you buy electricity in advance, and the meter deducts kilowatt-hours as you use them. The purchase is called a token, a 20-digit code for the meter's keypad. To buy it you need the meter number (nomor meter) or the customer number (ID pelanggan). The owner knows them, and the ID pelanggan is also on the receipt for your previous token from a minimarket. On most models the Enter or Check button shows the balance: "12.50" means 12.5 kWh. On some meters the balance is shown by code 07 and Enter, and the customer number by code 65 and Enter. When little is left, usually under 5 kWh, the meter starts beeping again and again and blinking a red lamp. This is the signal to top up: at zero the power will cut off.
Where to buy a token. PLN lists these ways:
- The PLN Mobile app: the "Beli Token Listrik" menu, the meter number or ID pelanggan, the amount, payment by wallet, mobile banking or virtual account. The code appears on the screen and arrives by email.
- The GoPay, OVO, DANA and ShopeePay wallets, in the PLN Prabayar or Token Listrik section.
- The Tokopedia, Shopee, Bukalapak and Blibli marketplaces.
- An ATM or mobile bank: Pembelian, then Listrik/PLN and Token Prabayar.
- The minimarkets Indomaret and Alfamart: give the cashier the meter number or ID and the amount, and the code is printed on the receipt.
In PLN Mobile, according to the company, nothing is charged over the token amount. You can log in to the app with a phone number, an email or a Google account. PLN warns about scammers: buy a token only in these places and do not trust offers from unknown sellers.
Through GoPay, step by step. This is how GoPay itself describes the purchase:
- On the GoPay home screen, in the Pembayaran section, tap "Lihat Semua".
- Scroll to Tagihan Rumah Tangga and choose PLN Token.
- Enter the meter number or ID pelanggan and choose the amount.
- Tap Lanjutkan, leave GoPay as the payment method and tap Bayar.
- The 20-digit code appears on the screen. It is also kept in the payment history (Riwayat) in the Tagihan section.
If the code does not arrive, first open Riwayat. GoPay asks you to wait up to two working days and then write to support through the help section in the app.
Entering the code. Type the 20 digits on the meter's keypad and press Enter. If the code is right, the screen shows ACCEPTED, TOKEN SUCCESS or a new balance, for example 23.5 kWh instead of the previous 3.5. If the power has already gone out because the balance hit zero, the meter will still accept the code. According to Detik, a wrong digit is erased with the down-arrow key, and if the code is refused the screen shows REJECT or SALAH. PLN names four reasons for a refusal: a typo in one digit, the code was already entered, a temporary failure at PLN, or a code bought for another ID. First check the digits against the receipt or the app screen. If everything matches, call PLN on 123 or leave a complaint in PLN Mobile: staff will check the code and, if it is valid, may issue a replacement. So keep the code and the receipt until the kilowatt-hours appear on the meter.
What a kilowatt-hour costs. The government reviews PLN tariffs for unsubsidised customers every three months, and for prepaid meters they are the same as for meters billed afterwards. For October, November and December 2026 the prices did not change: on 3 November a PLN representative confirmed to Kompas that the tariffs stay the same, and that bills rose for those who started using more, for example in the heat. So below are the prices approved for July, August and September 2026 and extended to the end of the year. On 30 June the Ministry of Energy decided not to raise them, and PLN issued the document with the prices on 1 July. Rupiah per kWh by connection capacity:
- 900 VA unsubsidised: 1,352.
- 1300 and 2200 VA: 1,444.70.
- 3500-5500 VA: 1,699.53.
- 6600 VA and more: 1,699.53.
- Business from 6600 VA to 200 kVA: 1,444.70.
Ask the owner for the connection capacity. From the token amount PLN deducts the local electricity tax (PBJT, also called PPJ in the news). In Badung regency under law No. 7 of 2023 it is 5% for homes above 450 VA and 10% for business; in other regencies the rate is set by their own law. So the kilowatt-hours on the meter will be slightly fewer than the amount divided by the tariff.
If the power goes out. First look at the balance on the meter: if it is at zero, a new token brings the power back. If there are kilowatt-hours left, open PLN Mobile. According to Detik, in the Pengaduan menu the "Cek Padam Sekitar Saya" function shows outages around your address on a map. A complaint is also filed there: the category "Listrik Padam", the ID pelanggan or meter number, a point on the map, a couple of words about the problem and the "Kirim Pengaduan" button. After that the app shows how the repair is going and when to expect a technician. Without the app, call PLN on 123 with the area code: for Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan it is (0361) 123. PLN announces planned work in Bali on Instagram @plndistribusibali and in PLN Mobile. Before such an outage charge your phone and laptop. When the power comes back, do not switch on powerful appliances at once. In February 2026 a rumour spread around the island about a week of rolling blackouts; PLN denied it and asked people to follow the news in PLN Mobile and on 123. How not to be left without internet during outages is in the guide to home internet.
A wire on the ground, a smell of burning, water in the house. PLN in Bali asks you not to approach damaged lines, fallen wires and leaning poles and to report them at once. If water has come into the house, PLN advises turning off the electricity at the meter or the breaker (MCB), not touching appliances with wet hands, using safe lighting such as a torch, and reporting the problem in PLN Mobile or on 123. A smell of burning, strange sounds, hot sockets and switches, damaged insulation: by PLN's list these are signs of faulty wiring. Tell the owner, and PLN advises having such wiring checked by a licensed electrician. In a fire call 112 or 113, all the numbers are in our guide.
Before renting a villa. Find out before renting who pays for electricity: whether it is included in the price or you buy the tokens. Ask for the meter number or ID pelanggan and the connection capacity, which shows the tariff. On the day you move in, photograph the balance on the meter, and take a second photo when you leave: it makes settling up for electricity with the owner easier. PLN advises making sure before buying or renting a house that the meter works and its seal is intact, there are no debts for electricity, and the connection is officially registered to a PLN customer.
What this means for you. Install PLN Mobile and keep the meter number in your phone notes: the app gives tokens with no surcharge, the balance, complaints and the outage map. Top up as soon as the meter starts beeping, and keep every code until the kilowatt-hours are credited. When the power goes out, check the balance, then the map in the app, and only after that call 123. Do not go near fallen wires, and if there is water in the house switch off the electricity at the meter.