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PROVIDER REVIEW
Payless Power Review 2026
Payless Power has carved out a distinctive niche in the Texas electricity market since its 2005 founding in Fort Worth by three brothers. As a prepaid electricity specialist, the company serves customers who need flexible options without deposits or credit checks. Customer sentiment is notably strong, with a 4.8-star rating and a True NPS of 79, indicating high satisfaction levels. On the regulatory front, Payless Power recorded 63 PUC complaints over the past 12 months—below the 202-complaint average across tracked providers, though these raw counts aren’t adjusted for customer base size.
PAYLESS POWER
Complete Provider Analysis
The company’s billing clarity score of 62/100 suggests some customers find prepaid billing structures less intuitive, while the customer service score of 72/100 reflects generally positive support experiences from their Texas-based bilingual team. Service and disconnection issues account for 33 of the PUC complaints, which may reflect the nature of prepaid service models. Daily balance notifications help customers monitor usage, and same-day connections offer convenience for those needing quick activation.
2TIO NPS REVIEW
Customer Satisfaction Analysis
Our NPS (Net Promoter Score) methodology scores each customer review and filters out spam, off-topic and employee reviews to give you an accurate picture of real customer satisfaction.
Score Breakdown
How We Calculate NPS Scores
We analyze each provider’s Google customer reviews and score every review on a 1-10 recommendation scale. Reviews that are spam, off-topic, or written by employees are filtered out. NPS is the percentage of promoters (9-10) minus the percentage of detractors (1-6), mapped to a 3.0-5.0 star scale.
PUC COMPLAINT HISTORY
Public Utility Commission Data
The Texas Public Utility Commission tracks complaints filed against retail electricity providers. Below is Payless Power’s complaint history from the PUC database.
Total Complaints (12 mo)
63
Avg. Across 15 Providers
202
Billing
18
Service & Disconnection
33
Slamming/Cramming
5
Other
7
Monthly Complaint Trends (Jan 2022 – Sep 2026)
Complaint Categories Explained
Issues related to incorrect charges, unexpected fees, meter reading disputes, and payment processing problems. This is the most common category of complaints across all providers.
Slamming: Switching a customer’s electricity provider without proper authorization or consent.
Cramming: Adding unauthorized charges or services to a customer’s electricity bill.
Issues with customer service responsiveness, account management, and starting or providing service, plus complaints about improper disconnection, insufficient notice before disconnection, or reconnection after payment.
Complaints the PUC files outside the billing, service, and slamming/cramming categories.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
What Customers Are Saying
Recent Google reviews from Payless Power customers, quoted as written (long reviews are shortened). We display a balanced selection of positive and critical feedback to give you the complete picture.
Positive Experiences
“I enjoy Payless Powers consistent strong energy supply in these hot months. I’m a 65 yr old disabled citizen on a fixed income and I enjoy the pay as you go option but sometimes I run just short of payday and I’ve been with them nearly two years and on those short to paycheck months Payless Power has kindly covered the 1 or two days without cutting off my service. There’s even been times that they have added $15-$20 from the reward program to my balance because I didn’t use all my plans kWhs hours by falling below my plan rate usage. I also love the daily update to my text showing usage daily…”
“I have been with Payless Power for years. Straight forward pricing, no gimmicks, no crazy disconnections, and only experienced an outage during Hurricane Harvey. No extreme charges post pandemic like other carriers. I strongly recommend Payless for power”
“I love that I can pay at my usage and I dont have all the extra hidden charges that all the other companies have. My bill has literally been cut in half with pay as you go. I have been with the company going on 2 years and at this point with rates being what they are with the big companies I plan tp stay with Payless power.”
“I’ve been with this company for two months and so far I’ve liked how it helps me keep track of my daily usage. I like the alert and balance messages. So far I have nothing bad to say about this company; I’m happy with them.”
“Been with company for 5yrs, very satisfied with pay as you go, the free payments they make to my account from time time, the daily notifications of usage, and the extension they offer”
Critical Feedback
“The electricity rates are expensive, and the billing is confusing. The bill doesn’t clearly show or explain all the charges, making it very difficult to understand what you’re actually paying for. Customer service is even worse. I waited over an hour just to speak with a representative. They couldn’t clearly explain the adjustments or extra charges and kept putting me on hold. It seems they have very limited information, and no one is able to provide a clear explanation of the billing. Overall, the pricing, lack of transparency, and poor customer service make for a very frustrating…”
“I’m on Social Security and Disabled so not big on the $5 fee for payments under $75 OR the $30 Reconnection Fee as it happens frequently increasing the bill quite a bit. They do turn it back on pretty quickly so that’s a plus. On the fence with prepaid.”
“I like the fact that it’s prepaid. I’m really satisfied with that. But I’ve gone out of town for weeks at a time and my bill never changes. No one is using the electricity. I’ve even unplugged TV’s in here. I feel like I’m being played on the amount of u usage”
FINAL VERDICT
Our Recommendation
Payless Power: Recommended
Strong choice for prepaid electricity with flexible options
Payless Power earns our recommendation as a standout option in the prepaid electricity market. With an impressive 4.8-star rating and a True NPS of 79, customer sentiment is overwhelmingly positive. The customer service score of 72/100 reflects generally helpful support, though the billing clarity score of 62/100 suggests some customers find the prepaid billing structure takes adjustment. On the regulatory front, 63 PUC complaints over the past 12 months falls well below the 202-complaint average across tracked providers, though these raw counts aren’t adjusted for customer base size. Service and disconnection complaints (33) represent the largest category—worth noting for prepaid customers who must monitor balances closely. For those who value no deposits, no credit checks, and pay-as-you-go flexibility, Payless Power delivers a reliable experience backed by nearly two decades in the Texas market.
Pros
- Excellent 4.8/5.0 star rating reflects strong customer satisfaction
- Outstanding NPS score of 79 shows high customer loyalty
- Customer service score of 72 ranks as excellent
- PUC complaints below average among tracked providers
- Good billing transparency score of 62/100
- Prepaid model helps customers avoid surprise bills
Cons
- Billing transparency score of 62 leaves room for improvement
- Service and disconnection complaints represent majority of PUC filings
- Some customers report confusion understanding billing notifications
- Prepaid structure requires active balance monitoring
- Five slamming/cramming complaints filed in past year
Best For
- Customers who prefer prepaid electricity with no long-term contracts
- Those who cannot pass credit checks or want to avoid deposits
- Budget-conscious households who like controlling usage in real-time
- Renters or short-term residents needing flexible service
- Customers rebuilding credit while maintaining electricity service
PRICE COMPARISON
How Payless Power Compares
See how Payless Power’s electricity rates compare to other Texas providers. Prices are average all-in rates (including utility delivery charges) across each provider’s plans in every Texas utility area we track, at the selected monthly usage level.
Payless Power Avg Price
19.6¢/kWh
Market Rank
#17 of 17
vs Market Average
26.4% above
Market Average
15.5¢/kWh
Texas Providers We Track (1,000 kWh/month)
| Rank | Provider | Avg ¢/kWh | Lowest | Highest | # Plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Rhythm Energy | 13.39¢ | 6.74¢ | 19.58¢ | 35 |
| #2 | Energy Texas | 13.88¢ | 6.74¢ | 19.58¢ | 40 |
| #3 | Gexa Energy | 14.28¢ | 7.02¢ | 20.51¢ | 42 |
| #4 | Constellation | 14.32¢ | 12.82¢ | 16.32¢ | 10 |
| #5 | Cirro Energy | 14.82¢ | 7.06¢ | 20.83¢ | 38 |
| #6 | 4Change Energy | 14.90¢ | 7.03¢ | 20.09¢ | 61 |
| #7 | Discount Power | 14.93¢ | 7.06¢ | 20.83¢ | 38 |
| #8 | Just Energy | 14.95¢ | 6.90¢ | 22.21¢ | 83 |
| #9 | APGE | 15.05¢ | 6.60¢ | 23.40¢ | 107 |
| #10 | Atlantex Power | 15.15¢ | 13.40¢ | 16.42¢ | 12 |
| #11 | Frontier Utilities | 15.31¢ | 7.02¢ | 20.51¢ | 36 |
| #12 | Tara Energy | 15.57¢ | 15.06¢ | 17.01¢ | 6 |
| #13 | Amigo Energy | 15.62¢ | 14.26¢ | 17.70¢ | 29 |
| #14 | Reliant | 16.13¢ | 11.86¢ | 20.83¢ | 41 |
| #15 | Direct Energy | 16.69¢ | 14.36¢ | 19.03¢ | 16 |
| #16 | TXU Energy | 18.40¢ | 13.81¢ | 22.79¢ | 36 |
| #17 | Payless Power This Provider | 19.56¢ | 18.55¢ | 21.22¢ | 10 |
No 100% Renewable Plans
Payless Power does not currently offer any 100% renewable energy plans. If green energy is a priority, consider providers like Rhythm Energy, Energy Texas or Gexa Energy.
Our Methodology
How We Calculate NPS Scores
Our scoring system analyzes customer reviews to provide an unbiased assessment of each electricity provider.
- Data Source: Google reviews of each provider
- AI Analysis: We score each review on a 1-10 recommendation scale and filter out spam, off-topic, and employee reviews
- Minimum Data: Providers with fewer than 25 scored reviews are shown as “Not yet rated”
- True NPS Calculation: We calculate Net Promoter Score as (% Promoters) – (% Detractors), where Promoters rate 9-10 and Detractors rate 1-6
- Star Rating: NPS scores are mapped to a 3.0-5.0 star scale for intuitive comparison
About “Billing Clarity” Scores
This score measures how clearly a provider communicates billing to customers—not billing accuracy. Texas electricity providers have robust, audited billing systems that are highly accurate.
- What we measure: Clarity of bill statements, proactive notifications, explanation of credits and charges, time-of-use rate communication
- Why it matters: Customers often report confusion about bills even when charges are correct—this score reflects how well providers help customers understand their bills
- PUC “billing complaints”: Most are about confusing statements or unexpected (but legitimate) charges, not actual billing errors
Pricing Data Collection
We collect electricity plan pricing daily from ComparePower’s live plan data.
- Data Source: ComparePower, the original Texas electricity consumer advocate
- Update Frequency: Prices are synced daily from every competitive Texas utility area (Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas Central, AEP Texas North, TNMP, and Lubbock Power & Light)
- Usage Levels: We display pricing at 500, 1,000, and 2,000 kWh/month to show how rates vary by consumption
- Coverage: 17 major retail electricity providers in the Texas deregulated market
PUC Complaint Data
Complaint data provides insight into provider accountability and customer issues.
- Data Source: Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) official complaint records
- History: Monthly complaint data since January 2022
- Categories: Billing, Service & Disconnection, Slamming/Cramming, and Other
- License Holders: The PUC reports complaints per license holder, so brands that share a license share the same counts
- Size: Counts are not adjusted for the number of customers a provider serves
- Update Frequency: Monthly updates as new PUC data becomes available
Questions about our methodology? Contact our team.
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