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Those pay-as-you-use-it (prepayment) meters still exist!

The first house I rented as a student had one, in 2006. The landlord said the previous tenants had had trouble paying the bills, so the electricity company had insisted on the meter when reconnecting the supply. In reality, I think he'd asked for it to be installed to simplify his job.

Nowadays, the meters are topped up with a smart card, usually at a local newsagent or corner shop. I think we put £100 on it, then forgot about it for several months.

Info and a couple of pictures: https://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/guides/prepayment-me...