Always On: How African Bank Eliminated Branch Downtime with Prepaid24

From wasted hours, cash risks and token losses to smart bulk uploads and automated compliance and control - here’s how African Bank eliminated branch downtime using Prepaid24’s business platform.

Need to ensure power to branches nationally?

For African Bank, a single branch power outage (caused by a prepaid meter running out of credit) could disrupt customers, delay transactions and hurt operations. And with 20+ branches on prepaid electricity, managing recharges was a logistical headache.

Before, each branch handled its own top-ups via petty cash, which created compliance risks, voucher losses and countless wasted hours. By centralising all branch recharges through Prepaid24’s Business Services platform, the bank turned this fragmented process into a streamlined, audit-ready system that is always on.

This is how African Bank eliminated branch downtime with Prepaid24:

The Problem: Hidden Costs of Petty Cash Recharges

Until recently, African Bank’s prepaid electricity management was decentralised and inefficient. Each branch was responsible for its own top-ups, often relying on petty cash or ad-hoc purchases through local vendors.

This fragmented process not only created inconsistencies but also introduced financial risk and operational inefficiencies that grew with every new prepaid branch added. The more sites they managed, the harder it became to maintain accurate records, avoid downtime and meet strict compliance requirements.

African Bank’s operations team faced recurring challenges:

• No central visibility: Each branch recharged its meter independently, using different methods and providers.
  
  
• Compliance nightmares: Petty cash purchases had no VAT invoices or proper audit trails, raising red flags for finance.
  
  
• Operational risk: A missed recharge could bring an ATM or branch to a complete standstill.
  
  
• Wasted time: Staff spent hours handling vouchers, tracking spend and reconciling payments across multiple locations (on a 1-by-1 basis).

For a highly regulated and fast-scaling institution, this approach wasn’t sustainable. So they reached out to the company with the widest (94%) coverage and highest-quality links to most municipalities in SA.

See why you need centralised control to maximise your enterprise utility management.

The Solution: Prepaid24 Business Services

To replace African Bank’s fragmented and risky branch-by-branch recharge system, Prepaid24 implemented a centralised corporate dashboard designed specifically for enterprise-scale prepaid top-up management. With this single platform, African Bank’s operations and finance teams now have full control, real-time purchase visibility and seamless recharge capabilities across all 23 of their prepaid branches, without the need for manual processes or petty cash.

The benefits just make sense:

1. Bulk Uploads for Seamless Recharges

Instead of requiring each branch to top up meters individually, African Bank now handles all recharges through a single Excel file upload. With this method, dozens of meters can be topped up in one go - using one order sheet, one EFT payment and one finance approval. This dramatically reduces admin time and ensures that branch recharges can be scheduled or executed quickly, regardless of the locations involved.

2. SmartFund Wallet for Instant Action

Delays due to payment approval are a thing of the past. Prepaid24’s SmartFund wallet lets African Bank preload funds at head office, allowing the Branch Enablement team to execute urgent top-ups instantly, without waiting for EFT clearances or month-end cycles. This has proven especially useful for emergency recharges, ensuring continuity of power even in high-pressure moments.

3. Automated Token Distribution

After a recharge is processed, electricity tokens are delivered automatically to the email addresses designated to each branch’s meter. African Bank no longer needs to manually distribute or forward vouchers, removing delays and communication errors. Tokens are delivered within 15 minutes, directly to the site that needs them.

4. Real-Time Oversight and Reporting

The platform provides African Bank with downloadable reports covering 12+ months of electricity spend. These reports can be filtered by site, region or municipality, giving operations and finance teams the ability to track trends, manage budgets and prepare for audits with full confidence. Invoices are instantly available, and all records are linked to a secure, auditable trail.

5. Smart Error Handling for Recharge Failures

Instead of vague “failed transaction” messages, Prepaid24 flags the actual issue causing the failure, whether it’s a meter not recognised by a municipality, an incorrect number or another system-level error. This allows the African Bank team to act quickly, fix the issue and avoid unnecessary delays or outages.

As the African Bank team puts it:

“The SmartFund wallet is very effective. Our branches have never run out since this process was put in place.”

Discover more on Prepaid24 Business Services

The Impact: Zero Downtime, Full Control

Since switching to Prepaid24, African Bank’s branches have not experienced a single power disruption due to missed recharges. Finance teams now get instant VAT invoices and monthly statements, eliminating audit concerns. Operationally, what once required multiple people and hours of admin is now handled by a small team in minutes.

“Prepaid24 is very efficient with monitoring and reporting. We always get our statements in time, and their team is readily available whenever we have urgent issues,” says the African Bank Branch Enablement team.

Who Else Can Benefit?

If you’re a corporate facilities or operations manager dealing with 10, 50 or even 400 prepaid meters, this model works for you. From retail chains to infrastructure providers, Prepaid24’s centralised platform means no more manual top-ups, no more lost tokens and no more costly downtime.

Get Smarter Power Management

Still juggling multiple portals or vendors? Perhaps you’re still handling token distribution manually in-house? You’re one missed top-up away from a serious operational headache. Prepaid24’s centralised B2B platform puts all your meters in one place, automates recharges and gives you instant control when it matters most.

Want to see how it works? Book a quick demo with Prepaid24 today.

Share this article with friends & family!