A Guide to Paying Your York Electric Cooperative Bill Online and In-Person

As a residential customer of York Electric Cooperative (YEC) in South Carolina, I rely on their service to power my home. That means paying my electric bill on time each month is a must to keep the lights on! Over my years as a YEC member, I’ve used various payment options they offer to find the methods that best fit my lifestyle. In this article, I’ll provide an overview of the ways you can pay your YEC electric bill conveniently, along with tips for each method.

Pay Online Through Account Login

The fastest, easiest way for YEC members to pay their electric bill is online through their secure account login portal. To get started, you simply need to register for an online account on the YEC website.

Once your account is set up, you can log in anytime to:

• View your current balance
• Check usage data
• Make one-time payments
• Set up recurring auto-pay
• Go paperless with e-bills

Online bill pay through the YEC member portal allows instant processing, so it’s a great option to avoid late fees if you’re in a time crunch. You’ll also receive payment confirmations and receipts via email for helpful record keeping.

Pay On-the-Go with the YEC Mobile App

In addition to the online portal, YEC provides a free mobile app for iOS and Android devices. The app allows you to check your electric account balance, make payments, set notifications, report outages, and more.

I really like the convenience of paying through the YEC app on my phone whenever I’m on-the-go It ensures I never miss submitting a payment before the monthly due date, even when traveling or away from home

Pay by Phone

If you prefer handling payments over the phone versus online, YEC offers a toll-free automated PowerTouch pay-by-phone system.

To use the automated system, call 1-866-374-1234 anytime 24/7 and follow the prompts to make a payment using your credit/debit card or checking account details. Keep your YEC account number handy to complete the process quickly.

Phone payments are processed instantly, so your account balance is updated as soon as your payment goes through.

Mail-In Payment

For YEC members who still prefer mailed paper bills and payments, return envelopes are provided with each monthly statement. Simply fill out the payment stub, enclose a check or money order, add postage, and drop it in the mail.

I recommend mailing your payment at least 5 business days before the due date shown on your bill. This ensures adequate time for the postal service to deliver it and avoid late fees. Retain the receipt as payment proof.

Pay In-Person

If you want to pay your electric bill in-person, YEC has a few options

• At YEC’s main office in York – accepts cash, check, money order, or credit/debit cards

• At YEC’s Fort Mill office – accepts cash, check, money order

• At any Walmart store – take your YEC bill to the customer service desk to pay with cash or debit card. A $0.88-$1.88 fee applies.

In-person payment allows you to talk to YEC staff directly if you have any account issues or billing questions. But offices/Walmart have limited hours, so consider the 24/7 online/phone methods if possible.

Enroll in Auto-Pay

For maximum bill payment convenience, YEC offers members the option to enroll in auto-pay. This automatically deducts your balance from your specified bank account or credit card each month on the due date.

Signing up for auto-pay allows you to put bill payment on autopilot. It avoids late fees, saves time, and gives peace of mind that your electric bill is always paid on schedule.

Tips for Paying Your YEC Bill

Based on my experience with YEC’s payment options, here are some tips I’ve learned:

• Go paperless with e-bills to save time and clutter.

• Set calendar reminders to pay your bill 1 week before the due date.

• Pay urgent bills online to process instantly, up to the due date.

• Contact YEC if you need payment assistance or extensions.

• Note account number to quicken phone/in-person payments.

• Allow 5 business days for mailed checks to avoid late fees.

• Use YEC’s 24/7 online and phone payments when possible to avoid waiting.

• Sign up for autopay or paperless billing to simplify the process.

Choosing the right options for your needs makes paying your YEC electric bill a breeze!

Avoid Late Payment Fees

In the past, I occasionally incurred late fees on my YEC electric bills because I would forget or delay mailing my payment. Once I started using the online bill pay method, those issues went away.

Here are some tips to help avoid late fees from YEC:

• Mark your due date on your calendar with bill pay reminders.

• Pay online to process instantly, up until the due date.

• Sign up for autopay to never miss a payment deadline.

• Go paperless to get due date email alerts.

• Don’t delay – allow time for mailed payments to be received.

Paying on time saves money! The late fees I used to waste are unnecessary – online payments make it easy to pay my YEC bill when due.

Understand Usage by Monitoring Bills

While getting your electric bill paid on time is crucial, you likely also want to understand the usage behind your payment amounts. Reviewing your detailed YEC bills provides visibility into your household energy consumption patterns.

Specifically, you can analyze usage to identify:

• Seasonal spikes – Ex: higher summer use for AC

• High-draw appliances – Ex: hot water heater, old fridge

• Behavior shifts – Ex: new pool pump, electric vehicle, etc

• Impact of energy efficiency measures – Ex: LED lights, upgraded insulation

Monitoring your electric usage through your YEC bill helps recognize what drives costs. You can target higher-use areas to evaluate upgrades that may reduce usage and lower monthly bills.

Convenient Payment Options from York Electric

As a YEC member, I appreciate the range of payment methods they make available to members