On the opportunities and risks of the term prepaid payment concept known in recent years primarily for products and services on the mobile phone market. Prepaid stands for SIM cards one recharges with credits that you can from then. New providers, better control of costs and cheaper fares have made quickly, that prepaid became a model of success in the mobile area and pulling more and more customers from the hitherto leading contract. The ways of paying ahead but not only confined to the mobile sector, but are versatile. So have been in recent years increasingly credit cards on the market that use exactly this system is made: you can use them while pay but only if one has previously charged them with credit. This then has nothing to do with credit, corresponds to the prepaid concept but to one hundred percent.

Another example of this model can be found on the energy market. So far, customers paid monthly deductions and got a settlement over the 12 months consumed power. This model is not very transparent and control of costs is hardly given. Prepaid providers want to change that now range in the stream. Can you power packages buy (for example 2,500 kilowatt-hours) that you paid in advance and then gradually can consume. Because the provider the risk of payment failure no longer exists and no money for the recovery of accounting must be applied, they can offer much cheaper rates and so customers with prepaid electricity save money monthly. The downside: You must already be sure that the provider also provides the power and not (like in times of economic crisis definitely possible) goes bankrupt. Here, you should consider and inform may advance through the provider. Despite this risk, prepaid might have on the electricity market as alternative success – it will show the next few years. Bastian Ebert