How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- No deposit electricity is mostly a Texas product, because Texas has a deregulated retail market. In most other states your utility cannot be shopped around, and deposits follow regulated rules.
- There are two kinds of no deposit: prepaid plans, open to anyone with no credit check, and deposit waivers on ordinary plans for customers who qualify or pass screening.
- Prepaid costs more, a lot more. Late October 2026 snapshots put leading fixed plans near 7 to 10 cents per kWh at 1,000 kWh, while prepaid offers sat around 17 to 20 cents for the same usage.
- If you can pass a credit check or claim a waiver, a fixed plan almost always beats prepaid over a year. Prepaid is a bridge for moving day, not a destination.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Payless Power | Prepaid with fixed rate options | See website | No |
 POGO Energy | Pure pay as you go simplicity | See website | No |
 TXU Energy | Big brand with deposit waiver routes | See website | No |
 Reliant | Prepaid and postpaid under one roof | See website | No |
 Gexa Energy | Low fixed rates if you qualify deposit free | See website | No |
 Acacia Energy | Prepaid for Houston area movers | See website | No |
 Rhythm Energy | Modern fixed plans with deposit screening | See website | No |
 Express Energy | Among the cheapest fixed rates in Texas | See website | No |
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The best light companies with no deposit in 2026
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Payless Power is the name most Texans meet first in this category, and it runs the model properly: apply with no credit check, fund the account, and get connected the same day, with alerts as the balance falls. For a move in weekend or a credit file in repair, that machinery is exactly what is needed, and its fixed rate prepaid plans smooth the price across a term instead of repricing daily.
The cost is the cost. At the usage a Texas home actually burns in summer, the gap between prepaid rates near 19 cents and fixed plans near 8 cents is not a rounding error; it can exceed $150 a month. Use Payless as it is designed to be used: to get the lights on now, then graduate to a postpaid plan the moment your credit or waiver eligibility allows.
What we like- A Texas prepaid specialist since 2005, no deposit and no credit check on prepaid plans, offers both pay as you go and fixed rate prepaid terms, daily balance and usage alerts help prepaid customers avoid running dry, same day connection is its core promise
Watch out for- Prepaid rates sit near the top of the Texas market, around 17 to 20 cents per kWh in late October 2026 snapshots at typical usage, a prepaid balance that empties can mean disconnection until you top up, fixed offers need checking against postpaid rivals before assuming they are competitive
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
POGO is the minimalist entry: one idea, executed cleanly. There is no plan menu to game and no bill credit structure to decode, just a balance, a daily rate of use and alerts. For students, short lets and households who think in weekly cash flow, that simplicity has real value that a spreadsheet of cents per kWh understates.
It stays prepaid, though, with prepaid's pricing and prepaid's cliff edge: when the balance hits zero, service can stop until money lands. POGO suits a season of life, not a settled decade. The day a deposit or waiver becomes available to you, the arithmetic says move, and a service this honest about its own model would probably agree.
What we like- Built entirely around prepaid, with no deposit, no credit check and no contract, daily usage and balance reporting by text and app, a simple single product instead of a maze of plans, pay only for what you use, topped up when you choose
Watch out for- Prepaid pricing carries the same premium as every pay as you go offer, roughly double the cheapest fixed rates, no fixed term option for households that stabilise and want one, the balance management habit is on you every week, Texas deregulated areas only
#3
TXU Energy
Best for: Big brand with deposit waiver routes
Visit txu.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
TXU is the mainstream route into this list: not a prepaid specialist, but a giant whose size makes its waiver policies and payment arrangements the most developed in Texas. Seniors, family violence victims and other protected classes can start service without a deposit under the rules, and TXU's staff handle those cases routinely. For everyone else the advice is comparative: its fixed plans priced several cents above the cheapest discount brands in late October snapshots, a premium for the name, the service depth and the waiver machinery.
What we like- Texas's best known electricity brand, with postpaid plans across every style, deposit waivers are available in defined cases, including the customer classes Texas rules protect, its prepaid options sit inside the same account family as its normal plans, a large service operation for problems and payment arrangements
Watch out for- Standard plans do run a credit check and can require a deposit, headline rates trail the discount brands, its cheapest offers come with usage conditions hidden in the facts label, brand comfort costs money here
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Reliant's value in this category is the ladder. A household can start on its prepaid service with no deposit and no credit check, build a payment record, and step onto a postpaid fixed plan in the same account when ready, instead of reapplying across the market. Price wise it sits with TXU: prepaid near 19 cents in snapshots, fixed plans in the low teens, both sold with a giant's service depth rather than a discounter's price.
What we like- One of the largest Texas providers, an NRG company, offers prepaid service alongside its full postpaid range, so graduating does not mean changing provider, strong app and usage tools, including prepaid balance tracking, deposit requirements on standard plans can be waived in the protected cases Texas rules set out
Watch out for- Standard plans generally do require a deposit when credit screening calls for one, prepaid and headline rates are mid market to premium, plan names market harder than the facts labels justify, read the Electricity Facts Label, not the banner
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Gexa is here for the reader whose problem is the deposit itself rather than the credit that triggers it. If your file passes screening, or you qualify for a waiver under the Texas rules, Gexa's fixed plans deliver power at close to half the per unit cost of every prepaid offer in this guide. Over a Texas summer that is the deposit back several times over.
Read the facts label like a contract, because it is one. Gexa's cheapest plans use bill credits that apply within usage windows, so a month well above or below the band costs more per unit than the headline. Households with steady usage harvest the advertised rate; variable households should price a simple flat plan against it before signing.
What we like- Consistently among the cheapest fixed rates in Texas snapshots, in the 7 to 10 cent range at 1,000 kWh in late October 2026, renewable plan options at discount prices, part of the NextEra Energy family, the largest US renewables group
Watch out for- That pricing is for postpaid fixed plans with credit screening, so the deposit question is settled by your file, not waived by policy beyond the standard protections, bill credit structures mean the cheap rate depends on hitting usage bands, customer service reviews trail the big brands
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Acacia is a smaller name in the same trade as Payless and POGO: money down, lights on, no questions about a credit file. Its natural customer is the Houston renter who needs service today in a city where summer heat makes electricity a same day problem. The public record on Acacia is thinner than on its larger rivals; the model and the PUC protections are the same. Compare its current prepaid rate for your address against Payless before choosing; in prepaid, the rate and the low balance policy are nearly the whole decision.
What we like- A prepaid focused Texas provider with no deposit and no credit check, markets same day connection for movers, simple prepaid structure aimed at renters and short stays, serves the Houston and deregulated Texas market where prepaid demand concentrates
Watch out for- A smaller provider, so its app, service hours and tooling are thinner than the giants, prepaid rates carry the category premium, public rate comparison data for it is sparser than for Payless or POGO, long term households should still treat it as a bridge
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Rhythm represents the modern end of Texas retail energy: renewable plans, plain language, a decent app, and rates that embarrass the legacy brands in snapshot after snapshot. For a deposit free start it relies on the normal route: pass screening, or qualify for a waiver, and no deposit is charged.
That makes it the right recommendation for the largest group reading this guide, people whose credit is fine or fixable and whose real aim is cheap power without an upfront lump. Pair it with the waiver knowledge in this article's guide section and the deposit problem often evaporates at a far better rate than any prepaid plan will ever offer.
What we like- A newer Texas provider built on simple, mostly renewable fixed plans, its rates sat with the cheapest in late October 2026 snapshots, around 7 to 8 cents at 1,000 kWh, a clean app and billing experience designed this decade, pickup and perks programmes soften renewal pricing
Watch out for- Postpaid model, so credit screening applies and a deposit can follow for weaker files, no true prepaid product for the no questions customer, a shorter track record than the incumbent brands
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Express Energy closes the list because its rates make the guide's central argument in numbers. In the same late October snapshots where prepaid cost 17 to 20 cents, Express's fixed plans sat near 7 cents; on a 1,500 kWh summer month, that difference is around $180. You need the screening outcome or the waiver, and you need to check the facts label for your address on the day you sign up. If both land, a discount fixed plan is where a no deposit search should end.
What we like- Its Flash Value plans priced at the very bottom of late October 2026 comparison tables, around 7.3 cents at 1,000 kWh, a discount brand in the Vistra family alongside TXU, so the backing is large even when the brand is lean, straightforward fixed terms
Watch out for- A value brand's service model is lean by design, postpaid screening applies, so the deposit is waived only by passing or by the standard protections, plan availability and pricing swing by postcode and week
How we chose
We covered both honest meanings of no deposit: true prepaid plans open to anyone, and mainstream fixed plans that start without a deposit when screening or a Texas waiver allows. Rate context comes from late October 2026 comparison snapshots for Texas postcodes, quoted as ranges because your address and date will move them. Providers that had exited the market were excluded. We did not sign up for service; the Electricity Facts Label for your address, which Texas law standardises, is the document to trust over any guide, including this one.
How to get electricity with no deposit and pay as little as possible
Try the waiver before the prepaid plan. Texas rules let several groups start postpaid service without a deposit, including customers 65 and over and victims of family violence with the required documentation, and providers also waive deposits for strong credit or proof of good payment history with another utility. One phone call asking, by name, about deposit waiver options can save you the entire prepaid premium.
If prepaid is the route, run it like a hawk. Prepaid's costs hide in the balance mechanics: choose alerts at a generous threshold, top up before weekends and heat waves, and watch your daily burn in the app for the first fortnight until the pattern is familiar. Disconnection for an empty balance is the product's enforcement mechanism, and Texas rules give some protections in extreme weather and for critical care customers; know yours before you need them.
Do the annual sum once, honestly. Prepaid at 18 cents versus fixed at 8 cents, on typical Texas usage of 1,200 kWh a month, is about $1,400 a year. Set against a one time deposit of $200 to $300, refundable under Texas rules after good payment history, the deposit is the bargain of the two for anyone who can find the cash or the waiver.
Then set a graduation date. Prepaid should come with a calendar note: in three to six months, with on time top ups behind you and any credit repair under way, reapply for a postpaid fixed plan. The providers at the cheap end of this list reprice weekly, so the day you qualify, the saving starts.
Frequently asked questions
Why is no deposit electricity mostly a Texas thing?
Because Texas deregulated its retail electricity market, so competing providers can design prepaid and waiver products. In regulated states you buy from the local utility at set terms, and deposit rules are fixed by the utility commission, typically a deposit for new or risky accounts that is refunded after a year of good payments.
Is prepaid electricity a good deal?
It is a useful product and a poor price. Prepaid gives same day service with no credit check, which is sometimes exactly what a household needs. But late October 2026 snapshots show prepaid around 17 to 20 cents per kWh against 7 to 10 cents for fixed plans, so over a year prepaid usually costs far more than the deposit it avoided. Treat it as a bridge.
Who can get a deposit waived in Texas?
Texas Public Utility Commission rules protect several classes, including customers aged 65 or older and victims of family violence, and providers commonly waive for good credit or a satisfactory payment record with another utility. Ask the provider directly and by name; waivers are granted on request and evidence, not offered automatically at checkout.
Can prepaid electricity be disconnected?
Yes. When the account balance runs out, prepaid service can be disconnected until you top up, which is the core risk of the model. Providers must send low balance and disconnection warnings, and Texas rules restrict disconnections in extreme weather and protect critical care customers who register. Keep the balance funded and the alerts on.
What is an Electricity Facts Label?
It is the standardised Texas disclosure for every plan, showing the average price per kWh at set usage levels, the contract term, fees, and whether the rate is fixed or variable. It is the only rate document that binds the provider. Compare plans by the label at your realistic monthly usage, not by the headline number in an advert.
Sources we checked (0)
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.