0 the act of paying for something before you receive it, or the amount of the payment: --
1 the act of paying back all or part of a debt before you have to: --
At present, people with pre-payment meters are paying a higher tariff for their gas.
They are having more difficulty under this new system than under the old system of pre-payment meters.
I understand that not only pre-payment meters but also a coupon scheme are available by which payment can be made weekly for consumption.
I am concerned that pre-payment meter users should also be able to benefit fully from the introduction of competition.
In addition, some 5 per cent, of all prescriptions dispensed are covered by pre-payment certificates.
This excludes prescriptions dispensed to people who purchased pre-payment certificates and prescriptions dispensed by doctors.
However, in 1993–94 28,840,000 prescripton items exempt from charges were dispensed— excluding those where a pre-payment certificate was involved.
For example, citizens advice bureaux have already said that low-income users of gas are required to put down higher deposits or rely on pre-payment systems.
