A guide to online payments for Sofia and Bulgaria residents
Written by Toni P. Lyubenova, edited by Tamar Weisert, photos by Georgi Hristov.
Paying bills online has become a necessity lately, with many people resorting to the help of various applications and companies to pay their utilities. Paying your bills online is not only convenient and less time consuming, but can also help save money and relieve you of the need to have a Bulgarian translator. You may stick to a single payment platform or use a combination of different options. Below is a list of Bulgarian companies that can assist you in paying your bills online.
ePay
ePay is an electronic payment system based in Bulgaria, which allows you to pay your electricity, water, heating, GSM, and internet bills without leaving the comfort of your home. As a result of their efforts to meet their customers’ needs, ePay has become the most popular way for Bulgarian citizens to pay their utilities online. The company offers individuals and more than 1,300 legal entities the option to pay their bills online free of charge. They let you check your utility bills online without any additional taxes and offer free insurance against fraud for sums up to 10,000 BGN for a single payment and up to 100,000 BGN annually. To use their services, you need to register on their website here. To learn more about the different types of payment assistance they offer, click here. ePay has proven to be the most convenient way for foreigners in Bulgaria to pay their bills online and includes an option to translate the page into English.
UPay
UPay is UBB’s (Обединена българска банка) e-service platform which provides the opportunity to pay your utility bills, taxes, and credit obligations as either a registered or non-registered user. Registering is free-of-charge, and you will be granted access to your monthly credit card and current account statements. After registering, you’re able to pay all of your utility bills, including electricity, water, telephone, internet, television, heating, and gas. UPay’s service is available to all municipalities and cities in Bulgaria; all you need to do is enter your subscriber number to check your current statement and pay with your credit card.
iCard
iCard is a digital wallet and leading online payment platform with over 350,000 payment accounts. It allows the option to transfer your plastic cards into a digital wallet installed on a simple-to-use phone app. iCard is one of the first providers in Europe to offer mobile phone payments to people in over 30 countries. With the iCard Standard account, you can make domestic and cross-border bank transfers directly from your phone. To pay your bills with iCard, you will need to make separate payments. If you would like to pay your water bill, for example, you will need to register at iCard’s official website, enter your customer number, and choose via SMS or e-mail confirmation if you would like to pay automatically. No matter where you are in the world, customers pay no commission fee.
Online banking
Online banking gives you access to bank services with a high degree of security features. Online Banking allows you to make bank transfers, cashless purchases, sell foreign currency, access account balance and account movements, obtain financial information, make deposits, and more. Many Bulgarian banks offer the option to control your bills online, including Expressbank, UBB, Postbank, RaiffeisenBank, FiBank, DSKBank, UniCredit, and ProCredit. You need to register on your bank’s website and provide them with your card details. Online banking can be used on a variety of devices, with most banks offering a mobile application.
Cashterminal
Cashterminal machines, though not online, will provide the user with a real-time payment option for almost all types of cash services, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These services include payment of bills for electricity, phone, water, heating, cable TV, internet, bank loans, leases, and insurance. Cashterminal machines can be found in many places throughout Sofia and other Bulgarian cities, with a full map of locations, found here.
The company relies on technology that is validated on a world scale, where the human factor is minimized, and any possibility of error is practically ruled out. There are no additional charges when paying with Cashterminal; you only need to register on their website or mobile application.
Pay separately
If none of the above methods are convenient for you, you can often pay your bills separately directly on the company’s website. Most companies provide an English translation of their webpage. Mobile operators such as A1 and Vivacom, offer users the option of paying via mobile app, as well as through a browser.
Some useful links to make your separate payments easier:
Pay your CEZ power supply bill here.
Pay your Sofia water bill here.
Pay your gas bill (must register first) here.
Pay your “Toplofikatsiya Sofia” bill here.
