How does RFID prepayment work on marina pedestals?

Short answer: with RFID prepayment, a boat owner buys credit from the marina office, then activates their pedestal outlet with an RFID card or a phone. The pedestal meters the electricity and water used and deducts it from the owner's balance. When the credit runs out, the supply stops until the owner tops up. The marina collects the money upfront and no longer has to read meters or chase unpaid bills.

How it works with Meqtec pedestals

1. Registration: the marina office registers the boat owner in the management software and assigns them a socket and a water tap.

2. Top-up: the owner pays the marina in the usual way (cash, card, bank transfer). The office loads the credit, which goes straight to the pedestal. Credit can also be written to the card with a desktop reader and moves to the pedestal the first time the card is read.

3. Use: the owner holds the RFID card to the reader, or connects with a phone, and switches on power or water.

4. Metering: the pedestal measures consumption on that socket and tap and deducts it from the balance in real time.

5. Monitoring: the office sees consumption, balances and pedestal status, can switch sockets on or off remotely, and prints reports.

The balance lives in the pedestal, not on the card

In many prepaid systems the credit is stored on the card, so a lost, broken or sea-dropped card means lost money. On Meqtec pedestals the balance is held in the pedestal. A lost card is simply replaced and the credit stays where it was.

Phone access without an app or internet

Boat owners can also connect their phone directly to the pedestal over Wi-Fi and open its page in the phone's browser. They check their balance and switch their outlet on or off. No app download, no internet connection and no user account are needed. Cards and phones work side by side.

No cloud, no subscription

The pedestals connect to the marina office software over the marina's own local network, by Wi-Fi or Ethernet. There is no external server, no monthly fee and no customer data leaving the marina. If the network connection drops, pedestals keep working with RFID cards.

The marina keeps control of its revenue

Meqtec does not process payments. The marina takes payment through its existing channels and keeps all of it, with no transaction fees. On larger projects, the system can be integrated with the marina's existing management software through an API.

Is prepayment right for your marina?

Prepayment suits marinas with visiting boats, seasonal berths or many small users, where reading meters and invoicing each boat costs time. It also encourages boat owners to use less energy and water, because they see their balance going down.

Prepaid control is available across the Meqtec marina pedestal range and is already in use at marinas in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Learn more on the Smart Management page or ask us for a configuration. Related guides: What determines pedestal price? and How many pedestals does a marina need?