Power bills are one of those household costs that just keep climbing, and when you’ve got a family to run, every extra dollar matters. If you’re weighing up Mercury Energy against the other big providers, you want more than a glossy pricing page – you want to know what it’s actually like to live with. So we dug into the plans, the perks, and what real customers are saying, and looked at it all through a family lens.
Who is Mercury Energy, anyway?
Mercury is one of New Zealand’s “big four” power companies, alongside Contact, Genesis and Meridian. It came about when Mighty River Power rebranded in 2016, and it now serves well over 300,000 households. Mercury says its own generation assets produce electricity from 100% renewable sources, including hydro, geothermal and wind – good news if you like your power (and your kids’ school projects on climate change) to line up with your values.
What plans does Mercury actually offer?
Mercury keeps things fairly simple, with three main options:
- Everyday Rates – an open-term plan with no lock-in, good if you want flexibility (say, while you’re renting or between houses).
- Fixed-term plans – lock in your rate for a set period, handy for budgeting when you know exactly what’s coming out of the account each fortnight.
- Electricity and broadband bundles – combine power with fibre or wireless broadband for a discount, plus the option to add gas at some addresses.
Rates vary by region, meter type and even your specific address, so the number on a comparison site is only ever a starting point. If you want an accurate quote, Powerswitch is the government-backed comparison tool worth running your details through before you commit.
Free Power Days and Rewards: genuinely useful, or just marketing?
This is the bit most families ask about. Mercury’s Rewards programme gives you one point for every dollar you pay on time, which builds towards Free Power Days – 24 hours of free electricity, credited within 35 days. Stick around longer and the anniversary bonuses grow, from one free day after a year or two up to three days once you’ve been with them five-plus years.
Worth knowing: Consumer NZ has pointed out that Rewards is essentially a prompt-payment discount dressed up as a loyalty perk – you only earn points if you pay on time, so it’s less “bonus” and more “reward for good admin.” That’s not necessarily a bad thing (automatic payments make it easy to hit every time), but it’s worth going in with realistic expectations rather than picturing free power showing up out of nowhere.
For a family juggling school terms, sports fees and grocery runs, a genuinely free day of power around a big wash-and-cook weekend is still a nice win – just don’t budget your whole year around it.
Other perks worth a mention
- EV owners with a smart meter get 20% off variable usage between 9pm and 7am through Mercury’s EV Discount – useful if your family car has gone electric and you charge overnight.
- Dual Fuel discount – a small daily discount if you add gas to your electricity plan at the same address.
- Referral bonus – refer a friend and you both pick up rewards points, redeemable for credit or free power days.
- The Mercury app – often one of the better-reviewed parts of the whole experience, making it easy to track usage, pay bills and manage your account without hunting through emails.
The honest bit: customer service
Here’s where it’s worth being upfront with you, because a lot of review sites gloss over this. Mercury’s satisfaction ratings vary a lot depending on where you look – the app scores well, but customer service reviews on sites like Trustpilot are considerably rockier, with recurring complaints about long hold times, billing errors, and slow responses to queries.
That doesn’t mean every family’s experience will be bad. Plenty of customers report clear communication and quick fixes. But if smooth, fast customer service is non-negotiable for you (understandable, when you’ve got three other things going wrong that day), it’s worth reading a few recent reviews yourself before switching, rather than relying on any one site’s summary – including this one.
Moving house with Mercury
If your family’s in the middle of (or facing down) a house move, Mercury lets you shift your account through the app or online under “Move House,” and it’s best to give them a few days’ notice once your date is locked in. If you’re switching to Mercury for the first time, the changeover typically happens within a few days and is capped at a regulated maximum of 10 working days – and your power is never cut off during the switch itself.
Moving with kids already has enough moving parts. One less thing to chase up on moving day is genuinely worth something.
How does Mercury compare to the other big providers?
| Provider | Renewable generation | Standout for families |
|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Own generation assets are 100% renewable | Free Power Days, app experience, EV discount |
| Contact Energy | High | Broadest range of bundles (power, gas, broadband, mobile) |
| Genesis Energy | Lower (includes gas/coal generation) | Government-backed stability, loyalty programme |
| Meridian | High (100% renewable claim) | Strong sustainability focus |
Rates shift often and depend heavily on your address, so treat this as a starting point for your own comparison rather than the final word – always run a quote for your specific household.
Is Mercury Energy right for your family?
It’s a solid pick if you want renewable-backed generation, don’t mind managing your account through an app, and can set up automatic payments to make the most of Rewards. It’s worth pausing on if reliable, fast customer service is your top priority – in that case, read a handful of recent reviews first and weigh them against your own tolerance for the odd hold-music marathon.
If you’re reviewing household costs more broadly, our Working for Families and childcare subsidies guide is also worth checking, especially when every extra dollar matters.
FAQs
Is Mercury Energy 100% renewable?
Mercury says its own generation assets are 100% renewable, using hydro, geothermal and wind. Like all electricity retailers, your household supply still comes through the national grid, so this is about Mercury’s generation portfolio rather than a separate wire to your home.
How do Free Power Days work?
You earn points through Mercury’s Rewards programme by paying your bill on time. Once you’ve built up enough, you get 24 hours of free electricity credited to your account within 35 days.
How long does it take to switch to Mercury?
Switching is usually done within a few days, with a regulated maximum of 10 working days, and your power supply continues throughout.
Can I bundle broadband with my Mercury power plan?
Yes – Mercury offers fibre and wireless broadband bundles alongside electricity, with entry-level broadband plans starting from around $69-$70 a month, depending on connection type and availability.
The bottom line
No power company is perfect, and Mercury is no exception – strong on renewable generation and app-based convenience, a bit more hit-or-miss on customer service. If you’re comparing providers for your family, run your address through Powerswitch, read a few recent reviews, and make the call based on what actually matters for your household: price, perks, or peace of mind when something goes wrong.
This post reflects publicly available information at the time of writing. Power plans, rates and rewards programmes change often – always confirm current details directly with Mercury or via Powerswitch before switching.