Paying Your Bills in Mexico
A Practical Guide on Managing Utilities, Avoiding Cutoffs, and Paying Like a Local
I recently had a call with someone who was concerned about getting lodging in Mexico, and the topic of utilities came up. I told him I would write an article about it. This is something I never thought about. I assumed people just figured it out, but I figured, why not write an article since there are a lot of nuances?
Whether you are a resident or not, paying utilities isn’t the same as just moving into a new apartment and either calling or going online to change the name on the bill…Paying bills in Mexico is still like doing things in the early 2000s. You don’t just hop on an app and knock everything out in five minutes. Sometimes you have to go to a physical store. Sometimes you need to scan a barcode. And sometimes, if you miss a deadline, you get locked out of paying completely.
This is something that nobody tells you in the shiny YouTube videos about living abroad. But for expats and nomads who want to live in Mexico, knowing how utilities and billing work is critical.
I learned the hard way a couple of times.
Typically, utility bills come every other month, sometimes every 3 months, which means it’s easy to forget, being away from one when one arrives.
A lot of places in Mexico don’t even have mailboxes. It’s not like American houses where there is always a box outside your house, or even an apartment building where the mailperson can easily come in and put the mail in the building boxes.
Often, you either need to be home when mail arrives, or you’re fortunate enough to live in a building with a doorman who either holds the mail or receives it and puts it into a building box.
Once you get the bill, typically iit'sin the owner’snames, so you can’t always go online and change it, and if you don’t have a local bank or card, youcan'tt make online payments. A large percentage of Mexicans don’t even have bank accounts, so often you go to an Oxxo or 7/11 and pay the bill there.
I forgot to pay my electricity bill on time a couple, and once the deadline is up, you can no longer go to OXXO. The system locks. So I’ve had to send or give friends money and ask them to either pay i, or loan me their card numbers, so I can input it. For the longest, I didn’t have a Mexican bank card.
So here’s what I’ll cover in this article:
How utilities like electricity, water, and the internet are billed
Where and how you can pay them (even without a Mexican bank account)
What happens if you miss the deadline
Hacks to avoid stress and fees
Understanding the Utility Landscape
Different regions of Mexico also have different utility companies. Some of them have apps, some don’t. Often, you can’t download the app from the app stores unless your phone is set to Mexico. Even then, you still need a Mexican bank card number.
CFE (Electricity)
CFE (Comisión Federal de Electricidad) is the government-owned electricity company. Bills are typically generated every two months and can be delivered to your door, sent via email, or downloaded online. They include a barcode that you’ll need to make payments in person.
Water (Agua)
Water is managed at the municipal level. In Mexico City, it’s SACMEX. Other places have SAPAS or local authorities. Some landlords pay for water for you, others don’t. These bills can be quarterly or bi-monthly, and often go ignored until someone realizes the water's been shut off.
Internet (Telmex, Izzi, TotalPlay)
Internet providers have their own websites and billing cycles. Most bills are monthly. Telmex is still king in many areas, though Izzi and TotalPlay are popular. Some landlords include internet in rent, but it's good to know how to access your account in case you ever need to fix an outage or make a payment yourself. This can also be paid at a convenience store.
Gas
Some homes have piped natural gas billed monthly. Others rely on propane tanks that are refilled by delivery guys. In either case, it’s usually paid cash-on-delivery or monthly online. If you’re lucky, and it’s not handled by the owner, AND you live in an apartment building. I’ve seen instances where the building admin will write their gas bills, and you pay them.
*I’ve also seen this with drinking water, where the building will hold a dozen 20L Garrafons and you can exchange them in the building vs going out and doing it yourself
Where (and How) to Pay Your Bills
Convenience Stores
OXXO, 7-Eleven, CircleK, etc., and other chain convenience stores let you pay almost all your bills in cash or card. Just bring the barcode. The cashier will scan it, and you’ll pay with a small processing fee (usually $10–20 MXN).
*After the bill's due date, they may stop accepting it. I’ve only experienced e e-store letting me pay my Telmex bill after the due date.
Supermarkets
Walmart, La Comer, Soriana, and similar chains have dedicated payment kiosks or cashier lanes where you can pay utility bills with cash or a card. Again, bring the bill with the barcode.
Online Platforms
CFE and Telmex havetheirn websites and apps
BBVA and Citibanamex allow in-app bill payments
MercadoPago supports bill payments but requires a linked Mexican bank account
Didi Now has a feature where you can pay a lot of your bills on their app. You either type the number or scan the code, and you can pay with any payment account attached, even iit'sts foreign.
If you try to use a foreign card, the results are mixed. Most apps will just reject the payment.
What Happens If You Miss a Deadline?
Miss your CFE deadline by a day? OXXO won’t take it.
This is a huge issue if you don’t have a Mexican bank account, because many providers won’t accept international cards on their websites. And once the deadline passes, your options shrink fast.
Example:
I once missed my electric bill by two days. I went to OXXO and got told "ya no se puede pagar aquÃ." I didn’t have a Mexican debit card, so I couldn’t pay online. I had to message a Mexican friend, send them the bill, and tell them the pesos.
Pay Bills Without a Mexican Bank Card
If you don’t have a local debit card, here are your best workarounds:
Use DolarApp: You get a virtual Mexican card that draws from your USD balance.
Ask a Friend: Send them the bill and pay them back via Wise, Revolut, PayPal, or even cash.
Pay in Cash at Stores: As long as it’s before the deadline, this still works fine. Just keep the printed bill.
*After a couple of times of asking friends, I signed up for DolarApp, which holds money in USDT, accepts pretty much every major Latin American currency, and converts Mexican pesos when you pay. You also get both a virtual and physical card with Mexican numbers to use. The only caveat is that you do need either residency or citizenship to use it.
What Doesn’t Work:
Trying to link foreign PayPal accounts to CFE
Using a U.S. or Canadian credit card for some providers
Assuming you can pay any bill anywhere (not all stores support all providers)
Pro Tips to Avoid Stress
Use Reminders: Calendar alerts at least 3 days before every utility due date.
Photograph or Scan Every Bill: Keep the barcode handy even if you throw out the paper ( I’ve lost many bills by sitting them somewhere in the house)
Register for Email or WhatsApp Alerts: Telmex and some CFE offices allow it even if you don’t have access to pay online.
Prepay: Some providers let you pay for 2-3 months at once
Also, keep a couple of hundred pesos in cash at home. You never know when you’ll have to run to an OXXO to pay for something.
If you want a personalized call? Click the link below. Got questions or horror stories about paying bills in Mexico? Drop a comment.
