Top up means to add money to something: a phone balance, a travel card, an account. The second meaning is to fill something up to the top again: oil in an engine, water in a tank, tea in a cup. In Britain it's an everyday word; Americans more often say top off when they fill something to the top.
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top up + phone/card/account (with + amount); top up + oil/glass/tank; top it up; a top-up
- Can I top up my phone at this shop, or only online?
- Before the long drive, Dad topped up the oil and checked the tyres.
- Let me top up your glass, there's plenty of juice left.
What changed
First versionI topped up my phone on 500 roubles.
RevisionI topped up my phone with 500 roubles.
The amount you add is introduced with with, not on: top up my phone with 500 roubles. If what matters is how much the balance went up, by also works: top up your account by 500 roubles.
Top up and fill up are similar, but top up means to add to something that's already partly full, while fill up means to fill something that's almost empty: I only need to top up the tank, not fill it up. The pronoun goes in the middle: top it up, not top up it.
Your turn
Before the trip, I ___ my bus card with twenty pounds at the station machine.
Show the answer
topped up — A card is topped up with money: topped up. Filled up is used about a tank or container being filled, and it doesn't work with a card and an amount of money.
Describe how you top up your travel card or phone. Say how often you do it and what amount you add.
I top up my travel card once a month with 1,500 roubles at the metro station.
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