Short Prepaid Questions

[Danield]

This is a very specific concern and I'm looking for very specific answers.

Please answer only if you have experience with Prepaid plans.

Scenario:

-I am a FIDO Prepaid customer

-I use the 30¢ Anytime plan: this is a BY-THE-MINUTE plan, with 30¢/minute, any time of day

-On January 1st, 2013, the start of my billing cycle, I put $10 on my account and turn off my phone.

Question 1:

I don't touch my phone until February 1st, 2013. What is going to happen on my account? How much money will I have left?

Question 2

I don't touch my phone until December 1st, 2013. What is going to happen on my account? How much money will I have left?

[FidoJudhy · Accepted solution]

Hey Danield!

If you do not refill your account prior to the expiry date which will be 30 days after the refill, so on January 30th at the latest, your balance wil be lost and you will no longer have money in the account.

If you do not use the phone within the 6 months following the refill, so by June 30th, 2013, the service will be cancelled, but it is still possible to get your phone number back.

If you do not use the phone within 1 year following the date of the last refill, so by December 31st, 2013, the phone number will be fully cancelled.

To be more specific:

- On February 1st, 2013, you will have $0.
- On December 1st, 2013, you will have $0 and the service will be inactive.

I hope this clarifies.

[Danield]

Thanks FidoJudhy for that great reply. So basically, there are several basic rules that apply to pre-paid phone numbers, as far as inactivity is concerned:

- every 30 days, balance expires and needs replenishing (unless one uses a $100 refill)

- it takes 6 months of inactivity for phone service to be "partially deactivated" - but with the possibility of re-activating the phone number within another 6 months, after which, the service and number is fully cancelled)

One more question:

If, on February 1st, 2013, I switch my phone ON but I fail to refill my account, what actuallly happens with my phone service between February 1st, 2013 and June 30th, 2013? I won't be able to use it, because it will have had $0 balance, right? But I'll be able to refill it at any time, if I choose to make calls, right?

Can you take a look at the following scenarios and check if I got them right? I'm mainly interested in B:

A: Month 1: refill

B: Months 2-6: if no refill, previous money is lost; with $0 balance, no calls in or out, until refilled; line is refillable at any time, no need to contact FIDO

C: Months 6-12: if no refill, line is partically deactivated; one needs to call FIDO, to re-activate line, to refill account, to use the line

D: Month 13: line is fully cancelled, number is lost

[FidoJudhy]

Hey Danield!

Between February 1st, 2013 and June 30th, 2013, you will not be able to use the phone, but will be able to refill at any time, that is correct.

All of your scenarios are correct

[kaletogo]

In the scenario "Months 6-12: if no refill, line is partically deactivated; one needs to call FIDO, to re-activate line, to refill account, to use the line" is there charge to reactivate the line/phone number?

Many thanks

[Danield]

Hi kaletogo,

kaletogo, to answer your question, no, I don't think there is a charge to "revive" an account after 6+ months of inactivity (up to 11 months). I'm 99% sure that all you have to do is add regular credit, let's say $10, but you have to call fido to do that.

[kaletogo]

Thanks for that Danield.  I have not refilled my phone for over two months before and when I came to refill it it went back to normal.

[Danield]

Thanks for your help.