I think my PAYG number is about to expire

[dianna85]

I am currently in the USA with my mobile phone.

I last topped up on October 10th 2016.

I turned my phone on two days ago and it usually says "Welcome to the usa" but I have no signal. It says "SOS" in red where the signal bar is. I have never had any trouble before. I have restarted my phone and removed the SIM card and I still cannot get any signal.

When logging into my online account it says I have to enter a security code that has been sent to my phone but I have no signal!

I have £5.25 credit in my account as verified by the online chat. My friends say that my phone says it's turned off when they try and call me.

I don't want my number to expire while I am here and I'm sure it's close to expiring. 

I need to at least send a text or make a phone call every few months to keep it active.

I will not be in the UK until July or August.

Is there anything I can do? 

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @dianna85

I appreciate your situation. 

Below is the official T&C of a Payg account. 

6, Suspension, disconnection and ending the agreement.

a. We can suspend (in other words bar), restrict or stop providing the services (all or part of them) in the following circumstances:

3. You choose not to use the service for 180 consecutive days. Using the service means making any chargeable outbound activity such as making an outbound call (excluding calls to 191), sending an SMS, using data or topping up your account.

b. If we suspend the mobile equipment because you have chosen not to use the services (as defined in 6a3 above) for 180 consecutive days we will send you an SMS notifying you that you should top up your account or make a chargeable outbound call (but not calls to 191), send a chargeable SMS or use your data within the next 90 days.

If you then fail to make any chargeable outbound calls (but not calls to 191), send a chargeable SMS, use your data or top up your account within 90 days from the date of the SMS because you have not kept to this agreement or not used the services for 270 consecutive days, we will disconnect your mobile equipment, and you will lose any credit held on your account.
c. We will try and tell you when we suspend, restrict or end your use, but we do not have to.

From http://www.vodafone.co.uk/cs/groups/configfiles/documents/contentdocuments/pay-as-you-go-terms-and-c...

If Vodafone do deactivate the number then it'll be quarantined and placed back into the number pool for it to be re allocated out at some point. 

Could you send the sim to someone you know in the Uk for them to use to stop this happening. 

Also it maybe worth checking with Live Chat on the status of your account and if for some reason any abroad bar has been activated. 

[Annie_N]

@dianna85

All you have to do to prevent your number from expiring is to top it up. But, if you used it as recently as October, you should only be about 180 days in, after which there is a further 90 days during which you must take action. In case of any doubt about exactly when you last made chargeable usage, you should top up soon.

What model of phone? And have you moved to a different part of the US recently, when the trouble started? There have been a number of changes recently to the frequencies used by some US networks, as a result of which a European tri-band phone no longer works in some areas, and a Eurpoean quad-band phone is essential. Can you borrow access to an unlocked US phone in which you could try your SIM?

[dianna85]

Thank you for your reply. 

I know it's old but I have a Blackberry Curve 8520. Has this phone been affected by the change in frequencies? I haven't moved. 

I could probably try and borrow an unlocked SIM phone to test it. Hopefully the SIM itself is not damaged. 

If I call customer services and top up will the expriation time reset? I can't top up online because when I login it needs a security code.

[Annie_N]

A quick web search suggests that it's a quad-band phone, so I don't think it can be a frequency problem, though I'm a bit puzzled as to what the problem can be. It would be good if you could use Live Chat just to make sure that they can't see a problem with your account.

You should be able to top up using http://www.vodafone.co.uk/shop/existing-customers/topping-up/index.htm without actually having to log in. According to the Ts&Cs (quoted above by BandOfBrothers), topping up alone is sufficient to reset the expiry date, and I have had it confirmed to me that it doesn't require a chargeable action in addition.

[dianna85]

Thank you for the link! I have topped up for now to buy me some time while I figure out where the issue is. 

[Colleen]

@dianna85 It's great to hear you've been able to top up  

As advised, our Live Chat team will be happy to access your account and look into your query. 

If you need any further help, please let us know.