Phone 202 and speak to an advisor - if this isn't a regular occurence then they can normally work something out for you. I wouldn't just leave it until you get cut off, because then you can be liable for fees and charges (and of course you can't use your phone for a while)
you get cut off usually within around three days of getting an alert of your overdue bill but you can get an advisor to hold your bill for you or pay half the bill now and the other half later
You get at least 14 days to pay from your bill date. For instance if yours is the 5th of the month, it has to be paid by the 19th. If your a good customer you may even get a couple of days over that.
Nothing to do with being a good customer, the automatic billing process applies a bar if payment is not received one week after the due date. The advice to call in and discuss it is the best.
I called them to try and fix it as i knew my payment date was coming and that i couldnt afford to pay it on time. I was told my payment date was moved to the end of the month. The next day i get told its overdue. So i call them and they say it will only affect future bills so i tell them i cant pay it and they say theyll put it on hold and make sure my future payments dates are the end of the month. That was five days ago. Wake up today with two months bills due AND my servide cut off. I would have been able to pay one of the months bills in full, bit now i am overdue of my device plan as i could only afford airtime. I'll be calling o2 and complaining. I never pay my bills late. I try once to let them know the problems im having and they totally screw me over!
Ask for a payment plan for the outstanding money and ask services can be put back on. If not, then pay up as quickly as you can. PS, you are not billed for the time the service is not available to you