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"Your balance was too low to get your monthly allowance"

Anonymous
Not applicable

I used to have O2 home broadband, and got a reduced tariff if I topped up a O2 PAYG phone sim every month or quarter (can't remember which). Anyway, because I didn't use the O2 sim in my main mobile phone, I built up a big balance which I'd use in a spare phone when travelling abroad. I'm no longer using O2 home broadband so have stopped topping up the balance, and I now have just just over £30 left.

 

When I log into my account I now see a message saying "Your balance was too low to get your monthly allowance". Since I don't use O2 much I don't have a clue what this means. What monthly allowance are they referring to, and why don't I have enough for it? 

 

I want to continue using it on an ad-hoc PAYG basis, mainly using 'O2 travel' when abroad and making use of the £1.99/50MB mobile data deal - but only a couple of times a year.  Has something changed that means I can no longer do this, but need a "monthly allowance" instead? And if so, why is a £30+ balance insufficient for it?

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MI5
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Some of the PAYG tariffs changed recently and some were deleted but if you were on one of those tariffs you should of have a text to inform you.
It's probably best that you call 4445 or ask on Live chat to confirm which tariff you are on and to discuss the implications of it.
I have no affiliation whatsoever with O2 or any subsidiary companies. Comments posted are entirely of my own opinion. This is not Customer Service so we are unable to help with account specific issues.

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jonsie
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When did you last use it? The sim has to be used to make a chargeable call every 6 months. If its longer than that call customer service to reactivate it and get the credit updated.

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Anonymous
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Thanks. If they sent me a text I wouldn't have seen it, because the sim hasn't been in a phone (in fact the phone that takes a full-sized sim is dead, so I'm in the process of swapping over to a microsim). I don't recall receiving an email, which is my preferred method of contact. I'll speak to O2 and see if they can communicate with my by email instead of text.
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Anonymous
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Ah. Maybe this is a new rule as well - it's definitely not how it worked in the past. Looks like the goalposts have moved significantly.
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Anonymous
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It may be that O2 doesn't suit me any more, if it's imposing monthly allowance and minimum usage rules. Do you know if I can get my balance refunded, or does the money now belong to O2?
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MI5
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Call CS and they will reactivate the sim which will restore your balance but you can't actually get it back as money.
I have no affiliation whatsoever with O2 or any subsidiary companies. Comments posted are entirely of my own opinion. This is not Customer Service so we are unable to help with account specific issues.

Currently using:
Pixel 7a (O2 & Lyca), One Plus 6 (Sfr), iPhone 12 Pro Max (Vodafone)
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jonsie
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They haven't changed the terms, it was always been a condition that the phone had to be used every 6 months to remain active. You will get the credit back on the sim though.....

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Anonymous
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Thanks. My sim has never been deactivated, despite sometimes not using it for a year or more, and it hasn't been deactivated on this occasion. The message "your balance is too low" apparently means that, until I top up, I won't get any free UK calls or texts (free allowances). Which is fair enough - I don't need them because I rarely if ever use the SIM in the UK.  What it doesn't mean, which is what I'd originally feared, is that if I top up I'd have been forced to buy a bundle - I was worried about that because the new sim I received came in packaging that said 'Big Bundles', and the website implied that once I topped up, it would immediately make me buy a bundle, and then continue to do so monthly. This can be deactivated by O2 so I remain on my previous simple PAYG tariff. 

 

O2 have explained to me that once they've swapped my number/account from my old sim to my new one, my account will remain exactly as it was before, including the balance.   

 

One worrying thing was that as soon as I put the new sim in my new phone (which I needed to do to get a texted code from O2 befroe they could check my account) I got a message saying that £1 had been automatically deducted for data. O2 refunded that, but I'm left wondering why that happened. Hopefully it won't happen again. 

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MI5
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The £1 was for web daily internet charge. You need to turn off mobile data on your phone.
I have no affiliation whatsoever with O2 or any subsidiary companies. Comments posted are entirely of my own opinion. This is not Customer Service so we are unable to help with account specific issues.

Currently using:
Pixel 7a (O2 & Lyca), One Plus 6 (Sfr), iPhone 12 Pro Max (Vodafone)
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