Can you pause prepaid telephone service to avoid non -payment?

Although there is something you hope never happens, there may be times when you find it impossible to pay for your prepaid telephone service in time. On the other hand, maybe you are going out of the country and wondering how long you can go before you risk losing your account and number or if you can somehow take a break your service. So can you safely miss a payment? The answer is often yes, but there are some things you should be aware of.

Each US-based prepaid supplier will suspend your account at the moment a payment is missed, which means you immediately lose the opportunity to call, text or use data. The good news is that most carriers give you a installment -free period to renew your service before your number is lost permanently. However, the length of this installment period varies from the supplier, and some offer several options to help you avoid missing a payment in the first place.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common suspension windows before a carrier interrupts your account, as well as alternative options such as breaking or parking your account.

A quick look at the suspension windows for all the largest carriers

Although this is not a comprehensive list, I looked closely at some of the most Popular prepaid suppliers Out there to find out each company’s guidelines about missing a payment. Here’s how long you can go without payment before you risk permanent loss of telephone line:

• Tello: 5 days
• US mobile: 30 days
• Visible: 60 days
• Metro of T-Mobile: 60 days
• MINT MOBILE: 60 days
• Google FI: 60 days
• Total Wireless: 60 days
• Cricket: 60 days
• Verizon Prepaid: 60 days
• AT&T Prepaid: 60 days
• T-Mobile Prepaid: 90 Days

As you can see, most carriers give you 60 days from your lost payment date to resolve your account before your number is lost permanently. As long as you shop in this window, you will not risk losing access to the telephone line. T-Mobile is the most generous, with a 90-day policy, while US Mobile offers the shortest installment-free period of just 30 days-in the smallest outside Tello, which has an insanely card 5-day window.

Can you port to another carrier if the prepaid service is currently inactive?

Usually no. Lately, more carriers on this list will allow people to port out of inactive numbers that did not have outstanding balance, including American mobile. This policy has fallen out of advantage, probably as a way of preventing fraud. The good news is that I was able to confirm that there is still one option out there: Tello.

Tello only gives you five days to make a decision, but it lets you out, even if you no longer have a technical service. Every other prepaid carrier I examined will immediately set your account status to inactive when you miss a payment, which means you will not usually be able to port out your number before renewing service.

Tello will turn off the service after the due date, but gives you five days to pay a payment, change your plan or port to another supplier before the plan is fully inactive. It also offers the opportunity to park your number for $ 3 per month, which I will discuss later. If you do not take any measures during the five days, you may still have a short chance to renew your service, but usually your number will be lost permanently within a week after the end of the mercy period. In other words, we do not recommend changing it.

Are there any reactivation fees with the prepaid carriers above?

Most prepaid suppliers do not require reactivation fees for lost payments. In fact, I was unable to find a single supplier that emits such a fee, other than cricket wireless. It charges $ 5 for single -line accounts and $ 15 for multiple lines.

If you travel in the long term, there are three carriers standing out if you are looking for something easy to put off and get back to. You may want to consider switching to these plans going forward. Let’s start with the best option: Google.

Google’s own telephone service lets you pause your plan before the next billing cycle while keeping your account on a good reputation. While pause, you won’t be able to use your phone number, but Google will keep it free for up to three months at a time, with a total break limit of 180 days per year.

Then we have Tello. I have already mentioned that it also lets you take a break in your account. Unlike Google FI, is not a break, as you have to switch to the parked plan for $ 3 a month. When you are ready to resume the service, you can easily switch back to a standard plan.

Last but not least, the US Mobile has a Snooze plan for existing customers who cost $ 2.98 per month and let you keep your number while taking a break. This works pretty much the same as Tello’s parking plan.

Unfortunately, the rest of the carriers on the list do not offer an official break feature. Even if you can generally skip payment for about a month without losing your number (except with Tello), I do not recommend it if you have any other option.

If you have already missed your payment, your options are limited. However, if you still have time before the billing cycle ends, parking of the number can be a great solution. Parking your number is a great option if you either struggle financially and can’t afford your full plan price or travel for an extended period of time and won’t waste money on a plan you don’t want to spend.

Just like parking of websites, number parking means you pay a supplier to keep your number, but you won’t get services such as talk, text or data. I personally recommend Number children If you are looking for something cheap, then you only pay $ 2 per month. As I mentioned earlier, there is also Tello’s parking plan of $ 3 per monthwhich is available even if you come from another prepaid supplier. Unlike Number children, Tello also offers an option to resume full telephone service later if you decide to activate directly with them.

What if you are a frequent traveler and need to keep your number for months or more? In that case, we would recommend Google Voice, as you may end up paying less in the long term.

Although not exactly a parking service, Google Voice lets you send your number for a one -time fee of $ 20. Although this is more expensive in advance than $ 2 to $ 3 a month Parking services require you, the key difference is that you don’t have to pay monthly fees to keep your number. Even better, you can still use the line for calls and messages via a computer or mobile app as long as you are connected to Wi-Fi.

Unlike free Google Voice numbers, a ported number is protected and remains active as long as your Google account is not left for two years. After that, the account becomes inactive and you may risk losing the Google Voice number permanently.