My data useage alerts exceed my useage history

[gskalin]

My dashboard says I've exceeded my 20GB this period, and i've received text warnings for the same. But I didn't believe I had used that much, so I checked useage history from your site and it only indicates <5GB. Why the discrepancy? My concern is that I will be overcharged for data I haven't actally used.

[Cpt_Captcha]

Hi @gskalin, good catch. This is almost always a counter mismatch between the live billing counter and the downloadable usage log (which can lag or aggregate sessions). Do these in order:

Quick checks (2 minutes)

1. Confirm the exact cycle window
   Overview ▸ Your Subscription → note renewal date/time.

2. Export the full‑cycle CSV and total only data rows
   View Usage History → select from last renewal → now → Download.
   In the CSV, total only “Data (Web)” rows for this line. (Ignore SMS/MMS.)

3. See if add‑ons are being consumed
   Subscriptions & Add‑Ons ▸ My Add‑ons → check remaining data add‑ons. Those should only decrement after the 20 GB bucket is truly empty.

4. Protect add‑ons while you verify
   Temporarily enable Data Saver/Low Data Mode or toggle Mobile Data off and use Wi‑Fi until the numbers line up.

If the mismatch remains

Open a ticket (chat bubble → CS_Agent) and include:

• Screenshot of the dashboard showing “exceeded 20 GB,”

• Your CSV (full‑cycle range) with the <5 GB total highlighted,

• Screenshot of Add‑ons showing any unexpected deduction.

Ask them to audit/rebuild the data counter for this cycle and restore any add‑on data used due to the discrepancy.

Notes

• PM is prepaid: you won’t be overcharged; when plan data is out, data stops.

• Phone data trackers are fine as a secondary check, but they must be aligned to PM’s 30‑day cycle (not calendar month) to be meaningful.

• Using the official PM app is a good way to monitor the live counter; then compare to your CSV when needed.

If you’d like, I can help total your CSV and sanity‑check it against your cycle dates. 👍

Ask ChatGPT
https://chatgpt.com/

There are lots of free tools out there that can help you understand (all the technical stuff) and explain things in (normal) terms which can help you learn lots of tricks to save on data!

[gskalin]

Understood that I can't be overcharged, my concern is a) data running out when it shouldn't and b) because i've now exceeded my monthly limit, it's eating up data from various data add-ons I've accumulated over time.

[gskalin]

I'm refering to the 'View Usage History' option when you log into your PM account .. this is data provided directly from PM (which you can download into .csv and add up yourself), I'm not referring to any data tracker on my phone.

[hTideGnow]

hi @gskalin 

where is the "My Data Usage" is that the phone's tracker?  PM is on a 30 days cycle and cycle start date keeps changing.  So, if you use the phone tracker, you likely have to change the start date every month as month phone tracker can only track monthly plan and not 30 days plan that PM has

[ORNGNBLK]

@gskalin  could very well be a system glitch, try refreshing your browser and clearing cache. 

As long as your data still works, I wouldn't put too much stock in the numbers.  However, if its a true issue and your data stops, open a ticket using the orange chat bubble on the bottom right of the screen and escalate to CS_Agent to dive deeper. Hope this helps 

*Edit, as PM is prepaid service, you cannot be over charged for extras. The data would simply cease to function until the next cycle resets