No longer in need of 2 year old PM account

[LovesToPM]

Someone in the family no longer needs their account. Is selling the account an option?

If so, can anyone offer suggestions to safely transfer a PM account over to another person?

Also can anyone assign a ballpark $ value for this 22 month old account? It's on the $15 monthly plan and having the original rewards program.

[darlicious]

@chipmunk 

Proof is in the pudding! Read this.

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-help/articles/promos-for-suspended-accounts

[darlicious]

@chipmunk 

Do you have a copy of your transaction history from your activation? Or your welcome email? Both have your promotion listed.

 

[darlicious]

@chipmunk 

Is this helps reassure you here are two screenshots of an account activated August 5th 2021. It was activated with the $35 plan and a similar code bonus that gave 3 GB of bonus recurring plan data with an unlimited expiry date. I suspended it via lost/stolen on the evening of September 3rd / 4th after 9:00 p.m. Pacific as it had renewed but payment had not been taken yet. It was then reactivated on October 13th 2021. As you can see the data promotion stayed in place.

 

 

[chipmunk]

@darlicious 

Thanks for taking the time for a reply. Really glad that suspending works for you, but...

I might not be posting often but from what I read it seems that not all of those 2GBBONUS ("unlimited") are programmed equally.

Plus, some of the CSA interactions I've had over the past year or so left a bit of a bitter taste in terms of them being willing to even look into problems that cropped up since introduction of the new "My Account". Heck, at this point I'm holding my breath on each renewal after I've used all my data, because I don't have proof of having that 2GBBONUS once it's used up since it's just dropping off the page unlike under the old version of "My Account". (Yes, I do have a screen shot of it while I still have it, but still, the payment history only says 3GB.)

So with my luck the CSA will accuse me (again) of making up stuff that I can't prove and tell me to suck it up because it clearly says so in the promo post. 

[darlicious]

@chipmunk 

Of course the choice is yours to make as I cannot 100% guarantee anything with public mobile. But I can tell you I have suspended more than one account with a bonus monthly recurring plan data promotion for up to 89 days in some cases and the promotion remains in place.

I have even suspended accounts with a bonus promotion that has an expiry date... ie "for the next 12 months." These would be promotions that have a month counter displayed with the data counter (1/12). Suspending the account via lost/stolen also retains the expiry counter so if it was suspended for 2 months after the first month of service the counter remains at 1/12.

[chipmunk]

@darlicious 

I wish you were right. Unfortunately the promo fine print says differently and I would not have a chance to get it back if I lost it. Not willing to take that chance, 3GB/$35 ($33) is not a good deal.

[LovesToPM]

Hi @darlicious 

Seriously that's very useful and thorough info.

Thanks as always for your helpful points and suggestions!

[darlicious · Accepted solution]

@LovesToPM 

When it comes to transferring the account and insuring the least amount of personal or sensitive account information is shared you will need to remove as much personal information as possible.

• First create a throwaway email account and contact customer support to change the email on the account to the throwaway email.
• Edit the profile by removing as much personal information as possible.
• Change the name ie. John Smith.
• Change the address to a generic address with a randomly chosen postal code of the city in the new address.
• ie. 24 Sus**bleep** Dr, Ottawa, ON, K1M1M4
• Change the four digit account pin #.
• Remove the alternate phone number and replace it with a randomly chosen phone number.
• Lastly change the password.
• Replace the credit card on file with a $0 credit gift card. (If you need one just private message me and I will give you the card details of one of mine.)
• Make sure you have disabled 2FA verification. 
• Choose a new phone # for the account

Make sure you record all the changes you have made within the account in case there is an issue accessing the self-service account and verification has to be done through customer support.

If the SIM card is to be exchanged in person for any negotiated reimbursement then the password and username (email) can be turned over at the same time.

If the SIM card needs to be swapped and reimbursement is not in person then an element of trust needs to be taken. Remain logged into both the self-serve account and the throwaway email account and share the password and username.

Once the password and username are received the new account holder can transfer any agreed upon reimbursements (or vice versa.)

Once that is settled the new account holder can swap the SIM card and you send the verification code. If the new account holder has reservations you can share the throwaway email's password so they are assured that they can receive the verification code by that method. Once the SIM card is swapped the new account holder has control of the account and can change the password and 4 digit account pin # followed by the phone number and they can edit the profile.

They would then contact customer support to change the email to one of their choosing. You can then log into (but should be already during this process)the throwaway email and change the password and verification infoif needed 

You may want to share any historical information like the activation date etc... along with the full credit/gift card details in case they are needed for further verification with customer support.

Transfer complete.

Edit:

Lol... Okay maybe don't pick that randomly chosen address!!🤪

[darlicious]

@chipmunk 

Suspending your plan won't affect your data bonus. It will still be there when you reactivate. I can assure you that suspending via lost/stolen or for non-payment has no effect on the bonus recurring plan data.

[darlicious]

@LovesToPM 

If you want to assign a straight-up value to the account and let's say you can pass over the physical SIM card then the account holds in value the following:

• $3   Account balance
• $10 Sim card
• $60/2×$30/2gb bonus data add-ons
• $10 - $50/2×500min intl long distance*
• $83 - $123+rewards

*Holiday add on minutes have a value of $0.01/min to $0.05/min depending on usage.

Of course value is what another person is willing to negotiate and you both agree upon which could be $0 or purely on market value up to $123+the intrinsic value of the rewards.

I would also say it holds more value to a customer who only needs the $15 plan or maybe the $25 plan. Anyone who wants a higher data plan would find slightly less value in this account as they cannot avail themselves of any of the bonus recurring plan data promotions. If the SIM card does not need replacing then receiving a free SIM card already activated is the same as getting a $10 bonus referral credit. If for example they wanted to activate to take advantage of the bonus referral credit and they didn't have a friend or family member with one to give them then you both have an interest in receiving the $25 promotional bonus credit. I would split the value of the bonus data down the middle and call it $25 each with you receiving $25 from the new account holder.

I would only assign the lowest value to the long distance minutes 2×$5/500min=$10

And of course you have $3 in monetary funds.

$3+$10=$13+$25=$38+tip? (+12 months×$1=$12?) To represent the first 12 months of no loyalty reward perhaps? =$50?

If you ensure that you don't need to suspend the account for more than 60 days then loyalty will apply as scheduled and the account will earn $4/30 days more or less when the new account holder takes it over. At $4×12 months =$48 the new account holder earns back in their first 12 months with public mobile nearly all that they would pay out in this scenario.

You both would get approximately the same value as activating and referring a new customer during a bonus referral credit promotion. And if no SIM card needs to be bought the new account folder benefits by getting a "free" SIM card as the initial $10 bonus referral credit was meant to recover the cost of a SIM card. That's my take on it anyways.🤔😃🍒

I will follow up with my best advice on account transfers. Good luck!

[Patchio]

@dust2dust  I wasn't referring to you specifically, but just the idea. I understand it's not necessary to hand over the SIM card. Perhaps I'm looking at the situation from my own perspective as a new PM user, one who didn't have a spare SIM card ready and available, and had to purchase one several days before I finally activated my account. I know long time PM users are more likely to have spare SIM cards available, but it shouldn't be an expectation.

@CountyDownIeUk  Yes, the transaction would be faster and simpler without having to transfer the physical SIM card from one user to another. I was looking at it from the perspective of a seller that was trying to recover most of their upfront costs with PM. So in that case, they would charge a price that includes the cost of the SIM card, postage, and whatever they calculated as the value of their plan. Perhaps in my mind, it's easier to sell the plan with the SIM card because you're actually getting something that physically exists, rather than just the account information and login credentials.

(Sigh)

PM does the bare minimum to give the impression that it cares about its users, but based on what I've seen, PM doesn't do nearly enough to show its users that they actually matter. I'm not saying this to be overly critical, this is simply how I feel having been a long time PM Community forum lurker. For example, the self-serve website works, except when it doesn't because of caching issues; scheduled plan changes work, except when they fail and cause a significant service outage; referrals are great, except when they magically disappear for some unknown reason and you lose the points/discount with absolutely no recourse; submitting one ticket after another to chase down RAF bonus credits that you're eligible for, but that PM didn't apply to your account for some odd reason. The list could go on and on and on. 

Why must being a PM customer be so hard? I don't know, it shouldn't be so difficult. PM could AND should be doing so much more for how little they spend to keep their operations going. Instead they spend most of the budget on marketing, and it's mind-boggling to me.

[CountyDownIeUk]

@Patchio 

The idea of no SIM exchange needed make the process faster and simpler. Can be done all over email. And pay, if required, by interac or PayPal. And both parties can be hundreds of kilometres apart. I have seen accounts being given away on Craigslist. But your right a $25 RAF, plus $10 is a great start up incentive. And the points program is still better than Lucky or Speakout would it not be. And the PM freebies. They do take care of us although.......

[dust2dust]

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@Patchio wrote:

Some users are suggesting that you don't provide the physical SIM card if you decide to sell your account, but that makes no sense to me. If a person has to buy a new SIM card ($5 to $10), wouldn't they be better off activating a new account with a referral code and combining it a promotion like the $25 ($5 x 5) Refer-a-Friend bonus offer? They wouldn't have to pay additional money upfront in that scenario, whereas if they want your account, they would have to pay for a new SIM card, plus whatever you intend to charge them for ownership of your account. You can always send the SIM card through the mail instead of meeting in-person.

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@Patchio- You might be referring to me. I was not saying not to provide it, I was saying it's not required to hand it over. That some one would very likely already have a sim.

[Patchio]

Just my two cents regarding the value of your account.

In the past, I've seen people try to sell PM accounts, but it was usually the 90 days/12 GB/$120 accounts where you could use the data whichever way you like over the course of three months. These accounts were valuable because they offered 4G LTE data, something you wouldn't get unless you were with the first or second-tier wireless providers. The auto-pay and loyalty discounts didn't hurt either. 

Value is highly subjective in this case, because what you're technically selling is the "privilege" of a PM account with loyalty and auto-pay discounts under the old Rewards program. You're hoping someone is willing to pay for that "privilege", even though paying for an account would already reduce some of the savings that would come from owning it. 

This account is most valuable to someone that intends to stay with PM for the long haul, AND assuming that the Rewards program remains active. For instance, if PM suddenly decides to move all users under the Rewards program to Public Points tomorrow, then all the discounts would be completely nullified. Similarly, if someone takes over your account and realizes that PM isn't for them after a few months, they would have spent money in hopes of savings that never materialized.

Some users are suggesting that you don't provide the physical SIM card if you decide to sell your account, but that makes no sense to me. If a person has to buy a new SIM card ($5 to $10), wouldn't they be better off activating a new account with a referral code and combining it a promotion like the $25 ($5 x 5) Refer-a-Friend bonus offer? They wouldn't have to pay additional money upfront in that scenario, whereas if they want your account, they would have to pay for a new SIM card, plus whatever you intend to charge them for ownership of your account. You can always send the SIM card through the mail instead of meeting in-person.

In short, the value of your account ranges from zero to the potential savings that you have already calculated. The true value is whatever price someone is willing to pay for it, and that might be significantly less than what you are expecting.

[Patchio]

Yup, definitely frustrating. Even more frustrating for me was the fact that I wanted to activate an account on January 25th, without realizing it was already too late. I thought the rewards program switch-over was slated to happen on the 26th or the end of that week, so I kept thinking I still had time.

I've never been a fan of the Public Points program, so even the 3x the points on purchases for a year wasn't enough to convince me to activate an account. I only activated my account recently due to the $25 ($5 x 5) Refer-a-Friend bonus offer, and that hasn't gone smoothly either because I didn't get the first credit in my account even though I entered a referral code successfully during activation.

[dabr]

@LovesToPM    I'm sure you can arrive at a fair price to both parties as there definitely is value in the old rewards compared to the new points. 

However, I would definitely first replace your email address with one that doesn't contain any real names and update any other personal info in the  account and, of course, update the payment card with a spent giftcard.  Of course, you've probably already done most of those things by now.   😊  

If you need a spent gift card, I'm sure @darlicious will be able to give you the details of one to use and more than likely she'll know of someone who's interested in taking over the account as well. 

[CountyDownIeUk]

There would be some value to the balance,  any “paid for” add ons, and the loyalty discount. But not dollar for dollar. 

Seller would have to provide:

email address and password for log in

password for email address 

PIN number 

plus?

SIM not necessary? Perhaps not but don’t know what the verification process is to do a SIM change 

seller will lose the phone number. 

By know I imagine it is gone through private messages. 

[LovesToPM]

If I understand the new points reward system v.s. the old rewards one, it really depends on which PM plan one will have. Isn't the old rewards system still better for a minimal plan like the $15 plan?

For this account, we are getting $3 monthly discount (autopay+loyalty), so the $15 plan is $12 + taxes which translates to 20% discount.

After 2 months, the monthly discount will be $4 (autopay+ $2 loyalty), so the plan will cost $11 + taxes (27% discount).

In one year, the monthly discount will be $5 (autopay+ $3 loyalty), so the plan will cost $10 + taxes (33% discount).

It seems like this is a good plan to keep going.

[JL9]

Ughh don't remind me - geez that is beyond frustrating.At least you should be getting the 3x points on purchases for a year so you are actually doing better than both the old rewards and the new rewards ppl who activated before that started (at least for purchases/$2 autopay bonus)

[dust2dust]

This is the second time someone has said to hand over the sim card. That is not required. The new owner can get their own card. When they get account access then they can change to their sim. Sure, if you're actually physically "handing over" the account then hand over the sim but this would likely be someone they don't actually know or are nearby.

@LovesToPM- might also want to reset the voicemail password and remove any greetings and messages in the voicemail.

@JL9?

[Yummy]

You have good account being on old rewards system.

I would suggest to post your 'sell ad' weekly and maybe somebody would like to take over.

Credit card has to be changed and your SIM has to be passed to buyer. Then buyer can change email and password and address details and phone number.

[will13am]

@LovesToPM , here are my answers to your questions.

1.  Assigning the account to someone else is simple, just have the new owner provide the login credentials and have it updated in the account.  Pass on the SIM card, done.

2.  Answer to 2 is contained in 1.

3.  The value of an account transfer is nice warm feeling that someone else can make good use of the plan.  Due to recency bias, any attempt to charge for the transfer would negate any value in such a transfer.  Nobody wants to wait years to see a net benefit.  Make a friend happy, that is my advice.

Note that if you do an account transfer, the phone number will go with the transfer.  Make sure that is acceptable to you.

[esjliv]

@LovesToPM - you could do the Suspend process (by nonpay or list lost/stolen) for every 87-89 days, then reactivate for 1 cycle to keep it alive it you wish, until you have someone you know you can pass this along too. Set some good reminders for yourself so things don't go through the cracks.

These are great young kids starter plans, well adults too! But, it is possible you may find someone along the way.

Remember to replace the credit card with a dummy gift card or something first (to keep $2 autopay reward going), before you hand it over to anyone, or ensure they input theirs.

[Patchio]

Darn. If I hadn't activated my account earlier in September, I would definitely consider taking over your 2 year old account.

I always wanted to activate a PM account under the old rewards system, but I missed the January 24, 2022 deadline, so I'm stuck with the current points system, which simply isn't comparable in the long term.

[chipmunk]

No real help here, it's just interesting that I've spent this evening trying to figure out what to do with my "data plan", now that I've scheduled the upgrade on my primary line to the $55/20GB plan to allow for increased usage due to life changes...

It's $35 (-$2 autopay, -$1 loyalty as of next renewal) for 3GB + the unrestricted 2GB bonus = 5GB on 3G speed. Unfortunately, if I change the plan in any way (more data and/or speed) or put it in suspension, the bonus data is lost. And simply abandoning a plan on the old rewards would be my very last choice. 

[computergeek541]

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@LovesToPM wrote:

Someone in the family no longer needs their account. Is selling the account an option?

If so, can anyone offer suggestions to safely transfer a PM account over to another person?

Also can anyone assign a ballpark $ value for this 22 month old account? It's on the $15 monthly plan and having the original rewards program.

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You wouldn't be able to use this website to sell it, but your obviously already knew that.  As for a value of this account, I don't see anyone willing to pay anything for it.

[dust2dust]

Sorry. I re-read and saw that after.

So a different person would need the login email address and password. You could change the password beforehand. You could change the pin and all the personal information on the account. You could change the credit card to an empty gift card. You could ask support to change the email address but so could the new person. But maybe the existing email address gives away "private" information. Although all the account calling and texting history of numbers would be there. You probably don't care about the number and the new person may just change it anyway.

The new person will need to have a sim.

Maybe there's more.

[LovesToPM]

Thanks for your input. The account is on the original rewards.

It's $2 for autopay and soon in a month or so, it will be $2 monthly for loyalty.

[dust2dust]

I'm not sure about "buying" an existing account but I definitely think there are some regulars here that would take over an account. Is this account on points? Or still on rewards?

I think user @darlicious has some details somewhere on how best to switch ownership of an account.