Paid 6 days ago but out of data. Need to change plan

[THS]

I have the $15 plan but my data had been cut off. It auto paid on Oct 27th. 

How can I switch to $25 plan and pay the $10 price difference and receive the 750MB extra data ? 

[darlicious]

@gpixel 

Excellent advice on simply not using data for that 1 to 3 hour window depending on your time zone. A little harder to do for those down east then us folk out west since most of us our home on wifi by 9pm pt. Great way to keep your phone's data tracker accurate.

[softech]

they actually changed the name to "Data Usage Manager & Traffic Monitor" .  Last update was August 2021.   1 Million+ downloads.   Have been using it for years and it is one of the more reliable ones 

[gpixel]

@softech 

whoever made that app can see all your login info... just sayin .. not to mention it hasn't been updated in ages(unsecured)

the device counter is more than enough. all you need to do is compare it with your self serve account when your device counter is getting close to your data limit. more often than not, the device counter shows more usage than my self serve account.

for me, because im in the Pacific Timezone, I don't use data until past 12:00am or till the next day. my data and plan renew at 9pm previous day. doing this keeps the device counter  accurate. I'm sure many customers assume their plan renews at 12am in whatever timezone they are in, causing them data discrepancies. especially when one wants to consume their remaining allotment before 12am and not realizing they're using their replenished data. next day they're like "why did I get a text saying I used 75% of my data" lol

[softech]

@thomask   This is how I managed my data too.  I installed the app Data Counter widget which I can setup a counter on the home screen and I see how much I have used so far.   I make sure my weekly consumption is within limit myself.

and hotspot.. yes.. it can burn fast especially you are using to setup new phone.  New updates and restoring from cloud backup could use up your data bucket quickly.  If you need to use hotspot a lot for other purpose, make sure the device connecting to the hotspot will mark this hotspot as "metered network"

[cellphoneuser1]

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@thomask wrote:

@gpixel 

weirdly some months I use less than a GB… average is 2.5-3GB..  only once or twice since being with PM (four years now?  Maybe five?) have I burned all my data before end of month, and once was I think, a week in… (I was setting up new iPad on hotspot… I paid seriously for that… lol)

The first time or two it happens, you learn much faster how to manage the data.

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3GB goes fast on hotspot. When are carriers going to offer real data plans at good prices?

[thomask]

@gpixel 

weirdly some months I use less than a GB… average is 2.5-3GB..  only once or twice since being with PM (four years now?  Maybe five?) have I burned all my data before end of month, and once was I think, a week in… (I was setting up new iPad on hotspot… I paid seriously for that… lol)

The first time or two it happens, you learn much faster how to manage the data.

[gpixel]

@thomask 

that's exactly how I manage my data 👌

I usually use just under 5gb. that's with data on most of the time. I'm still experiencing tower relocation issues and disconnects. but for a $3 plan it's worth it...

[thomask]

To be honest you'll be better off with a little more on the addon than the lower, unless you know for sure you wont just burn through it.

I think the cost per on the 1GB is pretty fair now considering.  I strongly suggest starting a practice like I do, every Sunday night I add that weeks alotment of the month's data to my limit.

IE.  I have a total of 6GB, I limit myself to 1.5GB, week 2 I bump it to 3GB, etc etc.  start of month I reset.

Better than worrying about running out of data (and this is all WITH the bonus's I still have on my account)

[thomask]

Sorry, my wife is on the $15 plan, its all she needs, and my mother is on the $25 plan, both with the autopay 'topup' on the data.  I think my wife ran out ONCE since I set her up. (I always set the data allowed to 40-70% so there's some in a pinch...  

My mother would rather not track minutes, and she's a ... road warrior?  you'd have to check her mental state if you took her car away.  Better for keeping in contact.

My wife...  well, she only ever uses it when shopping or at a doctors appointment.  I doubt she uses more than 40 minutes a month in talk time, and rarely more than 40MB of data unless she decided to do a video chat for more than 2 minutes.

Either way, thanks for the suggestion.

[darlicious]

@THS 

There are no discounts on add ons other than the $5/200mb×5=1000mb/$25 and by purchasing the $15/1gb(1024mb) you save $10.

Public mobile has pretty much the lowest add on prices in the industry. Unlike most provider's add ons in Canada pm's are one time purchase that do not expire and continue to roll over every 30 days until completely consumed.

Data per GB cost is only reduced when increasing plan data. If you subtract the $15 plan as a base plan the approximate cost per GB breaks down as....

• $15/250mb..... but to purchase data=$15/1gb
• $25/1gb=$10 
• $35/3gb=$6.67
• $40/5gb=$5
• $50/10.5gb=$3.33
• $70/15.5gb=$3.54....with the exception of this overpriced data plan.

[LeePublic]

@THS Have you received any Holiday Add-Ons? Reason for asking because I assume you have been with PM since 2019? (based on your community account activation) Have you used up all the GB's?

If you keep running out of data weeks before the renewal date, then upgrading to the $25 plan is strongly recommended.

[Anonymous]

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@THS wrote:

Are there any promotions to lower the cost per gigabyte of these add-ons?

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@THS 

no promotions for existing customer,

sign in to Self-Serve, to review your account,

How To Purchase Add-Ons Using Your Self-Serve Account

To purchase Add-Ons using your Self-Serve account, follow these steps:

1. Click on ‘Purchase Add- Ons’ on the Overview tab and scroll down to the Add-On calculator.
2. Click the plus sign (+) to add and the minus sign (-) to remove selected Add-ons.
3. When you’ve added all your desired Add-Ons, click ‘Buy Add-Ons’ or ‘Make a Payment’ below the calculator:
   • You will see ‘Make a Payment’ instead of ‘Buy Add-Ons’ if there are not enough funds in your account to make the purchase.
   • If you don’t have sufficient funds to purchase the Add-Ons, you will be asked to make a one-time payment equal to the price of the Add-On, less your current available funds. Click ‘Submit’, then ‘Go back’: now the button below the calculator will say ‘Buy Add-Ons’.
4. Select ‘Confirm my purchase’, and you’re off to the races!

5. after you Add-on you have to do Rebooting your phone

   what is mean for Rebooting the phone means to turn off your phone and turn it back on again.

Overview Of Add-Ons visit Here link.

[t_p]

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@Dunkman wrote:

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@THS wrote:

Are there any promotions to lower the cost per gigabyte of these add-ons?

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@THS 

Short answer, no.  The adds on were even more expensive in the past. 

$15 for 1 GB data add on.  Lowest price.  

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@THS 

Unless you're willing to wait for some freebies we may (or may not) get at holidays time. 😋

[Dunkman]

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@THS wrote:

Are there any promotions to lower the cost per gigabyte of these add-ons?

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@THS 

Short answer, no.  The adds on were even more expensive in the past. 

$15 for 1 GB data add on.  Lowest price.  

[THS]

Are there any promotions to lower the cost per gigabyte of these add-ons?

[Anonymous]

@THS 

Click Here link  to you know how to Change Your Plan online,

[Yummy]

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@darlicious wrote:

It makes no sense to change your plan now 7 days into your 30 day plan.

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Correct. OP would be paying $15+$25 for the same month if decides to change plan 'immediately'. Optimal is to change at next renewal. If extra data is really needed, add-on or WiFi will work. But then if OP used 250MB so fast not even 1GB add-on not will work that well.

[darlicious · Accepted solution]

@THS 

My suggestion is for the immediate time being while you consider a plan change. It makes no sense to change your plan now 7 days into your 30 day plan. Seeing as the $15/1gb is add on data anything you dont use will carry over at renewal. Take the time to monitor data usage over the next two weeks so you can determine how much data you need per billing cycle so you can choose the appropriate plan. 

1. If you average 500mb to 750mb per 30 days then staying on the $15 plan and supplementing it with the $15/1gb data add on is economical adding between $3.75 and $7.50 to your plan cost.
2. If you use more than 750mb then scheduling a change plan on next renewal to a larger data plan is in order. If you are able to leave about 250mb of your data add on untouched by day 28 of your plan cycle then you can probably stay within the $25/1gb plan's data allotment and you can schedule and/or change your change plan on next renewal to the $25 plan. (+$10=750mb)
3. If you use your entire 1gb data add on before or by your next renewal you must decide whether you can change the way you use data on your mobile phone to conserve or bump up to the $35/3gb plan giving you a decent data cushion. While cheaper per GB it is $20 more than your current plan so consider if you really need the extra data. (+$20=2.75gb or $5.70/750mb).

If you need help enabling all of your data saving tools in your phone we can help with that too!

[barndoor]

actually just to get through the month @darlicious 's suggestion is the most economical to get a gig of data  . In the long term @t_p  's is better if your consumption remains where it's been at so far this month  . But if you have been here for two years on that plan I wonder if darlicious's suggestion may not apply for the long term, you just need to  beat off all  the data eating creatures that seem to inhabit phones . 

[softech]

agree with @barndoor ..   look like the 1GB might not be enough at your pace.  How much data you usually use in a month before joining PM? 

[barndoor]

Unless you conserve on your data consumption even the  $25  plan is going to need assistance from  the $15 addon . 😉

[t_p]

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@THS wrote:

I have the $15 plan but my data had been cut off. It auto paid on Oct 27th. 

How can I switch to $25 plan and pay the $10 price difference and receive the 750MB extra data ? 

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@THS 

If you regularly used up your 250MB allotment in one week, then it would be more economical to switch to the $25/500+500MB than pay $15 for 1GB add-on every month (30day cycle for the purist).

As others have mentioned, you can upload enough funds to your account then go to the Change plan page and decide if you want to change immediately or at the next renewal date. In both cases, you'll have to pay the full price, not just the $10 difference.

If you want to save some data, try not to leave data on all the time, turn off background app use, doing updates only on wifi...

[darlicious]

@thomask 

Your mom's 500mb? Is your mom on the old $25 plan? The current $25 plan has 1gb w/autopay but if your mom doesn't use much data and has gifted data add one she may be better off on the $15 plan with the occasional purchase of the $5/500min Canada wide calling add on to supplement the 100 outgoing minutes. Just a thought.....

[thomask]

Yeah, what @darlicious said.  Tbh I have about 10 GB waiting for use between holiday promotions and such.  I know my mother’s account when setup had a extra 5GB? Added, it’s still there essentially untouched… she barely uses her 500MB as it is.

Good luck!

[darlicious]

@THS 

Just buy the $15/1gb data add on. It's a one time purchase that does not expire. It will stay on your account rolling over every 30 days until completely consumed. Just load $15 into your account balance and then go to the plans and add ons page. Scroll down and tick the $15/1gb add on then scroll to the bottom of the page to confirm and submit your purchase. The add on will appear at the bottom of your overview page. Log out and reboot your phone.

[Anonymous]

 @THS : You can't. Upgrading before the end of your term would forfeit what you paid and the features left over ie. minutes and data. No pro-rating.

You mean Sep 27th right 🙂

Do you see the 250MB line shown under My Data & Add-ons? It's not a whole lotta data so it could get consumed pretty fast depending on your consumption habits or phone settings.

[computergeek541]

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@THS wrote:

I have the $15 plan but my data had been cut off. It auto paid on Oct 27th. 

How can I switch to $25 plan and pay the $10 price difference and receive the 750MB extra data ? 

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You can change to the $25 plan, but you'll need to pay the full $25.  The good news is that with an immediate plan change to the the $25 plan, you've receive a full 1GB to use within 30 days.