Pause or suspend a plan?

[dogstar]

Hi!  Is it possible to pause my plan for now? It's for my son, and he only uses it while at middle school. But his school is suspended for now due to Covid19, and he doesn't use the phone now.

[ottawa]

Agreed! I will only add, if you're on a plan that you want to keep and are afraid won't be there when you come back, don't change to the $15 plan. Obviously if you're on $25/1GB you can do that, because it should always be there, but if you've got some fantastic BF plan it may be worth paying (say) $34 for that future month when you don't use it.

BTW, can you change plans while inactive? Then you could wait for day 85 of inactivity. But I don't think so. It's been so long since I did it...

[softech]

@norita 

This is what you need to do to keep alive the account:

PM only allows the account to be suspended for 90 days or your account will be permanently closed, and you will loss the number.

So, your option is temporarily suspending the account and reactivate for 30 days before the 90 days deadline.

Here is what you can do (assuming your Available fund = $0)

1.  First, change plan to $15 plan (to reduce the cost to keep your number)
2.  Then disable "Subscribed" from Payment page (Payment page, Managed Subscription, toggle off the "Subscribed" there
3.  On the next renewal date, since pre-authorized payment is disabled, it won't be renewed.   
         Make note of that day 1 of the suspension date
4.  VERY IMPORTANT.   Come back at around 85th days after the first date of the suspension to make a manual payment to renew the account for 30 days.  You can simply click "Pay Now and Resume Services" button and follow the step to make a manual payment.
   Since, you have changed to $15 plan, so, it will just cost you $15 for that 30-days cycle.  After you make the payment, make sure you see clearly that the account status is changed to ACTIVE.  If not, you will either have to open ticket with PM support or come and seek help here in the Community.
   (Don't wait till the 89th or 90th days as My Account could be down for maintenance or payment could be an issue, you want to give yourself enough time to sort it out)
5.  Make note of that date, again, the account will be active for 30 days only and will be suspended again after the 30 days.  Make note of the date it got suspended again.
6.  As the Autopay toggle "Subscribed" is already toggled off, it won't renew after that-30 days cycle.
   
   I hope you will be back by then. You just need to change the plan back to the one you want and then reactivate and remember to enable Autopay again (toggle on "Subscribed")
   If you still not back to Canada by the end of that 90 days, then come back NO LATER than 85th date and repeat from step 4 again.

[norita]

How Di I prevent from expire my account?  I am traveling for a couple months

[kb_mv]

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@tara_780 wrote:

Hi was wondering once you reactivate do you get your number and same plan back as long as you reactive before the 90 days?

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@tara_780 As long as you don't let the account expire nothing changes. Same number, same cost, same rewards etc....

[tara_780]

Hi was wondering once you reactivate do you get your number and same plan back as long as you reactive before the 90 days?

[Mazurek]

No worries, that is exactly what I did. Changed from the $40 to the $15 and reactivated it. Will wait 30 days, report it lost or stolen, wait max 90 days, more like 85, reactive it again, and continue the process as needed.

Cheers

[kb_mv]

@Mazurek I should of added, make sure you are on the cheapest ($15?) plan. No sense paying more than you need to.

[Triguy]

Here is a previous thread about an extended absence.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Paying-for-your-service/Extended-Absence/m-p/142735

[Mazurek]

Amazing! Appreciate you answering my question so quickly! Thank you so much for your help!

Be well, stay safe, God Bless

[kb_mv]

@Mazurek Once the 30 period that you just renewed for ends, and you don't make a payment, your account will again go suspended for up to 90 days. You can keep doing what you did indefinitely so long as you don't go over 90 days.

[Mazurek]

I was wondering something... I am currently overseas for work on an 8 month contract and want to keep my phone number and not lose it while being away. 

I left at the start of August and suspended my account for the 90 days. Today I just renewed it since my account showed I needed to make a payment or reactivate it in order to keep my services/number etc., 

Now that I have reactivated it I have the phone up and going for the month of November, although I am pretty sure the services do not work overseas, I will just keep my phone on airplane mode in the meantime. BUT, I was wondering if I was able to simply re-suspend my account again and be given another 90 days of suspended services?

I hope someone can help me out with this, or if I am not given a 1 time option to suspend my account and I used up my 90 days, or if the 90 days can be refreshed so long as I make a one time payment prior to the 90 days concludes. 

I know this might be a bit confusing, but I figured if I am going to be away until March of 2021, why pay for services each month I do not get to use while having my phone on airplane mode, when in reality I can make two payments throughout the 8 months followed by 3 months of suspension.

Confusing? Please help! Thank you!

[geopublic]

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@dogstar wrote:

Hi!  Is it possible to pause my plan for now? It's for my son, and he only uses it while at middle school. But his school is suspended for now due to Covid19, and he doesn't use the phone now.

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@dogstar  You can suspend it for 90 days at a time. If he has accumulated funds in his account. Use the Lost/Stolen option.

If not then just remove the cc on file or don't renew the plan:

[kselmak]

Hi @dogstar 

When are you about to renew?

Do you have balance on your account and if yes is it enough to pay for the plan or less?

[hairbag1]

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@dogstar wrote:

Hi!  Is it possible to pause my plan for now? It's for my son, and he only uses it while at middle school. But his school is suspended for now due to Covid19, and he doesn't use the phone now.

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A middle school teenager who doesn't use the phone ? ...are you kidding us ? Exactly how did you manage that ??

:smileylol:

[ShawnC13]

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@dogstar wrote:

Hi!  Is it possible to pause my plan for now? It's for my son, and he only uses it while at middle school. But his school is suspended for now due to Covid19, and he doesn't use the phone now.

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@dogstar , as @Staliger  mentioned I would just remove autopay and let the line go into suspension.  You can go the lost or stolen route but that will basically not allow you to use the phone if necessary for the remainder of the plan you have purchased.  Going the lost/stolen phone route will reduce the number of days before you have to activate it by however many days you have remaining on your current cycle.  Both options you can only have the phone suspended for 90 days before the account is closed.

[shep22]

@dogstar Also remember if you suspend your plan right now you will lose whatever is left in your current billing cycle so for instance if you have 20 days left and you’re suspended for two months you will lose that 20 days so in the meantime you may want to use it if you were in that situation

[gblackma]

@dogstar place your plan on lost/ stolen from within your self service account. You will have 90 days to take it off and reactivate it. See article on how to do it https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-help/articles/lost-or-stolen-phone . Also see picture below.

[Staliger]

@dogstar Yes, you can either remove Autopay or suspend your service via Self-service account.

[Triguy]

Log into the account under lost phone and you can suspend the account for up to 90 days.  Or you can also remove autopay if you have it setup.