Signing In and Updating after away for 6 months

[neddamb]

I travel back and forth to Canada often and keep a sim but I am unable to login to add data etc? Can someone help. I have a simcard and would just like to add data after not using for several months and I cannot register

[darlicious]

@neddamb 

Maintaining your account and phone number while away from Canada is relatively simple and cost effective but its important to set up reminders on your calendar and/or a back up plan in case something unforeseen occurs that prevents you from accessing your account and reactivating before 90 days of unpaid service expires. Since we know you are not on a legacy plan and unless you get an unlimited recurring promotional monthly data bonus you will have the flexibility to change your plan according to your needs which when away and unable to use it would be the $15 plan.

For example....

You activate your new sim card on August 5th with the  $40/5gb plan**. You will be in Canada for the next 60 days.  Your next renewal will occur on September 4th and the following renewal will be on October 4th (plans renew every 30 days). Sometime after September 4th schedule a change plan on next renewal to the $15 plan**. When you are about to leave Canada or on day 30 of your cycle decide how to suspend your account services:

1. Disable autopay/pre-authorized payments within your self serve account or (due to recent change blocking removal of the card by the end user) replace it with a $0 balance credit gift card or cintact customer support to remove it. This option will not work if you carry a balance exceeding your plan amount (=$15).
2. Suspend your account services via lost/stolen. Doing so before midnight eastern on day 30 of your cycle should keep voicemail services active (needs to be retested) and prevents autopay from engaging and/or plan amount debits from an existing account balance.

Be sure to schedule several reminders leading up to the 90 day deadline for account reactivation (January 1st/2nd). Preferably pay and reactivate around day 85 or so in case you encounter an issue and require assistance from customer support. If you have suspended via lost/stolen you must resume service first thru that feature. A balance exceeding your plan amount will/should automatically reactivate your account services on the scheduled $15 plan**(unless you return to Canada and need a different plan or your original $40 plan.)

If you reactivated your plan a few days before day 90 on December 30th be sure to check the announcements page of the community for a "More is Merrier" announcement hopefully offering free holiday gift bonus data and international minutes add ons. Be sure to reactivate in the month of December to able to collect them. If you are still out of the country then as before suspend your account before midnight eastern by day 30 of your cycle (before January 29th). Repeat this process every 85 days or so until your return to Canada.

**Any $35+plan will likely be able to qualify for bonus data promocode and changing your rate plan would cause the loss of that promotion. If you wanted to keep it all plan reactivations would have to be with the original rate plan chosen at activation ($40 as per example).

The Public Points rewards program that has replaced the legacy $$ rewards program while generally less lucrative than $$ rewards abd requires points redemption does have its advantages such as add ons discounted by 25% to 50%, lucky draw contest entries (1pt/entry) to win new phones and other electronics and $15 bill credits.

The Public Points rewards program that has replaced the legacy $$ rewards program while generally less lucrative than the $$ rewards can be advantageous in your situation especially with the current 3×get back points promotion for the next 12 months. Based on activating on the $40/5gb plan which would likely qualify for a bonus data promocode reactivating it during a suspension for an extended absence would earn points as follows:

Welcome gift=5pts+6pts (3×2pts/5%6pts/15%get back pts)=11pts+6pts(1st renewal)=17pts* Suspend before October 4th and reactivate by December 30th 17pts+6pts=23pts Suspend before January 29th and reactivate before April 28th 23pts+6pts=29pts and finally reactivate before August 26th 29pts+6pts=35pts+10pts (yearly anniversary gift)=45pts after one year

Suspending and reactivating with $15 plan would net: 5pts+6pts+6pts=$17pts*+2.25pts=19.25pts 19.25pts+2.25pts=21.5pts+6pts=27.5pts+10pts=37.5pts

*15pts can be redeemed when suspended for a $15 bill credit by contacting customer support at least 48 hours before your intended reactivation. This would lower your actual yearly (355 days) cost to maintain your account/phone # from 3/30 days × $15=$45 - $15=$30/355 days

[esjliv]

@blakestubbings - the white page/forbidden error may be able to be avoided if you try another browser or open a tab in incognito mode then log in that way.

But, glad all is working great now.

[blakestubbings]

Hey so I had the same exact problem, for me it gave me a white page that said forbidden. I knew my account wasn’t deactivated as it was still charging me and everything was working, it was a little bit of a hassle as the customer support is annoying with the tickets, but I just submitted a ticket and they reset my password for me and everything is working great now!

[darlicious · Accepted solution]

@neddamb 

Try calling 1 855 4PUBLIC and enter your 10 digit phone number. If you get a message saying they cannot find your phone number then your account has been cancelled and deactivated and your phone returned to its original provider.

If you originally got your phone number from public mobile (or telus/koodo)then contact customer support to see if it's still available for them to retrieve for you. Buy a new sim card and activate account with a referral code from a friend for the $10 bonus referral credit and a promocode if you are activating a $35+ plan for some bonus recurring plan data.

Choose a temporary phone number during activation....pick one from alberta and you will only pay gst (5%) on your plan amount. Once activated contact customer support to retrieve and assign your old number to your account. I will follow up with a guide to suspending your account while out of the country and keeping it for less than $45/355 days and how the points reward program can be advantageous in your situation.

[JL9]

You can start the process as a new customer. You would have lost any balance and rewards/bonuses plus your number. 

If you have a number you want to use that you currently have you cant port it into PM, you would also be under the new rewards program

[Timer]

@neddamb 

oh, sorry for  Reactivate a suspended plan (publicmobile.ca)

you need to Activation new account set up (publicmobile.ca)

buy new  Sim Card (publicmobile.ca)

[BKNS27]

@neddamb 

Unfortunately, if you haven’t kept up with your monthly payment while you are away for 6 months. Your account is closed and your SIM is cancelled if it is longer than 90 days without payment.

You need to purchase a new SIM and create a new account.

[will13am]

@neddamb , did you have auto payment on in the account?  If you did not and have not touched the account for 6 months, the account would have gone over the 90 day suspension period and would no longer be recoverable.