Will I can use 500 minutes immediately if I pay $5 for the add-on now?

[chuck20002004]

Hi all，

I may need to call to attend a long telephone conference. My question is that if I pay $5 for the 500 minutes talk add on, will the 500 minutes be available immediately or I have to wait for some time? 

Thank you.

[darlicious]

@AE_Collector 

Lol....I was thinking the same thing!

[AE_Collector]

Ahhh i get it....

I got into hockey when the Canucks went to the final in... was it 92 or 94? I turned out to be just a Fair Weather hockey fan as after close to 20 years of waiting for them to win the cup i decided i had wasted enough time and stopped following them. 

AE_Collector

[Anonymous]

 @AE_Collector : Yes for that. I was playing on that in that there were 5 of the first Oracles.

[AE_Collector]

 @Anonymous 

I thought it was “Original 6”... no?

AE_Collector

[darlicious]

Rebooting your device shuts off your OS and basically gives your RAM a clean slate. Rebooting after using account features or purchasing add ons is just ensuring that any problems that might affect calling for example in a device that has not been rebooted for awhile won't affect the add on. Its just good practice like washing your hands often.....they may not be "dirty" its just a good habit to have.

Airplane mode conpletely disconnects your device from the network and your ability to use its services. It then reconnects you with a fresh and (almost always) better connection to the network.

Using lost/stolen completely disconnects your sim card from your services and in effect reprovisions your sim card from the device side of your service.

[LurganIeUk]

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@chuck20002004 wrote:

Hi all，

I may need to call to attend a long telephone conference. My question is that if I pay $5 for the 500 minutes talk add on, will the 500 minutes be available immediately or I have to wait for some time? 

Thank you.

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Can you get the conference to call you???  It's free but will cut out after 2.5 hours. 

[computergeek541]

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@HALIMACS wrote:

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@srlawren wrote:

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@dabr wrote:

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@Meow wrote:

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@dabr wrote:

 Also reboot your phone after the purchase.

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Why is this needed?

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@Meow   Anytime you make any changes in your account rebooting the phone will help sync everything.

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@Meow @dabr honestly, a reboot shouldn't be needed.  Your phone has no knowledge of your plan, that's all at the carrier end.  That said, as many people don't reboot regularly, it's still pretty good advice in general.  

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I've wondered that as well, @srlawren .    Some users recommend it - others don't.

Does a reboot effectively force a ping (so to speak - probably wrong terminology) with PM carrier services to SIM such that any account changes made would take effect with more immediacy?

I suspect not rebooting (but waiting a certain period of time) would also work eventually.

Having never added a calling or data add-on, can't say I've had the opportunity to test one vs the other.

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For the most part, it doesn't do anything.  Long distance working or not is a billing system matter, not one of the service being provisioned.

[dabr]

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@srlawren wrote:

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@dabr wrote:

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@Meow wrote:

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@dabr wrote:

 Also reboot your phone after the purchase.

---

Why is this needed?

---

@Meow   Anytime you make any changes in your account rebooting the phone will help sync everything.

---

@Meow @dabr honestly, a reboot shouldn't be needed.  Your phone has no knowledge of your plan, that's all at the carrier end.  That said, as many people don't reboot regularly, it's still pretty good advice in general.  

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@srlawren    That is probably true, however, I'm partly basing this on past experience having performed some action on the account (unfortunately, I don't remember exactly what it was as it was some time ago) and not being able to use the account.  I do remember after trying to troubleshoot for a couple of hours and finally deciding to reboot the phone and voila everything seemed to work.   Also, I do believe moderators more often than not recommend to reboot the phone after making adjustments on the account too.  Anyway, rebooting certainly doesn't hurt, so it's more of a just in case...  😊

[Anonymous]

 @HALIMACS : I think a restart is device hygiene. I think airplane mode has the same effect on the service.

[HALIMACS]

Thanks for the discussion @srlawren  &  @Anonymous 

@Anonymous , would you think an airplane mode toggle essentially does the same thing as a full restart/reboot?  Wonder if the duration of the toggle on, then off, matters at all.  I've wondered whether each may effectively accomplish the same effect by way of a forced communication with the carrier services.

[Anonymous]

I didn't want to start an argument with srlawren. He's been here way longer than I have and was one of the "Original 5" (hockey metaphor). I think there is a "ping" or sync-up made when the SIM is reconnected either by airplane mode or a restart. I think it does have some bearing on the functions available to the phone. I think it also has some bearing on the account.

But what do I know. 🙂

[srlawren]

@HALIMACS I think it's more of a general troubleshooting/trouble-avoiding step.  Maybe it might be needed in some cases for data add-ons (but even then I would think they should just work once properly purchased in the unintuitive two-step shuffle).  But not for calling.

[HALIMACS]

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@srlawren wrote:

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@dabr wrote:

---

@Meow wrote:

---

@dabr wrote:

 Also reboot your phone after the purchase.

---

Why is this needed?

---

@Meow   Anytime you make any changes in your account rebooting the phone will help sync everything.

---

@Meow @dabr honestly, a reboot shouldn't be needed.  Your phone has no knowledge of your plan, that's all at the carrier end.  That said, as many people don't reboot regularly, it's still pretty good advice in general.  

---

I've wondered that as well, @srlawren .    Some users recommend it - others don't.

Does a reboot effectively force a ping (so to speak - probably wrong terminology) with PM carrier services to SIM such that any account changes made would take effect with more immediacy?

I suspect not rebooting (but waiting a certain period of time) would also work eventually.

Having never added a calling or data add-on, can't say I've had the opportunity to test one vs the other.

[srlawren]

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@dabr wrote:

---

@Meow wrote:

---

@dabr wrote:

 Also reboot your phone after the purchase.

---

Why is this needed?

---

@Meow   Anytime you make any changes in your account rebooting the phone will help sync everything.

---

@Meow @dabr honestly, a reboot shouldn't be needed.  Your phone has no knowledge of your plan, that's all at the carrier end.  That said, as many people don't reboot regularly, it's still pretty good advice in general.  

[HALIMACS]

@chuck20002004 

You may have already completed this, however if not, here's the process to ensure a prompt addition of minutes with the add-on.

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 done.
5. Some users have found that rebooting device is required afterwards.

[dabr]

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@Meow wrote:

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@dabr wrote:

 Also reboot your phone after the purchase.

---

Why is this needed?

---

@Meow   Anytime you make any changes in your account rebooting the phone will help sync everything.

[Meow]

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@dabr wrote:

 Also reboot your phone after the purchase.

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Why is this needed?

[dabr · Accepted solution]

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@chuck20002004 wrote:

Hi all，

I may need to call to attend a long telephone conference. My question is that if I pay $5 for the 500 minutes talk add on, will the 500 minutes be available immediately or I have to wait for some time? 

Thank you.

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@chuck20002004   It will be available immediately after your purchase, make sure you add funds first and then make the purchase as it's a two step process.  Also reboot your phone after the purchase.

Edit:  @chuck20002004   What plan are you on? Is it a provincial calling only?  PM recently updated their plans and now all include Canada wide calling, although the $15 plan would still require the 500 mins add-on if you need more the the 100 outgoing mins available.  Here's PM's current plans, you can always schedule plan change at next renewal if your current plan has only provincial calling.

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/plans