Heads up - Caveats when using refill PINs.

[AncoraVa]

In case some of you need this info:
I was not aware of this detail until today, and I've been on the Monthly 4g since buying the Exhibit II last October.

I am on the $30 5gb/100 minute monthly 4g.
Had two more months of coverage and decided to take advantage of 5% Calling Mart discount (Dad125) and bought $60 worth.
After adding the PIN to the account I noticed a line "expires Sept 17".
This means about last $30 worth on my balance would expire before the October $30 refill from my account.

Called T-Mobile and actually got someone on the line. (Just blurt out 'customer service' or there will be nothing but automated choices thrown at you.)
It turns out the account balance is good for 90 days from the date of a PIN refill, no matter the denomination.
Her suggestion was to add $10, which is the minimum required, to extend the remaining balance for another 90 days.
Or I could add $30 and it would cover the next two months (Oct/Nov) without risking the 90 day expiration.
I've been refilling to cover two months each time and did not run into this before, and this was her suggestion for maintaining the balance on a monthly 4g plan. When it is refilled automatically every month with a registered credit card, this would not be an issue.

Something to keep in mind if you are thinking about adding more then three month's worth of refills and you have an existing balance in your account.

[Willow16]

Good to know.

[AncoraVa]

I need to clarify this:
"Her suggestion was to add $10, which is the minimum required, to extend the remaining balance for another 90 days."

This would be near and before the date of expiration, which in my case would be before September 17.
My monthly plan is billed on 10th of each month and after Sept 10 the remaining $30 would need to be topped up before 9/17 for it to be good for another 90 days.

[PL1]

If you read the fine print, every reload will extend your account balance 90 days when the rate plan is renewed. So, something is wrong somewhere.

http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-2184

T-Mobile Monthly4G minutes begin to expire the day they are added to your account, not when they are purchased.

Example: If you purchase a refill card on May 1 and add it to your account on May 14, the term of expiration begins May 14.


Depending upon the refill amount you purchased and your Gold Rewards status, the expiration time for your T-Mobile Monthly4G minutes will vary.


For non-Gold Rewards customers:

Unused minutes expire in 90 days. Exception: $100 refills expire in 365 days.
For customers on Monthly4G plans, the account balance expiration date is extended 90 days when rate plan is renewed.
For Gold Rewards customers:

Unused minutes expire one year from the date you last applied airtime to your account.
To help ensure you never lose your unused minutes, T-Mobile sends you a text message when your account is within five days of expiring. That way, you have ample time to refill your account and carry forward any unused minutes to your new expiration date.

[PL1]

After adding the PIN to the account I noticed a line "expires Sept 17".

I have been looking all over my account for an expiration date for the account balance and I can't seem to locate that info. I have paid $100 so it should be good for a year, but I would think that information would show up somewhere. Anyone else see it?

[Telekom]

I need to clarify this:
"Her suggestion was to add $10, which is the minimum required, to extend the remaining balance for another 90 days."

This would be near and before the date of expiration, which in my case would be before September 17.
My monthly plan is billed on 10th of each month and after Sept 10 the remaining $30 would need to be topped up before 9/17 for it to be good for another 90 days.

If you have a monthly prepaid account all that is necessary to keep services running is to have enough money in the account to pay the charge when it's due. You can keep way more in your account than is necessary and all that T-Mobile cares about is if there's enough money to pay the current month.

[AncoraVa]

You can keep way more in your account than is necessary and all that T-Mobile cares about is if there's enough money to pay the current month.

What you say is what I understood to be the case.
And I've been refilling to cover two months each time.
However, after I topped up this time for another two months while still having enough balance to cover two billing cycles, I was given an expiration notice line in the confirmation, which I almost overlooked.
I am posting what I encountered and take it for what it is.
Each time you refill, the new balance is good for 90 days from that point.
At the time of refill if the resulting balance can cover more than 3 month of service, unless you top up around that time, before expiration, you can lose your balance, which sounds ridiculous.
I am passing along info after actually having this point explained to me by T-Mobile after I called to inquire about this expiration date, much to my surprise.
This is not mentioned clearly and no doubt is hidden somewhere in fine print in the user agreement.
If you are on automatic monthly payment with a registered credit card, not an issue.

If I've been misinformed, I am more than happy to be corrected.

[PL1]

One thought comes to mind, if the callingmart pins (or any other pins for that matter) are treated differently from paying TMO directly. That is a possibility.

[AncoraVa]

One thought comes to mind, if the callingmart pins (or any other pins for that matter) are treated differently from paying TMO directly. That is a possibility.

Perhaps so. In which case I will be very mindful of this 90-day rule because I've been using Callingmart pins since day-1 with the Exhibit II.

[adam1991]

There are two types of plans--T-Mobile To Go and T-Mobile Monthly.

Don't confuse them. They're different, and you buy different cards (PINs) for them.

What happens if you buy the To Go refill card and try to use it on the Monthly plan?

[Telekom]

There are two types of plans--T-Mobile To Go and T-Mobile Monthly.

Don't confuse them. They're different, and you buy different cards (PINs) for them.

What happens if you buy the To Go refill card and try to use it on the Monthly plan?

Refill PINs/cards are the same. The only difference is whether you're on a pay as you go plan or on a monthly plan. Refill PINs or cards are the same. Some PINs are definitely targeted towards people with monthly plans ($15/$30) but there's no difference in the PINs. T-Mobile only cares that you have enough $$ to pay for charges.

[adam1991]

good to know, thanks.