PAYG eating money unexpectedly
My wife and I rarely use our mobiles. We have them just for "emergencies" such as car breakdowns, unexpectedly going to be late home messages, etc. (and keeping in touch with family when we are away on holiday in the summer). They are both Moto e6s with ASDA mobile PAYG SIMs. My credit goes down slowly even without making calls or sending texts, but it's only pence per week, so nothing to bother about.
We topped up my wife's credit on 7 December by £7 to just over £10. She has not made any calls or sent any texts since, but today received a text from ASDA saying her credit was below £4.50. This works out at over 50p per day, or £15 per month. In our view this is a contract rate, not PAYG.
Logging in to her online account confirms the current balance but gives no more information about what has used up this money. So, first question is this: Is there any way of getting information about PAYG usage?
Second question: Is there anything that could be set up on her phone (that isn't set up on mine) that would use up credit at this rate in the background, without her doing anything of which she would be aware?
We know these sums are not huge and we are not worried about what's already happened, but would like to change things so it doesn't keep happening every month in the future. As we are relative novices with smart phones, seeking advice from those with more experience seems the best thing to do!
0
Latest MSE News and Guides
Replies
We used to get the same problem
We always switch off the mobile data and that did the trick
We also did not realise that 3 mobile has massively increased prices was another bit of the unknown must had not noted their alerts then the same with asda.
But turning off the mobile data does the trick, for us it did
Thanks
Before you spend, remember the MSE Money Mantras. Ask yourself, do I need it? Can I afford it? If the answer is NO to any of those questions, DON’T buy it. (Quote from MSE 15/11/22)
Politeness & courtesy are some of the few things in life that are free. Please remember that when posting, I may ignore permanently the unpolite, tedious, unconstructive and deliberately obtuse comments. Do endeavour to follow me around the forums. Many thanks.
But for your usage you should seriously consider moving to rwg mobile, as one £15 topup gives you free calls, texts, and data every month. Most 3 and asda customers upset by the price rises have seen the light.
Thanks
Before you spend, remember the MSE Money Mantras. Ask yourself, do I need it? Can I afford it? If the answer is NO to any of those questions, DON’T buy it. (Quote from MSE 15/11/22)
Politeness & courtesy are some of the few things in life that are free. Please remember that when posting, I may ignore permanently the unpolite, tedious, unconstructive and deliberately obtuse comments. Do endeavour to follow me around the forums. Many thanks.
If you wife has data switched on, even a very basic application like WhatsApp could easily be using that amount of data when she is away from a WiFi connection.
Lewis Carroll
If it is only data, then switch off mobile data if you don't need it.
I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the In My Home MoneySaving, Energy and Techie Stuff boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing [email protected].
All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.