How long without topping up and keep your number?

[Anonymous]

Hello, folks!

I have a quick question here for you!

How long can I go without topping up and still keep my number? I have done some research online and here in the community but found various different answers, this subject seems to be a bit confusing.

Here you can see someone saying 12 months and here you can see someone else saying 6 months - what is the correct amount of time you can go idle while keeping the line?

Is it true as well that we are contacted and given 30 days to take action before losing the line?

Would a top up be enough to renew the line or on top of it would you also need to perform a chargeable call/send a text? Both links are also confusing on this one.

Cheers, folks. @Three_Shane1 

[Three_Stacey · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous I can help you with this.

If you have no top up or activity which reduces your credit for 90 days you'll receive an alert. If there is still none of these activities for a further 180 days your number is marked for removal from the network. Please check out our blog on this All About: Keeping your Prepay Number Active.

Yes, topping up or if you have credit making a chargeable call or text will keep your number active.

[Anonymous]

Hi, @Three_Stacey 

Thanks for your response, very clarifying. I just finished reading the blog link you mentioned and just have one question.

The flow seems to be.. 90 days (sms) + 180 days (scheduled to quarentine) + about 100 days (in quarentine) + up to 365 days (network deletion)

Is it correct to say the number remains able to receive calls during all this roughly 2 years process until the very end when it gets deleted from the network? Meaning.. As a customer, while you are able to receive calls you can still reactivate it, once calls can't be received the number has fully gone into recycling and nothing else can be done. 

[Three_Stacey]

@Anonymous Once your number is in quarantine it is no longer available to be reactivated. This happens roughly 1 year after the last top up.

[Corrán_Tuathail]

That seems to contradict what Three_Deborah wrote in the link you posted above, which suggests numbers in quarantine can be reactivated?

"Once a number is marked for removal from the network, it is scheduled to go into “quarantine”. At this stage, you will need to contact us (How to contact Three) to reactivate your SIM and number."

[Corrán_Tuathail]

A few days ago, I got the following SMS:

"Don?t lose your Prepay account! Your account is about to become inactive. You will no longer receive communications from Three. Your credit will expire 90 days after your last top up. To keep your connection simply top up, make a chargeable call, text, or use some data. To optout of further marketing messages, text OPTOUT to 50333."

So am I right in understanding from the info posted by Three_Deborah in that link, I have a further 180 days before my number is quarantined?

Also, what is the meaning of the sentence 'Your credit will expire 90 days after your last top up' as credit doesn't expire until six months after topping up?

[Anonymous]

Hello, @Corrán_Tuathail - I agree with you indeed! I noticed that myself on the day but didn't wan't to be that guy. Now that you brought it up yeah... From the article you no longer can reactivate only AFTER the year ish in quarentine once starts recycling.

I wish someone could post a flow with a rough estimate on the days like I did above and mentioned here below again.

The flow seems to be.. 90 days (sms) + 180 days (scheduled to quarentine) + about 100 days (in quarentine) + up to 365 days (network deletion)

[Three_Stacey]

Hey @Corrán_Tuathail, I hope the below helps.

After 90 days of no activity, you receive the reminder text. After another 180 days (270 days), the number is marked for removal from the network and put into quarantine. Then the number moves into quarantine, all in all, this takes roughly 1 year after the last top up.

Once the number moves into quarantine it is no longer available to be reactivated, as it is being deleted from the network. Deleting the number from the network can take up to one year.