Insufficient balance impacts
Your account balance is what drives your prepaid service. Fido notifies you with low balance or insufficient balance notifications for you to be able to better manage your balance and for you to be able to fully enjoy your prepaid service. All these notifications are free of charge.
Things to Know
- The fee for your Per Month or Per Day plan is taken first from your account. Your plan and paid for add-ons remain available for the appropriate period.
- For Per Month plans payment of the monthly service fee will extend the expiry of your remaining balance for 30 days.
- If you’re doing a transaction (text message, phone call) outside of what is included in your daily or monthly prepaid service, there will be a cost, based on the transaction, charged to your remaining balance.
- If you don’t have enough funds in your account balance to cover the cost of the transaction, you will not be able to use your Fido phone.
- If you don’t refill before your expiry date, your balance will expire. Any remaining money in the account will be lost, and you’ll no longer be able to use your phone except for emergency 911 calls. See how to verify your expiry date.
See what happens when account has a low balance during a transaction:
| Low balance |
- If your account reaches less than $3, a message will appear on your Fido phone screen after a transaction, reminding you to refill your account
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| Low validity |
- If your validity period ends in 5 days or less, a message will appear on your screen after a transaction (making or receiving a call, sending a text message, etc.), reminding you to refill your account
- If your validity period ends in 2 days or less, a text message will be sent reminding you to refill your account
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Transaction impacts when account has insufficient funds
See what happens if you don't have enough money to complete a transaction:
| Insufficient balance |
- If you attempt to complete a transaction when you have an insufficient balance, you'll get a text message reminding you to refill your account.
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| Failed daily/monthly service fee |
- If you don’t have enough funds in your account to cover the cost of a plan or add-on, a text message will be sent to advise you
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| Daily/Monthly plan |
- If you don’t have sufficient funds in your account to cover the cost of your plan on the due date of your payment, any usage made will be deducted on a pay per use basis from your account
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| Add-ons |
- If you don’t have sufficient funds in your account to cover the cost of an add-on on the due date of your payment, any usage made will be deducted on a pay per use basis from your account
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| Making or receiving a call |
- If you’re on a Prepaid Per Minute plan, you will not be able to make or receive calls
- If you’re on a Prepaid Per Day or Per Month plan and make a call type that is not included in your prepaid plan, you won’t be able to make or receive calls
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| Sending a text message |
- Pay per use: you won’t be able to send text messages
- Add-ons: if you still have space available, you can send your remaining messages in the period you paid for
- If you’re on a Prepaid Per Day or Per Month plan that includes text messaging and have used up the allotted space in your plan, you will not be able to send any text messages
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| Receiving a text message |
- Pay per use: you’ll continue to receive text messages as long as your balance doesn’t reach $0
- Add-ons: you’ll continue receiving text messages during the period you paid for
- If you’re on a Prepaid Per Day or Per Month plan that includes text messaging, and have used up the allotted space in your plan, you’ll continue receiving text messages during the period you paid for
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| Other services |
- 911 calling is always available
- Pay per use: services will not work
- Add-ons: you will continue to be able to use the services for the period you paid for (i.e. Data Day Pass will allow service for the full 24-hour period)
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