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Active Contributor
February 23, 2026
Question

Pay as you go (PAYG) indicating out of credit despite credit balance.

  • February 23, 2026
  • 25 replies
  • 406 views

I have a straight PAYG plan where I just pay for what I use (no monthly plan). I have had this plan for many years with no problems. About 10 weeks ago my phone stopped working even though I had plenty of credit. I would get a message indicating that I’m out of credit when I try to make a call or send a text, despite my credit balance. I hadn’t topped up my balance for quite a while, so I added some credit and the phone started working again, but only for about a week, and then it stopped again. I did some research on ChatGPT and it said the problem was caused by having an older phone (iPhone 11) with an old SIM (over 5 yeaars old), and that a new SIM would correct the problem. So I ordered a new SIM from ID about 8 weeks ago and that seemed to fix the problem, but now it’s happening again. It tells me I’m out of credit even though my balance is currently almost £10. Is there a requirement that you must top up periodically even though you still have plenty of credit? Please help. Thank you.

    25 replies

    Geluk
    Silver Contributor
    Silver Contributor
    February 23, 2026

    As with all providers you need to make a chargeable call /text every 180 days or number may be reallocated.

    Did my comment help answer your question? If so, don't forget to mark the response as the Most Helpful Answer.
    BealAuthor
    Active Contributor
    February 23, 2026

    I don’t use my phone often, but I certainly use it more than once every 180 day, but thanks anyway.

    WelshPaul
    Platinum 
Contributor
    Platinum 
Contributor
    February 23, 2026

    FYI - With iD Mobile It’s 4 months, not 180 days. 

    I have no affiliation whatsoever with iD Mobile or any subsidiary companies. Comments posted are entirely of my own opinion. Did my comment help answer your question? If so, don't forget to mark the response as the Most Helpful Answer.
    BealAuthor
    Active Contributor
    February 23, 2026

    Thanks, I did read that somewhere on the ID site, and that probably explains why the phone stopped working 10 weeks ago, but then I topped up and it stopped working a week later, and then I got a new SIM 8 weeks ago and now it has stopped working again, so something else is obviously causing the problem.

    iD Mobile Employee
    February 23, 2026

    Hi ​@Beal 

     

    Thank you for the message.

     

    Can you try a mobile network reset and see if that resolved the issue for you. Here are the steps below.

     

    Mobile network reset:
     
    1.Press Settings.
    2. Press General.
    3. Press Transfer or Reset iPhone.
    4. Press Reset.
    5. Press Reset Network Settings.
    6. Press Reset Network Settings.
    7. Slide your finger upwards starting from the bottom of the screen to return to the home screen.
    8. Restart phone

     

    Michael Z

     

     

    Did my comment help answer your question? If so, don't forget to mark the response as the Most Helpful Answer.
    BealAuthor
    Active Contributor
    February 24, 2026

    OK. I reset the network settings exactly as you instructed, and it’s still not working. I get the same message: “unable to make calls because you are out of credit”. Any other ideas? Thanks.

    Lamiya C
    iD Mobile Employee
    iD Mobile Employee
    February 24, 2026

    Hi ​@Beal ,

     

    I’m really sorry the issue is still happening, I understand how frustrating this must be, especially when you have credit available. Thank you for trying the network reset.

    Since you are using iD Mobile PAYG, there is no requirement to top up periodically as long as you have credit.
     

    Please try these additional checks:

    Restart your phone after the reset (if not already done).
    Check Call Barring settings – go to Settings → Phone → Call Blocking/Identification and make sure calls are not blocked.
    Make sure your balance is shown correctly in the iD Mobile app or by dialling the balance check code.
     

    If the phone still says “out of credit” despite having balance, let us know so we can have this looked into further,

     

    Lamiya

    Did my comment help answer your question? If so, don't forget to mark the response as the Most Helpful Answer.
    BealAuthor
    Active Contributor
    February 24, 2026

    Hi Lamiya,

    I’ve been diagnosing this issue with ChatGPT again, and this is the solution to the problem.

    My line is being intermittently barred at network level. Calls, SMS, and data all fail simultaneously despite signal. This indicates a subscriber profile fault. Please rebuild the subscriber record across billing and HLR systems.

    This is a known network condition, not a user issue.

    To recap, after the problem first appeared, I topped up the credit (even though I still had a credit balance), and it fixed the problem temporarily (for about a week). I then replaced the SIM, and it again fixed the problem temporarily, (for about seven weeks). The reason the phone is working intermittently is: 

    1. Account works normally

    2. iD overnight system sync runs

    3. One subsystem mislabels account as barred

    4. Voice platform rejects calls

    5. Error message says “no credit” (generic prepaid failure message)

    When I previously topped up, the iD system:

    • refreshed the subscriber record

    • temporarily cleared the mismatch

    That’s why topping up “fixed” it briefly.

    When I replaced the SIM, it only refreshed:

    • SIM authentication keys

    • local provisioning

    It did not fix:

    • subscriber database errors

    • billing-platform mismatches

    • voice platform flags

    The case lives in those systems.

    In summary, the problem is a subscriber profile fault, so the subscriber record needs to be rebuilt across billing and HLR systems.”

    BealAuthor
    Active Contributor
    February 25, 2026

    Somehow my credit balance was charged £5.20 yesterday even though my phone is not working. Can someone at iD please explain what’s going on? How can I be charged when I am unable to make calls, send texts, or use data roaming? Please explain the charge?

    And what is the status of the subscriber profile fault that I described above? Has that been escalated to the iD technical team?

    Thanks.

    BealAuthor
    Active Contributor
    February 25, 2026

    UPDATE: Apologies. It turns out I got disconnected from our home WiFi (probably due to an iPhone update) and I didn’t realise I was disconnected, so I drained all my credit.

    What this means is that mobile data was still working while phone calls and texts failed, even though I had a credit balance.

    I just topped up £5 and the line is now working again.

    This has happened before: topping up temporarily restores service, but after days or weeks calls, SMS, and sometimes data all fail simultaneously despite signal and prior SIM replacement.

    This is not a handset or SIM issue. It appears the line is being intermittently barred at network level.

    Please check whether my account is being incorrectly flagged as inactive or barred during system syncs and escalate to network provisioning / second-line technical support to investigate and permanently fix the issue.

    Thank you.