This is a piece of legislation that has been introduced by parliament as part of the Digital Economy Act, which came into force on the 1st October 2018 as part of the Communications Act.
Billing limits will apply to all new mobile contracts, including re-signs, taken out from 1st October 2018 and aim to significantly reduce the risk of bill-shock.
The guidelines have been outlined by Ofcom here.
Your mobile airtime package will likely include some inclusive minutes, texts, and data. These are “in-bundle”. Any usage that falls outside of this is “out of bundle” charges. For example, roaming outside of the United Kingdom. Setting a bill limit means that once your “out of bundle” charges reach the set amount, certain services on your mobile device will be barred. In the event that you breach your bill limit, it will restrict all usage except emergency service calls. For example, if you have used all of your inclusive data allowance, and incur data charges that breach your bill limit, all usage will be restricted for the month except for emergency service calls.
We are prohibited from charging beyond the set bill limit, even if you exceed the amount and the service is not restricted or highlighted by us in time.
This service allows you to set a bill limit (£) against each individual mobile number. Only mobile numbers contracted from 1st October 2018 are eligible for bill limits. Bill limits exclude line rentals.
To manage your bill limit(s), simply contact the mobile support department on 0330 444 4444 or email [email protected] who will discuss this with you.
What happens if I am barred?
If you have been barred as a result of breaching a bill limit, then we are able to remove it for the given month and re-activate it for the following month at the same rate or a new limit you specify. Please contact us to do this.
Note – if you breach a bill limit and request it to be removed, you will be liable for all charges, including any that would have been accrued should your bill limit not have been in force at the time. For example, when roaming abroad, billing data takes significant time to return to the UK to be processed. Therefore, barring can sometimes be behind. With the bill limit, you are protected from any bill shock. However, removing the bill limit mid-month when you have breached it, removes this protection and all charges apply. Our mobile support team can advise on this in detail.
4Com is committed to providing the best advice on mobile usage and managing your spend, please contact us on 0330 444 4444 or email [email protected] to discuss this.
