Kroger I-Wireless Rip Off!

Welcome

Keep In Touch

Background

Find a Plan!

Broadband

International

Shopping

Other Stuff

[?] Subscribe To This Site

Kroger I-Wireless Rip Off!

by Yank
(Florence, KY)

The I-wireless policy regarding your expiration date on your prepaid airtime is to subtract any time you have left when you add additional airtime. Any unused minutes will roll over but not expiration time forcing you to either use them or let them pile up.

I contacted I-wireless regarding this and they politely explained to me that this information is on the back of airtime cards. They could not however explain to me why this information is not disclosed before or during the purchase of the phone or the service. An airtime card is not required when the initial purchase is transacted. This information is purposely withheld and you do not find out until you have already purchased their phone, which can't be used with any other service, and activated their service, which lures you in with free minutes to get started.

In my opinion, the act of purposely not disclosing this information prior to the purchase is perpetrating fraud upon the consumer.

Comments for
Kroger I-Wireless Rip Off!

Average Rating

Click here to add your own comments

Apr 18, 2012
Rating

Keep Expiration In Mind
by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

While I obviously don't know anything about your account (as I don't work for i-wireless), please keep in mind that if you don't make a payment to your account within the defined period (ex. 30, 60, 90 days), your remaining account balance will be swept. This is standard for every prepaid wireless carrier on PAYG products. If you add money before the expiration date, your balance will carry forward to the next period.

Of course, if there's something else going on with your account, I recommend that you definitely call i-wireless or email Kelly at the address provided.

All the best!

[Please note that I've deleted all profanity from your posts.]

Apr 18, 2012
Rating

Response to Anonymous
by: Kelly, i-wireless employee

Hello - We would love to keep you as a customer. If you email me at iwireless@iwirelesshome.com, I can look into your account and see why your balance was removed.

Thank you - Kelly

Apr 18, 2012
Rating

Dumb Plan !
by: Anonymous

I Hate You IWireless ! Yall Always Taking Away My Damn Minutes ! I'm Tired Of Yall And I'm Switching To Cricket!

Mar 18, 2012
Rating

Why?
by: Anonymous

The title says it all. The damage was done and both I-wireless and Kroger shrugged it off. Now I, and hopefully many others shrug off I-wireless and Kroger.

Mar 15, 2012
Rating

Response to Anonymous
by: Kelly - i-wireless

Hello Anonymous - if you send me an email with your i-wireless phone number, I can look into your account for you. The email address is iwireless@iwirelesshome.com.

Mar 14, 2012
Rating

Ripped Off
by: Anonymous

Couldn't have said it better...RIP OFF!!! Buying the damn cards & not even anywhere near getting the service you are supposed to be getting. This is BULL!!! Then as soon as I buy the card they won't even let me see my balance all of a sudden or how much they are charging (since they overcharge EVERY call), then the the balance is gone.

Feb 15, 2012
Rating

Response to Macrat
by: Kelly - i-wireless

Hello! I saw your comment about the trouble you had purchasing an additional plan for your mobile broadband service. You can do this two ways - using a debit/credit card on our website, www.iwirelesshome.com, or by purchasing an i-wireless airtime card from a Kroger family store.

Any online PIN purchase is not an authorized distributor of i-wireless. There are three different i-wireless brands, and you likely purchased one for T-Mobile i-wireless or Cincinnati Bell i-wireless, which explains why it didn't work. I apologize for this confusion and the inconvenience it caused.

As I stated above, we do offer the ability to add a plan/time to either your phone or your broadband card online, and it's quick and secure. I hope this helped.

Feb 15, 2012
Rating

Broadband modems, UGH!
by: Macrat

First off, I bought their broadband modem to see how it stacks against Virgin Mobile. Price was very stiff for the modem, and so was the $50 refill.

It performs no better than the Virgin Mobile that I have, exactly the same speeds. I bought a refill to put in it in case the Virgin mobile device's grandfathered $40-a-month plan would ever quit on me.

When I went to refill it, it was quite troublesome, as the webpage for the wireless broadband refused to accept the codes. Turns out the pins I bought were for the Iwireless PHONE service. No wonder the refills for the phone service had a deep discount at Callingmart, nobody really uses it. There are NO discounts or any vendors other than Kroger as the broadband cost to Kroger prohibits it, as there are too many subcontractors handling the Iwireless service. It costs them so much more, that they had to differentiate the refill for it. It took me a few months with CallingMart, since they had to re-sell the PINs, and once the other buyer reported no issues, passed the refund to me.

To this day, I see no differentiation with the labeling of the brand on online PIN sellers. The only difference is a yellow sticker on the Iwireless broadband modem box stating that it requires only the Iwireless broadband refills, at $50 for 30 days/4 Gigs. Still, it's the cheapest outside of the grandfathered Virgin Mobile plan, since other prepaid broadbands, like Clear and ReadyBroadband, are at $60 a month with lower Gig allowances.

What happens when that box is long forgotten? Quite confusing.

Feb 07, 2012
Rating

Agreed . . . .
by: Cyber Ninja

The reception always sucked, I consistently had someone calling wrong number, the prices aren't that great, and above all Net10 offers unlimited EVERYTHING for only $30 a month with decent phones and great reception!

Nov 23, 2011
Rating

Prepaid Smartphones ARE a "Smart" Option
by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

I just want to clarify that people seeking no contract plans can now select from a myriad of great prepaid smartphone options. Contrary to what's inferred in the previous post, no contract IS in fact for everyone; it's no longer just for the credit challenged.

If you want a free or lower cost phone, you can sign a contract to get a subsidy, however, in most cases you'll end up paying more due to a higher monthly plan cost on average. And now that the cost of smartphones has come down a lot, you can get a fully capable handset for under $200. Also note that a lot of higher end handsets offered on prepaid ARE subsidized by the carrier (though less than postpaid carriers of course). Yes, currently postpaid smartphones are more capable for the same price, however, that gap is quickly closing.

I feel the lesson here is that prepaid customers need to better understand the expiration rules. Carriers that don't make this easy to understand, or easily accessible, will ultimately suffer as customers flock to plans that are clear at the point of purchase. In other words, both the customer and the carrier have responsibilities to fulfill here.

Nov 23, 2011
Rating

O_o
by: Anonymous

When purchasing a mobile service most savvy consumers compare two things: 1. phone quality and price 2. coverage quality and price. And let's face it the average consumer in the market for a minute-to-minute service isn't looking for a long term commitment. If your looking for a smart-phone shopping prepaid doesn't make much sense. If you compare the phones available from Net10, Tracfone, or Straight Talk in the $20 price range I-Wireless has better phones; probably cause they're Sprint's overstock. And as far as the price-per-minute I-Wireless is extremely competitive. Most consumers find Net10, Tracfone, and Straight Talk to have splotchy coverage at best. The coverage under Sprint that I-Wireless offers makes them competitive in coverage quality also.

Agent orange? Completely off topic, however I would never support the use of a known carcinogen within the vicinity of American soldiers. Besides if we're going to rally against corporate rip offs we should be rallying against cell phone contracts and the grotesque mark up of the cell phones. The average mark-up of a text message is 6000 percent! Or better yet the bailed out banks. I would rather put my money in a personal safe, than give my money to a thieving financial institution.

Nov 22, 2011
Rating

Seriously?
by: Yank

Hey Anonymous,
You must be a politician. You distort the facts, twist the truth, and then accuse me of doing what you have done. The facts are accurate and have been confirmed by not only me, but i-wireless, Kroger, and other consumers. Your misleading and misguided post was a waste of your time and that of anyone else reading it who understands what has actually happened. You do however, have the right to say what you want, so go ahead and have yourself a little fun even if it is at the expense of ripped off consumers. Grow a pair and stand up to corporate rip offs. I bet you would defend the makers of agent orange.

Nov 22, 2011
Rating

Just did . . . .
by: Anonymous

And all I see is a bunch of irrelevant complaints (facts about the product) that you have twisted to degrade this company. As I read further this time I recognized more invalid complaints. Like the fact that the phone can't be used with any other service . . . . that's standard for any cell phone carrier. Besides Sprint coverage is way better than any local month-to-month or pay-as-you-go service. And for what appears to be your primary complaint about free minutes advertised . . . . you either misunderstood or are twisting the information for the purpose of degrading the company. What you appear to be referring to is not marketed on a main headboard. It's pamphlet that says, "free minutes for using your Kroger card". Unless of course you don't have a Kroger were you're from. Regardless you mentioned in a previous post that you have had this product for awhile and were pleased . . . . why the sudden need to degrade the product on the internet. I would bet it doesn't go all the way back to the original purchase of the product. In a nutshell this product is far from a rip off or false advertising. Actually, I would consider it to be the best non-contract service available.

Nov 21, 2011
Rating

Ummm...
by: Yank

Hey Anonymous - did you read the entire original post?

Nov 20, 2011
Rating

?????
by: Anonymous

Ummm . . . I'm not sure exactly what your complaining about here. All you said was that your minutes roll over so can use them or let them accumulate . . . .

Oct 19, 2011
Rating

Reasearch?
by: Yank

You did research? Really? How can you possibly research a policy that was changed to protect the company? Do you think Kroger or I-Wireless is going to tell you they ripped you off? I'm not the only one who complained about this, just the only one, apparently, who felt like this was just another corporate rip off that should be exposed. I did you a favor by getting this out and causing a change in which consumers would be informed BEFORE they made the purchase.

Oct 19, 2011
Rating

Is Kroger Separate?
by: He's Right Ya Know

Why is it called "Kroger I-Wireless? Why is it only available in Kroger stores? Why is this I-wireless entity not affiliated with the Iwireless from, oh say Cincinnati Bell? Why won't the phones or airtime cards sold at Kroger work with any other i-wireless outfit? Do a little research before knockin' what a guy is tryin' to tell ya. If you read ALL the posts you'll see that he's absolutely correct and you'll also notice, maybe because of this, "Kroger I-Wireless's policy has been changed,or at least updated to prevent consumers from being taken advantage of. Way to go Yank!

Oct 18, 2011
Rating

Kroger is seperate from i-wireless
by: Anonymous

I work at a Kroger Family Store myself, and we as employees are given very little if no information on the i-wireless plans and airtime cards that we sell. (We've brought it to the attention of corporate and are going to a meeting this week focusing on i-wireless products.) But in this case, I don't feel it's the seller's fault. Any consumer buying a gift card/ prepaid card should look over the card before buying it to ensure they really want to buy the product. Especially since all gift cards and prepaid cards are non-refundable. The first thing I do when a customer asks a question about a card is refer to the back because most of the time the answer is there. All cards have information on the back regarding fees, expiration, activation, 1-800 #'s and the like. Maybe it's not right for I-wireless to have this detail revealed in only the "fine print" but it's not the Kroger cashier's/ Kroger company's fault that the detail is not displayed else where or that you didn't read the back of the card before buying it. Now, personally, I researched them a bit when I was looking for a phone last year and found I'm not fond of i-wireless products or their plans. But the point is I did my research before buying a phone. You can find all the information on the expiration of minutes on their website. i-wirelesshome.com

Aug 21, 2011
Rating

Stick 2 the point
by: Yank

This wasn't meant to be an advertising platform for Google Voice, Net 10, or any other phone service. Let's try to focus on the main point which is "CONSUMERS BEING RIPPED OFF".

Aug 19, 2011
Rating

Be Cautious of Call Display Number With Google Voice
by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

Google Voice is an excellent suggestion. I love it, and use it myself! The post below speaks of giving people one number so they don't get confused. That's extremely great advice. However, just one word of caution, which is when you call from one of your phones, people will see that number. So while they call your Google Voice number and reach you no matter what phone you answer with, when you call them back, they'll see the number of the phone you're calling from.

Unfortunately, the current Android app doesn't allow for your Google Voice number to be displayed UNLESS you call OUT using Google Voice. The problem with doing that is that any free mobile-to-mobile minutes that are included in your plan won't work. i.e. You'll be charged for calls that would normally be free. If you don't have that type of plan, it won't matter. Also, if you have Sprint postpaid service (which hopefully you don't b/c you know that prepaid wireless is better!), they have full integration with Google Voice, so you can avoid this complexity.

Definitely worth playing around with for sure!

Aug 19, 2011
Rating

re: unanswered calls - use Google Voice
by: Anonymous

If you find for some reason that you do not get a ring and your calls go unanswered, try this: get a free Google Voice account.

Then give people your Google Voice number, not your home number or your cell phone number or your work number or ...

When someone calls your Google Voice number all those numbers you associated will ring at the same time. The first time it happened to me both the house and cell phones rang at the same time and I did not understand what was happening. LOL!!

If you do not answer a call for any reason then the caller hears the Google Voice system ask them to leave a message. No calls are lost. You do not have to rely on i-Wireless or any other cell carrier to take a message. Later you can retrieve your Google Voice calls. Also, Google "tries" to translate the message by converting it to text and sends it to your email account, often with very funny results.

Another nice thing about the free Google Voice service is you can have a phone number with an area code that is not the same as the city where you live. So if I were a big shot movie actor I could have a Hollywood or New York area code phone number even though I might live in Atlanta. Very cool.

Next week I'm going to get a Kroger i-Wireless Android phone and at the same time keep my Net10 phone. I will add the Android phone number to my Google Voice service. This will allow me to experiment with the Android phone and if I do not like the phone or the i-Wireless service I will not confuse my friends and business associates by telling them to call me using some other number because all they know is my Google Voice number.

Aug 19, 2011
Rating

Net10 does add up your days
by: AtlantaTerry

I've had a Net10 phone for several years now. When I purchase their prepaid cards I receive both time and days.

I usually use up time faster than days so right now my phone display says:
Time: 85 Minutes
Days: 329 Service Days

That's about 10 months!

Unfortunately Net10/TracFone does not currently offer an Android phone so I'm going to have to jump ship until they do.

Aug 09, 2011
Rating

love tha service!!!!!!!!!!
by: shaun reynolds

I dont know what tha fuss is all about....i wireless gave me a 50.00 deal for getting a smartphone....o im sorry...a 250.00 discount on my smartphone...so take that vmobile and boost...cause yall never have any deal like iwireless...o and by tha way...when do u go shopping at a store and get minutes for it????? Answer that!!!

Aug 08, 2011
Rating

I love I-wireless by: Anonymous
by: Snowman

You, sir or madame, must be an idiot. This guy has not only exposed this phone service for their sneaky underhanded ways of doing business, but has attempted to educate others so they don't get ripped off like he did. He;s not saying "don't but their product or service", he's simply stating his experience with this company and how he was treated. To call him a liar when you are apparently ignorant to the facts is just plain irresponsible, not to mention stupid. Hmmmm... could this be considered liable?

Aug 08, 2011
Rating

What's your definition?
by: Yank

Before you print to the public that someone is a liar, you should look up the definition of slander and liable. EVERYTHING stated inmy post post are not only the TRUTH, but has been substantiated beyond doubt. And why did you hide your identity? Which do you work for I-Wireless or Kroger?

Aug 06, 2011
Rating

I love I-wireless
by: Anonymous

I've read everything in this forum and i just have to say that I've had my phone for a year with I-wireless and I've been on their $25 dollar plan, the 200 minutes with texting and web, and it's the most affordable plan out there. I only need to use my phone for making calls here and there and all of the minutes I have remaining rolls over. To me that is awesome! I learned a few things about the expiration date that I didn't know, but everything in America expires eventually. I just love the fact that if I can't afford my plan, I don't get pentalized like every other phone company. I didn't feel it right to see this "Kroger I-wireless Rip Off" comment and not say that it is a complete lie. I have a low income budget and I can afford an amazing plan, so i say thank you I-wireless. :)

Jul 31, 2011
Rating

Scheme
by: Anonymous

Get enough hooked with $20/90 day card, cut days, jack up price high enough to far more compensate for quiting customers with those who remain. This has been going on with tobacco and now everywhere. Buisness model long ago was "Supply and Demand." Nowadays greed changed it to "What the Market will bear." Milking for all it's worth. Personel Managers now called Human Resource Manager. What happens to resource... it is mined, extracted for every dime and then discarded.

May 25, 2011
Rating

Thanks
by: Yank

Thanks for proving my point which I have tried feverishly to establish. You wrote,"The reminder to purchase airtime is included on our brochure, which is on our unit in-store and the expiration details are included on the airtime card in-store as well."
Do I need to break it down for you? A "reminder to purchase airtime" is not a notice of expiration. The fact that this information is disclosed on the airtime card post phone purchase is a little "after the fact" wouldn't you say Kelly? Would it matter if you disclosed the information in the Wall Street Journal? No! The people shopping and buying these phones at their local Kroger stores are not being treated fairly. What ever happened to honesty and integrity? That was rhetorical since I-Wireless doesn't practice either.

May 24, 2011
Rating

Reply to Yank
by: Kelly - i-wireless employee

Yank - I'm sorry you feel that we do not disclose this information. The reminder to purchase airtime is included on our brochure, which is on our unit in-store and the expiration details are included on the airtime card in-store as well. If shopping online, we make the information available on our website.

In no way are we trying to deceive our customers. As with most no-contract wireless providers, we have a lot of information to communicate and we try to do so in a way that benefits all of our customers and those folks who are shopping around and comparing carriers.

May 24, 2011
Rating

Typical corporate response
by: Yank

Apparently Kelly, you didn't read the "original" complaint which clearly stated concerns of hiding these "expiration" facts prior to the phone purchase from Kroger stores at which time an airtime card is not required due to the "free" minutes given as bonus for the purchase. NOWHERE before, during, or after the purchase is the expiration of airtime mentioned, discussed, or printed, except on the actual card itself which is purchased AFTER the phone sale. My beef is not with the actuality of expiration. My problem is with the fact this information was not made available until after the phone purchase. This information may have prevented me from switching carriers and I feel this is unfair to unsuspecting consumers.

May 23, 2011
Rating

i-wireless Response
by: Kelly - i-wireless Employee

Hi there - this is Kelly from i-wireless. I wanted to respond to some of the comments myself. Feel free to engage/interact with me here, or on our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/krogeriwireless.

Yank - I see you're concerned with balance expiration. Our policy, as stated in our Terms and Conditions - Adding funds to your account before your balance expires or is suspended will give a new Balance Expiration Date to both your old balance and your new balance. This is also stated on the back of our airtime cards. To further clarify – we will not ‘add’ the expiry, but it is updated. Example: If you purchase 3 $10 airtime cards with 30 day expiry and add them at the same time, it does not mean you get 90 days to use them – they are still a 30 day card. The same rings true if you add a card before your expiry. We will not add the card to your current expiry, rather, your new balance expiration date is 30, 60 or 90 days from the date the card is added.

Quasi - you posted about our change from a $20 airtime card with a 90 day expiration to a $25 card with a 60 day expiration. In the last year we have done away with our $20 i-wireless airtime card which boasted a 90 day expiry. It has been replaced with a $25 airtime card that hosts a 60 day expiry. The change was noted on the airtime card, our FAQs and our Terms & Conditions. Customers who purchased $20 airtime cards were granted the 90 expiry as we sold through inventory. By changing the denomination as well as the expiry, we had hoped to avoid confusion among customers.

I hope this helps to clear the air a bit. Please let me know if you have any further questions on i-wireless or our policies. All can be found in our Terms and Conditions at www.krogeriwireless.com.

Apr 17, 2011
Rating

Prepaid Wireless Airtime Expiration
by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

Your experience definitely sounds frustrating. Although the terms and conditions of most prepaid wireless companies will note that terms are subject to change, and often without notice, an abrupt change is not customary.

Prepaid wireless companies will usually grandfather people into the terms you have at the time you purchased the topup. A messaging campaign is also usually done to make sure that customers know exactly what's going to happen BEFORE it happens. This can often include SMS, email, and even messaging on their website and IVR.

While I don't know the specific legal requirements, from my experience, some degree of advanced notice is require from my understanding, even though the terms note "subject to change without notice." I've debated this point with internal lawyers in the past when I've wanted to roll something out earlier (and noted the "change without notice" clause), but they required that certain advanced steps take place to be 100% legally compliant.

Anyway, full advanced disclosure is always to a prepaid carrier's benefit given that it's relatively easy to change services, particularly if you've purchased an inexpensive phone.

Apr 17, 2011
Rating

iWireless
by: Quasi Anonymous

I completely understand what user: Yanki stated above, I notice something very awry regarding this wireless discrepancy. I tracked about 90% reception for both incoming calls and text messages, I find it very unreliable for this company to have quasi reliable service, especially when people are looking for jobs (who to respond to).. The service just abruptly drops and calls to my iWireless phone aren´t always forwarded to voice-mail, rather, they keep on ringing seemingly eternally and perhaps lost into the universe? Any others out there with a similar issue?

In addition, just months ago, I purchased a $20-something dollar card, which expired in three months, but iWireless policy recently changed unannounced, from three month expiration to two month expiration. Until I had to inquire and research to only read on the back of their prepaid cards, that indeed, their fine print stated the new expiration in minuscule font, without overtly announcing this policy update on the website; rather one must dig through the mud.

Why must it expire hastily for economically conscious individuals? Why must it be so cryptic and seemingly unprofessional?

My complaints against iWireless is that I also notice my service malfunctioning as I get a lower monetary balance on my phone. Any explanations as to why that is?

Besides, does anyone work with any wireless companies? Anyone sense a rat?

Apr 02, 2011
Rating

Now they do
by: Yank

The original post was accurate at the time as admitted by the iwireless people I originally contacted. The information available at Kroger stores regarding the rip off issues was recently added and I hope it was direct result of people like me complaining about it. I didn't complain about the service, just the failure of disclosure of facts. Honesty is the best policy, right?

Apr 01, 2011
Rating

not a rip off at all
by: Anonymous

I have had my Iwireless phone for over two years now and have been EXTREMELY satisfied with both their service area and the affordability of both the prepaid minutes as well as my new monthly plan of $30 a month. I don't have any problems with any of it and I have to say that the reading material available at Kroger did state the "issue" that you are having with roll over minutes as well as the expiration information.

On another note, my wife has a Boost phone and their unlimited plan. She loves it.

Jan 25, 2011
Rating

Airtime Expiration Confusion
by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

Thank you for your feedback Yank. I think that maybe I'm confused as to what you're experiencing. I have a Boost phone that I've had on hand for about a year that I use for when out of town family and friends visit (it's SUPER cheap given that I only have to load $10 every 90 days, for a grand total of $3.33 each month when it's not being used!). Because I have an iDEN phone, service is not very great, and battery life is atrocious even when the phone isn't being used (just on with no talking)...but that's another story...

Anyway, the expiration rules that I experience are as described in my note below. Expiration time is never cummulative, but based solely on the number of days attached to the reload. For Boost it's simple b/c it's 90 days no matter how much you load. I feel as though I may be misunderstanding your experience?

Regardless of what the rules are, however, you make a great point regarding rules needing to be clear on the handset package b/c some services don't require that you buy a topup card to get service activated. In the meantime, I would encourage prospective buyers to take a look at the topup card terms and conditions before buying a handset. Some stores will allow you to return an open handset package (even if it's been activated), however, many don't.

Jan 25, 2011
Rating

It is a rip off
by: Yank

Thanks for your contribution PWG, but you are not entirely correct. I had a prepaid IWIRELESS account through Cincinnati Bell and just prior to this I-Wireless account through Kroger I had a prepaid Boost account. BOTH added the newly purchased minutes and expiration time to the previous amounts. If it weren't for the poor service of Boost Mobile I would have stayed with them since it was only costing me about $7.00 per month per phone. When I say I was getting ripped off it was because of Kroger and I-Wireless' failure to disclose this information at the point of sale. The new phone came with a 400 minute bonus making it unnecessary to immediately purchase an airtime card. The airtime card clearly states the terms of the expiration time, however, these terms are not disclosed at the phone display or during the sale of the phone or the service. If this information would have been made available I would not have purchased this phone or service. Failure to disclose such important information is in fact, a rip off.

Jan 25, 2011
Rating

i-wireless Expiration Rules - Part 1
by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

First let me say that I understand your frustration. Expiration rules (along with other factors unique to prepaid wireless) can be very confusing, which is largely why this site is here...to help untangle the options and details that aren't always very clear. I rated this question 5 stars because it's a very common question and point of confusion for many people, and clarifying it here should hopefully be helpful. Even people that work for prepaid carriers get confused over how these things work!

i-wireless' expiration rules are such that the full amount of your account balance is extended to the new expiration date attached to the value of the new card/topup amount. For example, if you have a current balance of $5 with 1 day, or even 20 days remaining, if you add a $10 card, your $5 balance will carry forward, and you will now have $15 that will expire 30 days from today (the day you added the new $10 card). Note that if you still had 20 days remaining on the old $5, those 20 days are NOT added to the new 30 days to make it 50 days. Another example: If you were to add $50, you would have a new balance of $55 that would expire 90 days from today. i-wireless' expiration rules are as follows:

$10 – 30 days
$25 – 60 days
$50 – 90 days

Some people think that the remaining money (i.e. the $5 in this example) would carry it's own expiration date from when it was originally added; however, this is not the case. For the most part, prepaid wireless carriers cannot differentiate which funds are which (i.e. old vs. new). When you add money to your account it's like adding water to a bucket that already has water in it. The total volume of water is known and can be used, but which water droplets were there before you added the new water cannot be distinguished in order to carry different properties.

Jan 25, 2011
Rating

i-wireless Expiration Rules - Part 2
by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

The good news is that once you master prepaid wireless expiration rules, you're set, because this is how every prepaid wireless carrier that I know of works.

Now to your point regarding the carry forward limits. This applies to free minutes that you earn, as well as minutes included in monthly (non-unlimited) plans. If you're on a basic plan, you can carry forward 100 minutes each month; if you're on a monthly plan you can actually carry forward 1,500 minutes. This is actually a pretty good deal, because many carriers don't allow any carry over of minutes for monthly plans; whatever you don't use in a given month is lost. Also, if you fail to add money to your account before the expiration time to keep service going, you'll lose all of your free/included minutes.

Lastly, because prepaid wireless is usually what we call an unassisted sale (i.e. there's no one there to help guide you thru the initial purchase process), carriers rely on phone packaging, topup cards, and brochures at the point of sale to communicate these types of rules. Fortunately, most of the basic policies are the same across all carriers. Though carriers tend to have very different rules regarding carry over, and switching between plans, so these are things you'll definitely want to research before making a purchase.

Note that I was able to speak with someone at i-wireless corporate to confirm these rules. I also reviewed the terms and conditions on their website, though I haven't had a chance to review their in-store materials.

I hope this helps to reassure you that you're not getting ripped off.

As a side note, I was at a Radio Shack this past weekend where a customer was asking the sales associated about a particular phone and how the plan works. The sales person was giving them completely wrong information. I was compelled to pipe in and offer some help. The point being that even if you're in a store that is an assisted sale, the sales associates aren't always good/knowledgeable. There's really SO much to know that it's hard for them to be trained and remember everything even if their motivated to do so. Again, one of the reasons why I built this site! ;-)

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Per Minute (PAYG) Plan Reviews