Prepaid cards expiry after activation (but before being deposited)?

[museschild]

Hello,

I received two $50 prepaid cards as gifts and there is a receipt with proof of activation (on May 01, 2020) from the store they were purchased at.

However, I have not deposited either card and would like to give them to someone else. He can only deposit them in a year's time, as he has paid for a year of service for his phone.

Is there an expiry date to cards after they've been activated in store (but before they have been deposited)?

I understand they expire 60 days after they are deposited, but what about after purchase?

Thank you for your clarification! 🙂

Alex

[NFtoBC]

I am not aware of expiry of prepaid cards, either deposited, or not. If the friend you wish to give them to adds them to their account, the cash value should remain there until consumed.

Can you point out where you learned about the 60 days?

[museschild]

Thank you for your response.

I learned about the 60 days on the cards themselves:

• "Once deposited into your account, card value is valid for 60 days."

Also, at this forum posting:

https://forum.telus.com/t5/My-Mobility-Account/How-long-do-10-prepaid-cards-last/td-p/889#:~:text=Pr...

Thank you for your help!

[NFtoBC · Accepted solution]

That link refers to a time when adding funds through a card bought minutes directly. As long as you topped up before the 30 days, your minutes rolled over. There were instances of people who rarely used their phone (emergency or travel calls only) having hundreds of dollars sitting in the account being left unconsumed because they needed to buy a $10 or $30 card each 30 days to keep the phone number active.

Current prepaid plans require you top up your account, then purchase a plan. Be sure you are not confusing plan purchases (which do expire) with top up additions, which may not. My understanding is, as long as the prepaid account is kept live, any funds applied to it remain. The 60 days is to prevent folks claiming a long abandoned prepaid service still being valid due to a few dollars left on the account.

You should be able to keep the vouchers until you need them.

Alternately, if you can use the top up cards, you could consider using them yourself, and purchasing fresh ones for your friend later.