| Using AT&T prepaid credit to pay for goods? |
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Beachgirl
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| Using AT&T prepaid credit to pay for goods? |
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Hi there,
I'm using AT&T's prepaid tarif (10ct/min and 20ct/text). I only have this phone to occasionally make or receive phone calls. So I never use up my credit before expiration time. Unfortunately, my credit expires 90 days after topping-up. Hence, I keep topping-up with 25 Dollars every 90 days to keep my account alive and my remaining credit brought through. I have already accumulated almost 100 Dollars credit which will be useless for me once the next expiration day will pass (unless I top-up again). So, I'm wondering whether you could think of any products (non AT&T) I could buy using my remaining prepaid credit?
Thank you!
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Thu Sep 29, 2011 2:28 pm |
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eastmn
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To answer your question; my $21 quarterly cell plan allows me to buy additional service days only, with no additional minutes, so that I can use up all of my extra saved minutes. I think that you cannot spend the unused minutes for merchandise. Another option for you would be to buy the per-minute only plan. Yet another option for you is free "google voice", which is free national long-distance and local calls.
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Sun Oct 02, 2011 2:53 am |
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Beachgirl
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Thank you for your answer.
Just a remark on how the expiration of credit is handled in Germany: by court decision it is unlawful to let credit expire. So by request, a prepaid-customer can get his remaining credit paid out by the provider. It is a pity that this is not the case in the US...
I'm not aware of any pay per-minute only plan. Which provider offers such a plan?
I'm already using GoogleVoice to make phone calls and also have a Google phone number. But the question is how I take a phone call when I'm not sitting next to a computer? I still need a cell phone to receive phone calls, don't I?
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Sun Oct 02, 2011 4:57 am |
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eastmn
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quote:
Originally posted by Beachgirl
the question is how I take a phone call when I'm not sitting next to a computer? I still need a cell phone to receive phone calls, don't I?
I have everyone call only my google voice number, which is set to also ring my cellular. You can go to any telephone and call your googlevoice number; hold the star button down; and it will allow you to make free calls.
Your $25 quarterly plan is hard to beat. Since you travel, it's probably best that you stay with AT&T. Here in US, your extra minutes expire after 1 year. Can you spend your credit on ebay? Can you use it to pay your paypal account and then transfer it back to checking? What comes to mind is "Estee Lauder PLEASURES Perfume Gift Set" 
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Sun Oct 02, 2011 7:42 am |
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coaster
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quote:
Originally posted by Beachgirl
Just a remark on how the expiration of credit is handled in Germany: by court decision it is unlawful to let credit expire. So by request, a prepaid-customer can get his remaining credit paid out by the provider. It is a pity that this is not the case in the US...
I wish. I don't know how many minutes I've given up over the years on prepaid cells.
But perhaps the meaning of credit is different here than it is in Europe. Technically speaking, unused minutes on a prepaid cell (or a gift card for eats or merchandise, for that matter) isn't credit. Credit is for something you don't own that is given for your use and needs to be repaid. You have already paid for the cell minutes; you just haven't used what you already own free and clear. They were sold to you under the basis of certain terms of service which you accepted and acknowledge by payment. The TOS requires you to use them within a certain time frame, or they expire. So if you don't use what you own knowing they vaporize after 90 days then that's your responsibility, not the vendor.
So there's actually, legally speaking, no credit involved, or any further obligation on the vendor's part.
~Tim~
Eye Candy : Why Whimsy
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Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:37 pm |
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Beachgirl
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quote:
Originally posted by coaster
The TOS requires you to use them within a certain time frame, or they expire. So if you don't use what you own knowing they vaporize after 90 days then that's your responsibility, not the vendor.
Well, that's disputable. I am "forced" to accept those TOS because there is no provider (correct me if I'm wrong!) offering a prepaid tariff without an expiration date. This was also the policy in Germany - until the German consumer protection agency ("Verbraucherzentrale") took O2 (a big provider in Europe) to court in 2006. Now, every prepaid-customer in Germany can make a request to get his money paid out.
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Sun Oct 02, 2011 6:18 pm |
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Beachgirl
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quote:
Originally posted by eastmn
Can you spend your credit on ebay? Can you use it to pay your paypal account and then transfer it back to checking?
Yeah, it would be great if I could! But by now, I haven't figured out how to spend my prepaid AT&T credit on ebay. Or how to pay my credit into my paypal account.
If that was possible I'm very grateful if someone could explain to me on how to set this up (either ebay or -with a preference- on paypal).
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Sun Oct 02, 2011 6:29 pm |
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eastmn
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Prepaid AND debit cards BOTH will typically use the same ACH bank transfer routing and account number strings. You can usually find this on their website under bank transfer section. This would allow you to use paypal to do the free ACH money transfer. Takes 3 days to complete.
Paypal ACH Transfers ask for this:
Bank Name: __________
ABA Routing Number: ________
ACH Number: __________
Type of Account: _________
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Last edited by eastmn on Mon Oct 03, 2011 1:39 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Sun Oct 02, 2011 7:55 pm |
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Beachgirl
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quote:
Originally posted by eastmn
Prepaid or debit cards is will typically have a checking account and routing number tied to a named bank. You can usually find this on their website under bank transfer section. This would allow you to use paypal to do the free ACH money transfer. Takes 3 days to complete.
Thank you. But I have already my checking account linked to PayPal. My question was how to get my credit paid out from my AT&T prepaid account into my PayPal account.
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Mon Oct 03, 2011 1:24 am |
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eastmn
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Debit and prepaid cards are BOTH typically configured exactly as bank checking accounts. They use the same ACH bank routing number and account number strings. Search your prepaid card site to find the ACH bank transfer account number strings.
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Mon Oct 03, 2011 1:37 am |
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Beachgirl
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quote:
Originally posted by eastmn
Debit and prepaid cards are BOTH typically configured exactly as bank checking accounts. They use the same ACH bank routing number and account number strings. Search your prepaid card site to find the ACH bank transfer account number strings.
I think there is misunderstanding here. I'm not talking about a prepaid card but a prepaid tariff provided by AT&T:
http://tinyurl.com/attprepaidplan
My credit is associated to my AT&T cell phone number. There is no bank routing nor account number associated to my AT&T credit for phone minutes. I have about 100 Dollars credit for now. Every phone call I make or receive will be deducted from this credit.
My question is now how to spend this credit on goods rather than on AT&T phone minutes as I cannot use up all my minutes in a quarter.
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Mon Oct 03, 2011 2:22 am |
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coaster
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quote:
Originally posted by Beachgirl
I think there is misunderstanding here. I'm not talking about a prepaid card but a prepaid tariff provided by AT&T:
You probably have a point as I have no idea what the difference is, and worse yet, the link you posted says nothing about it either. Is there another link you'd like to post?
My comments above were wrt prepaid cell phones, so they're probably not applicable to tariff.
However, no one forces anyone to accept TOS they don't agree with. They always have the freedom to choose not to accept the TOS by not accepting the product the TOS comes with.
There's no alternative because, apparently, not enough people care. So ... here's a cause for you to champion when you get back!! 
~Tim~
Eye Candy : Why Whimsy
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Mon Oct 03, 2011 5:39 am |
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Beachgirl
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quote:
Originally posted by coaster
You probably have a point as I have no idea what the difference is, and worse yet, the link you posted says nothing about it either. Is there another link you'd like to post?
Sorry, the link I've posted requires that you enter a zip code. My zip code was stored as a cookie on my computer so I wasn't aware that the link wouldn't display details if there is no zip code.
quote:
Originally posted by coaster
There's no alternative because, apparently, not enough people care. So ... here's a cause for you to champion when you get back!!
Honestly, I don't get what you were trying to say. It's probably that I'm not a native speaker - "to champion when you get back"?! What does this mean?
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Sun Oct 09, 2011 3:12 pm |
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coaster
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You will be the chief promoter.
As in .... Thomas Jefferson was a great champion of liberty.
Can be used as a noun or a verb.
What is your native language? You could have fooled me. You write like a native speaker. 
~Tim~
Eye Candy : Why Whimsy
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Mon Oct 10, 2011 6:08 am |
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Beachgirl
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Joined: 21 Jan 2011
Location: New Jersey
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quote:
Originally posted by coaster
What is your native language? You could have fooled me. You write like a native speaker.
My native language is German
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Mon Oct 10, 2011 10:24 pm |
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