Prepaid mobile balance validity extended to 180 days

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced a new policy extending the minimum validity period of prepaid mobile balance

Islamabad: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced a new policy extending the minimum validity period of prepaid mobile balance to 180 days, providing greater convenience and protection to millions of mobile users across the country.

According to the PTA, the new 180-day validity period will apply to prepaid mobile balance recharged by customers across all mobile operators. The policy will come into effect from October 1, 2026, after which mobile users will be entitled to a minimum validity period of six months on their prepaid balance.

The telecom regulator said that the minimum validity period for recharge and balance has been fixed at 180 days for all mobile operators. The decision is aimed at ensuring that customers receive a reasonable period to use the balance they have purchased instead of losing it after a relatively short period.

Under the new policy, customers will also receive an important benefit if their prepaid balance expires. The PTA has clarified that once the balance validity period ends, the expired balance will be automatically restored when the customer makes a new recharge. This means users will not permanently lose their unused balance simply because the validity period has expired.

The measure is expected to provide additional relief to prepaid customers, particularly those who do not regularly use mobile services or recharge their numbers frequently. Under the existing system, users can sometimes lose access to unused balance after the expiry of the applicable validity period. The new rule seeks to provide greater flexibility by giving customers a longer period in which to use their purchased balance.

The PTA’s decision will apply to all mobile operators, making the 180-day minimum validity period a standard requirement across the country. Mobile users will therefore have a clearer and more uniform understanding of how long their prepaid balance will remain valid.

The automatic restoration mechanism is also expected to address concerns among consumers regarding expired balances. Instead of requiring customers to contact their mobile operator or go through a separate procedure to recover the amount, the expired balance will be restored automatically following a new recharge.

The new policy is scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2026. Customers are expected to benefit from the extended validity period once the revised rules become operational.

The PTA has been responsible for regulating Pakistan’s telecommunications sector and introducing measures aimed at protecting consumer interests. The latest decision reflects an effort to standardise prepaid balance validity across mobile operators and provide customers with greater control over their purchased mobile credit.

For prepaid users, the announcement means that balance purchased through a recharge will have a minimum validity of 180 days. If the balance expires after this period, customers will still be able to recover the expired amount by making another recharge, according to the PTA.

The decision is likely to be welcomed by mobile users who maintain prepaid numbers for occasional calls, messages, internet use or other communication needs. With a six-month minimum validity period and automatic restoration of expired balance upon a new recharge, customers will have more flexibility in managing their mobile accounts.

The new rules will come into force nationwide from October 1, 2026.