Buzz
Using one or multiple SIM cards is common nowadays. Almost everyone has a primary SIM card for personal communication. Secondary SIM cards, used for purposes like receiving calls or subscribing to Internet services such as Viettel's 3G or 4G, are also prevalent.
At some point, when we stop using these SIM cards, we might wonder how long it takes before they get deactivated or when the number on them gets reclaimed. Each network provider, like Viettel, Vinaphone, and Mobifone, has its own regulations on this matter that users should pay attention to.
What happens when Viettel SIM cards remain inactive for a while?
For prepaid subscribers:
- For Tomato, Hi School, and Student packages, if there's no activity for 30 days, top-up services will be restricted one-way. If there's no activity for 60 days, including successful top-ups or received calls, services will be restricted both ways.
- Economy prepaid package subscribers have 10 days to top-up after one-way restriction. If there's no top-up within 30 days of two-way restriction, the SIM will be reclaimed.
For postpaid subscribers:
- Postpaid subscribers will face one-way restriction (outgoing calls) after 30 days. Another 30 days after the first restriction, if the bill remains unpaid, two-way restriction will be imposed. If there's no payment within 30 days of two-way restriction, the SIM will be reclaimed.
What's Mobifone's policy on inactive SIM cards?
For prepaid subscribers:
- Upon running out of credit, you'll experience one-way restriction. After 10 days of this restriction, it will escalate to two-way restriction. If there's no action within 30 days of two-way restriction, the SIM will be locked, followed by reclamation after 30 days.
For postpaid subscribers:
- Postpaid subscribers with Mobifone undergo a similar process to Viettel: one-way restriction after 30 days, two-way restriction after the subsequent 30 days, and complete SIM lockdown after another 30 days.
What's Vinaphone's policy on inactive SIM cards?
For prepaid subscribers:
-Upon depletion of credit, one-way restriction is imposed. After 10 days of this restriction, it escalates to two-way restriction. If there's no top-up within 30 days of two-way restriction, full SIM usage is suspended, though ID verification can still restore it. Finally, after 15 days of SIM suspension, it will be reclaimed.
For postpaid subscribers:
-Similar to the two aforementioned networks, regulations regarding the deactivation and reclamation of inactive SIM cards apply universally: one-way restriction for the initial 30 days, followed by two-way restriction for the subsequent 30 days, and complete SIM lockdown for the final 30 days.
Mytour has provided you with a wealth of information to understand more about the deactivation and reclamation of unused SIM cards with Viettel, Vinaphone, and Mobifone. Through this article, you can determine which phase your SIM is in to consider reactivation.
Here's an additional update for our readers: Viettel is currently offering free registration for 4G Viettel. If you haven't registered for 4G Viettel yet, head to their centers now to sign up.
The Ministry of Information & Communication has officially decided to change 11-digit numbers to 10-digit ones. With these changes, only network codes consisting of 3-4 digits will be altered, while the last 7 digits will remain unchanged. The article provides guidance on how to convert 11-digit numbers to 10-digit ones.
