If you don’t use your pay-as-you-go mobile for six months it will be disconnected, your number may be given away and any remaining credit lost. But what happens to your credit when you pass away?

Well, you might not know it, but if a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) customer dies, the provider pockets any remaining credit…

Which? member Sue Paton (pictured) discovered this when her 91-year-old aunt, who seldom used her phone, passed away with £185 worth of credit on her Orange PAYG mobile.

Sue believes that her aunt may not have understood that she didn’t need to keep topping up.

Orange refused to refund the money – as with other mobile providers, it states in its terms and conditions that credit is non-refundable.

And, although Ofcom asks providers to disconnect inactive numbers so that they can be recycled, there’s no guidance on what providers should do with unused credit – so they keep it.

Which? steps in to help

We spoke to Orange, which said:

‘We understand that the death of a loved one is a difficult time… and we have arranged for the sum to be fully refunded.’

This is great news for Sue, but a shame she had to turn to us at Which? to make it happen.

The case of Sue’s aunt is quite specific, but PAYG credit may also be lost if you don’t use your mobile for six months. So whether it’s due to inactivity or another problem, let us know if you’ve ever lost your mobile credit and what your provider did about it.