Check What Alerts Your Mobile Operator Must Send: Package Expiry, Usage and Roaming Limits in Pakistan
PTA's 2025 amendment requires usage alerts at 70, 90 and 100 percent, expiry notice 3 days before, and a roaming stop at your deposit. See how to check them.
Short answer: PTA's 2025 amendment to the consumer rules says your mobile operator must send an SMS or USSD alert when you use 70, 90 and 100 percent of a package, and a notice at least 3 days before expiry and again on the expiry day. Roaming must stop at your deposit limit unless you agree.
The bill that surprises you is rarely a big one. It is Rs 400 of data you did not know had run out, or a roaming charge that kept growing while you slept in a hotel. PTA changed the consumer rules in December 2025 to put warnings in the operator's hands before the money goes.
We read the Telecom Consumers Protection (Amendment) Regulations, 2025 in the Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, of 31 December 2025, on PTA's regulations page. This guide covers the alert rules. The consent rules are in our guide to stopping a service you never agreed to.
Operators must warn you before a package ends
Amended regulation 10 says an operator must give the consumer prior intimation at least three days before a subscribed package expires, and again on the day of expiry. The rule covers voice, SMS and data bundles, and value added service bundles.
That gives you a window to renew or to let the package lapse on purpose. It also helps if you want to stop an auto-renewing bundle: the warning arrives while there is still time to dial the stop code. If you never received the three-day message, keep a screenshot of your inbox for the dates around expiry.
You get usage alerts at 70, 90 and 100 percent
The same regulation requires an SMS or USSD alert to all cellular mobile consumers when they consume 70, 90 and 100 percent of a subscribed package. This applies to voice, SMS, data and value added service bundles.
| Alert | When it should arrive | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Expiry notice | At least 3 days before expiry, and on the expiry day | Renew, switch plan, or stop auto renewal |
| 70 percent used | When 70 percent of the bundle is consumed | Slow down data use, check apps |
| 90 percent used | When 90 percent is consumed | Buy an add-on if you need it |
| 100 percent used | When the bundle is finished | Know that out-of-bundle rates may start |
The 100 percent alert matters most. After the bundle ends, calls and data may be charged at the normal rate. We list those rates in what each network charges without a package. To check what is left at any time, use the codes in the Jazz balance check and the matching pages for Zong and Telenor.
Roaming must stop at your deposit limit unless you agree
Under the amendment, international roaming shall be suspended automatically when charges reach the limit of the security deposit you paid. The only exception is when you expressly agree to continue beyond that amount.
The operator must also send usage alerts at 70, 90 and 100 percent of the security deposit. The rule exists to prevent a huge bill after a trip. If you plan to travel, ask the operator what deposit it holds for your number, and decide in advance whether you will accept a higher limit. Our guides on turning on international roaming and fixing roaming that stops working abroad cover the operator steps.
Every activation must come with a message showing the charge
When a package, a roaming service or a value added service is activated, modified or changed, the amendment says the consumer must be notified immediately by SMS or another electronic message. The message shows the tariff, charges, taxes and the main terms.
Use this as a check. After you buy a bundle, an SMS should arrive straight away with the price. If a charge appears and no such message exists, you have a clear point for a complaint. The steps for that are in the consent guide linked above.
Bundles must say if 111 numbers and short codes are included
The amendment adds a disclosure duty for bundles. An operator must state clearly whether calls to UAN numbers and short codes are inside the off-net minutes. If they are not, that must be disclosed in the package terms when you subscribe.
A UAN, or universal access number, is the 111 style number many banks and companies use. Callers often assume these are part of their free minutes. The regulation lets the operator either include them, offer a waiver, or exclude them with a clear disclosure. Read the package terms before you assume.
What to do when an alert never arrives
If an alert does not arrive, record the dates, then complain to the operator and ask for a complaint number. The operator must register the complaint and redress it within three working days. If it does not, take the complaint to PTA with the reference.
- Write down the date your package expired or ran out and the date any alerts should have come.
- Search your SMS inbox, including the folder for promotional or service messages.
- Call the operator's helpline and ask whether alerts were sent to your number. Ask for a complaint number.
- If no resolution comes in three working days, file the complaint on the PTA complaint system. Our guide to the PTA complaint app shows the screens.
One honest limit: the text we read says alerts must be sent. It does not say what compensation you receive if one is missed. PTA will weigh the case on its evidence.
Common questions
How early must my operator warn me before a package expires?
At least three days before the expiry, and again on the day of expiry. The amended regulation 10 sets that rule for voice, SMS, data and value added service bundles.
Will I get a message at 70 percent usage?
You should. The amendment requires an SMS or USSD alert at 70, 90 and 100 percent of a subscribed package.
Can roaming charges go above my deposit?
Only if you expressly agree. Otherwise roaming must be suspended automatically when charges reach the security deposit limit.
Does this apply to postpaid and prepaid users?
The package alert text speaks of cellular mobile consumers and subscribed packages. We did not find a split between prepaid and postpaid in the passages we read, so ask your operator how it applies to your plan.
Are 111 numbers part of my free off-net minutes?
Not automatically. The operator must say clearly whether they are included, and it may include them, waive the charge, or exclude them with a disclosure.
When did these rules start?
The notification says they come into force from the date of the gazette. The notification is dated 29 December 2025 and published on 31 December 2025.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on Sunday 11 October 2026. We read the Telecom Consumers Protection (Amendment) Regulations, 2025 from the regulations page of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. The file is a scan that we read page by page, so confirm any figure on PTA's page. We did not test whether each operator is sending the alerts today.
About the author
Technology Journalist & Multimedia Producer
Ahmad Ali is a technology journalist and multimedia producer at Pakistan Era, joining the team in October 2026. He covers consumer technology and digital life for Pakistani readers, combining research with hands-on product testing.
