What is credit reservation? And why has my credit been frozen?

Credit reservation is a new system we have introduced to automatically reserve credit paid for by top-up voucher or debit card in your Lyca Mobile account for the purpose of activating a rolling Pay As You Go (PAYG) plan or queued Lyca Mobile plan.

When you do not have enough credit in your balance for our system to automatically renew/activate your requested plan, our system will now automatically reserve any existing Lyca Mobile account credit until you’ve topped up enough balance to renew/activate the requested plan.

This is to prevent you from accidentally using services at PAYG standard rates without your knowledge (for example, data used by apps for alerts and background refreshes).

We will notify you that credit reservation has taken place on your Lyca Mobile balance. Any chargeable calls will divert to customer service, so you can release your balance.

For example: you purchase a €20 30-day plan. When the expiry date arrives, you only have €8 credit shown in your balance. With our credit reservation, your balance will automatically be reserved at €8 – and you will be sent a text message letting you know. If you then top-up €15 (bringing your total balance to €23) the system will automatically active your €20 plan. Your new plan will begin, and you will have €3 balance to use for out-of-plan services.

What if I have activated my plan using a debit/credit card?

If you have activated your plan using a debit/credit card, unfortunately our credit reservation system does not support this payment method at the moment. We hope to change this soon. If you wish you can change your payment method by logging into your Lyca Mobile account.

What happens to the services when credit reservation causes my Lyca Mobile account balance to be reserved?

When your account balance is reserved due to credit reservation, your Lyca Mobile services will be limited to non-chargeable calls and texts. This includes incoming calls, texts, customer service calls, and any free calls/texts – eg freephone numbers and free data (where applicable). Any additional unexpired Lyca Mobile plan will still continue to be available to you until it expires.

How do I release my Lyca Mobile account balance when credit reservation has activated?

To deactivate credit reservation and release your balance, text CANCEL to 5309. Your scheduled plan will be cancelled and reserved credit, if any, will be available for use at PAYG rates or for a plan you have enough credit for.

How can I check my balance to see my credit reservation?

When credit reservation starts for your number, your reserved balance amount will be in the SMS notification sent to you.

Please refer to the notification text or call customer service for your reserved balance.

Our credit reservation system does not currently support balance display – this is coming in a future update. If you check your balance after receiving a credit reservation notification message – via our call system, mobile app or your online account – it will display as having no funds.

However, any balance you had before credit reservation activated will be displayed immediately once you deactivate the credit reservation.

How does credit reservation work if I have multiple Lyca Mobile plans active on my Lyca Mobile account?

Credit reservation activates on a per-plan basis.

If you have more than one Lyca Mobile plan active, with auto-renewal or a plan queued, and not enough call credit in your balance, the first plan to expire will automatically trigger credit reservation and reserve your Lyca Mobile balance.

Your second Lyca Mobile plan will continue to be available to you until it expires.

You will be notified of any credit reservation on your Lyca Mobile balance that takes place.

How do I release my Lyca Mobile account balance when credit reservation has activated for multi bundle?

To deactivate credit reservation and release the reserved credit for all of your bundles to main balance, text BUN to 5309 with your plan code. Your reserved credit, if any, will be returned to main balance to use at PAYG rates.

What if I want to activate a different plan – not my current or queued plan?

To activate a different plan to your current or queued plan, please contact customer service or call via 1923.

When credit reservation is active, if you top-up a sufficient amount for your current or queued plan, that plan will automatically be re-activated using the reserved credit and the balance of the top-up.

If you stop credit reservation and release your balance, you are free to top-up a new or existing plan, start a new plan, or use Pay As You Go services as you choose.

Can I disable auto-renewal before credit reservation activates?

Yes. You can disable auto-renewal on your Lyca Mobile plan(s), and this will also stop credit reservation from activating.

However, by disabling auto-renewal, any discounts or benefits which are conditional on auto-renewal may be lost. Please review your plan and agreement before cancelling auto-renewal.