Forum: Adjust phone settings to prevent unexpected charges on supplementary lines

We refer to the letter by Mr Voon Chen Wei, “Perils of telcos enabling direct carrier billing services by default” (Nov 18).

The mode of payments is manually selected and pre-set in the phone settings by mobile phone users, and they can choose to pay using different means including credit card, debit card, their telco provider or various e-commerce payment platforms.

For customers who set M1 as their default payment mode, M1 will act as their billing agent for selected purchases made by them on their phones. 

Any charges incurred by the customer such as in-app purchases (like games purchases) are billed to M1 by the third-party service provider, and M1 will in turn include these charges in the customer’s bill.

If there is a dispute regarding these charges, our customers should resolve the issue with the respective third-party service provider. M1 will then adjust the bill accordingly if we receive a credit note from the service provider.

Some popular phone models available today give parents the option to turn off app-store purchases for supplementary lines and their children’s lines.

To provide an additional layer of safeguard for our customers, M1 imposes a default cap of $300 monthly for their expenses incurred through direct carrier billing.

Parents who want more control over their child’s online activities can also subscribe to M1’s Cyber Guardian service to help the child develop a healthy internet habit.

We understand the importance of managing supplementary lines effectively, and strongly encourage primary account holders to review and adjust their phone settings to prevent any unexpected charges.

Caitlin Fua
Head, Corporate Communications
M1 Limited