FAQ
What is payByMobile?
payByMobile is the account on your mobile phone that allows you to text to pay when shopping online, paying a bill or paying a friend.
Does payByMobile work on all mobile phones?
Yes, payByMobile works on any UK SMS enabled mobile phones.
Are payments charged to my phone bill?
Payments are not charged to your mobile phone bill and are not in anyway related to your operator. Payments are deducted from the money stored on your payByMobile account.
How do I sign up?
There is no sign-up process necessary as once you access the system an account is automatically created which is identified by your phone number. This happens when you:
- send a text message to 51525
- call the voice service on 51525
- register online at my.payByMobile
- receive a money transfer
How do I pay online?
1. Click the payByMobile icon at the checkout screen
2. Text the code to 51525 to pay or reserve
When you click the payByMobile option at the online store your shopping basket is allocated a unique 9 character code by the payByMobile system which is shown on screen. You claim the shopping basket by texting the unique 9 character code to payByMobile on 51525. If you have funds in your account your purchase will be complete when you text the code and you will receive confirmation by email and SMS within seconds.
What if it’s my first time using payByMobile or I have no money in my account?
If you are a first time user or have no funds in your payByMobile account your shopping basket will automatically be reserved for 24 hours (or an alternative time period specified by the retailer) once you text the code. To complete your purchase and trigger shipping you must top-up your account to at least the value of your reserved shopping basket. The reservation will be cancelled if you do not top-up within the 24 hour period. Alternatively a reservation can be cancelled with immediate effect by clicking on the cancel link in the reminder email sent to your email address or by clicking cancel at my.payByMobile.
Can I reserve more than one shopping basket?
Yes, you can reserve multiple shopping baskets at multiple online stores at any one time. When your account is topped up reserved shopping baskets are paid for on a first in first out basis. Where there are not enough funds in your account to allow this to happen shopping baskets will be paid for on a best fit basis.
Where do I top-up?
Right now you can top-up your account Online at my.payByMobile by following the instructions below. We will be adding Instore and ATM top-up options in the UK very soon.
How do I top-up online?
Top-up via your Online Banking account for an instant online top-up. Register online at my.payByMobile to access our online banking top-up option.
- Click “Add funds” inside my.payByMobile
- Enter the amount you want to top-up up by and click “Continue”
- Enter your bank details at the sofort online portal
- Your balance will be updated when you are re-directed back to my.payByMobile.net
- Abbey National
- Alliance & Leicester
- Bank Of Scotland
- Barclays
- C & G
- Clydesdale Bank
- First Direct
- Halifax
- HSBC
- Lloyds TSB
- National Westminster Bank
- Royal Bank Of Canada
- Santander
- RBS
- Yorkshire Bank
- Yorkshire Building Society
The following banks are supported by the sofort online portal at my.payByMobile
*If your online bank is not supported by the sofort online portal you can transfer funds directly to us using our bank details which are provided inside my.payByMobile. We will top-up your payByMobile account as soon as we receive these funds from your bank account. Please allow up to two working days.
How do I top-up Instore? (coming soon)
Top-up your wallet at any of the participating outlets in the UK.
Always ask for a payByMobile top-up. Pay by cash or card for a top-up voucher that contains a unique 16 digit number. Call 51525, choose top-up on the menu options and input that number to instantly move the funds to your payByMobile wallet. You can also text the number to 51525 in which case, you get an instant text message back, confirming your top-up and your new account balance.
No sign-up necessary, so if you are a first time user, just top-up to get your payByMobile account started.
How do I top-up at the ATM? (coming soon)
Top-up your wallet at the ATM by selecting the payByMobile option on the mobile top-up menu and following the on-screen instructions to complete your instant top-up. No pre-registration is required and your card details are not disclosed.
How do I withdraw money from my account?
You can withdraw your money by Bank Transfer at my.payByMobile or by selecting the cash-out option on 51525 and collecting your cash at the SuperMarket.
Cash-Out at the Supermarket (coming soon)
- Call 51525
- Enter your PIN code
- Dial 5 for the Cash-Out option
- Enter the amount you wish to cash-out
- We will send a barcode message to your mobile phone
- Present this barcode at the checkout in the Supermarket so that the cashier can scan your phone and give you your cash
Bank Transfer
- Make sure you have entered your bank details in the Account section of my.payBymobile. Take care to enter them correctly.
- Choose the “Bank Transfer” option
- Enter the amount you want to withdraw and your password
- Click “Cash Out”
Once your bank details are registered at My payByMobile you can also withdraw by SMS. Text “Bank” followed by a space followed by an amount to 51525 , eg. “Bank 50″. It’s that easy!
How do I manage my account?
You can manage your account by calling 51525 or by registering at my.payByMobile. Reminder and confirmation emails will automatically be sent to your email address when you use the system.
How do I manage my account from my phone?
After creating an account you can call 51525 from your phone to check your balance, top-up and request a statement without registering a pin. When you register a PIN you can lock your account, register an SOS Buddy, register your Date of Birth and request Cash-back. Calls to 51525 vary depending on your operator and tariff plan, but are capped at a maximum 25 cents per minute. All services on 51525 are also available for free online at my.payByMobile.
How do I manage my account online?
Register at my.payByMobile to manage your account online for free. You can also view your transaction history in real-time as well as opting in to receive balance updates by email. In addition, you can claim a shopping basket by entering the 9 character code at my.payByMobile to avoid the cost of a text message.
How do I manage my online subscriptions?
Subscriptions are easy to manage using payByMobile as all repeat billings are pre-advised by email, which include clear cancellation options, so no more nasty bill shock.
How much money can I have in my wallet?
You can hold up to £120 in your payByMobile wallet at any one time.
Can anyone else spend money using my payByMobile Account?
Your payByMobile account can only be accessed from your mobile phone or from your my.payByMobile portal. Nobody can spend your money without possession of your mobile phone or your online password.
You can register at my.payByMobile to add security features like “SOS Buddy” and “Wallet Lock” to your account to protect it when it’s not in your possession. You can also register these features by calling 51525.
How does SOS Buddy Work?
Nominate an SOS Buddy who can pull funds from your account simply by sending a text message, so there’s no need to worry about lost or stolen phones. Do this by calling 51525 and choosing option 9. You will have to enter your 4 digit PIN as well as the mobile phone number of your SOS Buddy.
In the event of you misplacing your phone your SOS Buddy can text “pull 086*****79” to lock your wallet. When you click the validation link in your email the funds will automatically be transferred to your SOS buddy’s account. If your SOS buddy specifies an amount in the text message i.e “pull 086*****79 EUR20” that specific amount will be pulled.
What if I lose my phone and I havn’t registered an SOS Buddy ?
First, you should lock your account at my.payByMobile. To do this Click on the “Security” tab and then click “Lock my account”.
Having registered at my.payByMobile you can nominate an SOS buddy after your phone is misplaced to pull your funds from your account.
- Go to my.payByMobile.net
- Click on the “Security” tab and then click on “SOS Buddy”
- Enter the mobile number of the person you want to register as your SOS Buddy
- Click “Save”
Now you can tell your new SOS Buddy to pull all the funds from your account by texting “pull.(your number)” to 51525.
How does Wallet Lock work?
Locking your wallet blocks all outgoing payments but still allows you to top-up. Do this by choosing option 4 when you call 51525 or by going to my.payByMobile. When you call 51525 you will have to enter your PIN to lock your wallet and then when you want to shop online again you simply call 51525 choose option 4 and enter your PIN again to unlock.
What if I lose my phone and I havn’t registered a PIN?
my.payByMobile gives you the added advantage of being able to lock your phone when it is not in your possession.
- Go to my.payByMobile
- Click on the “Security” tab and then click “Lock my Account”
What are the payByMobile sms commands to 51525?
| Command | Format | SMS Example |
|---|---|---|
| Pay Online | 3 digits, 3 letters, 3 digits | 937kdh681 |
| Pay a bill | Utility Company Code.Amount | Gas.50 |
| Pay a friend | Pay mobile number Amount | Pay 07812345678 50 |
| Withdraw to Bank | Bank Amount | Bank 50 |
| SOS Buddy pull funds | Pull mobile number | Pull 07812345678 |
| Check your Balance | Balance | Balance |
| Register your email address | name@domain.com | joebloggs@domain.com |
| Register your Date of birth | dd/mm/yyyy | 11/02/1987 |
| Request a Statement | Statement | Statement |
All text commands can include dots or spaces as separators.
Are there any age restrictions on using payByMobile?
Users must be 18 years of age or 13 with the consent of their legal guardian to use the payByMobile service. If you are a parent you should register your child’s date of birth by calling 51525 from their phone and follow the menu options. You can also text their date of birth from their phone to 51525 in the format “dd/mm/yyyy”. Confirmation that the date of birth has been registered will be sent by SMS. This will restrict them from purchasing unsuitable content online.
Is my personal information passed onto retailers?
No, any information payByMobile receives is kept in the strictest confidence and never passed on to online retailers.
Are there any fees?
No, payByMobile do not charge you for using your payByMobile account. Your mobile operator will charge for calls and texts to payByMobile on 51525. Texts to 51525 are charged at standard rate only. Texts alerts received from 51525 are free. Calls to 51525 vary depending on your operator and tariff plan, but are capped at a maximum 25 cents per minute. All services on 51525 are also available for free online at my.payByMobile. If you cash out after receiving a money transfer or a top-up you will be charged a flat rate of £2.00.
With what currencies can I pay by mobile?
At the moment the only valid currency for payByMobile transactions is GBP (Great British Pound). We will be facilitating EUR(euro) transactions in the very near future. This information will be updated as soon as you can pay by mobile with other currencies.