My prepaid load expired — how long is load valid in the Philippines?
Last updated: 2026-07-11 · Educational content; not legal advice.
Short answer
Prepaid load is valid for at least one (1) year from the date of your latest top-up, under NTC-DICT-DTI Joint Memorandum Circular No. 05-12-2017, which amended NTC MC 03-07-2009. Any new top-up within that year re-extends the validity, and providers may offer a longer period but not a shorter one. Promo-specific loads and bundles with a DTI/NTC-approved shorter duration are the exception. Despite common belief, there is no rule making load permanent or non-expiring — bills to remove expiry entirely have been proposed but are not yet law, so use or reload your balance within the one-year window.
Primary sources
Frequently asked
Does buying new load extend my old load?
Yes. Under JMC 05-12-2017 the one-year validity is reckoned from your latest top-up, so a new load generally re-extends the validity of your remaining balance.
Is prepaid load supposed to never expire now?
No — the current rule is a minimum one-year validity, not zero expiry. Proposals to abolish load expiration entirely have been filed in Congress but have not become law, so do not rely on load being permanent.
Can I recover load that already expired?
Expired load is generally forfeited under the current rules, but if a provider expired your balance in less than the mandated one year, that violates JMC 05-12-2017 — raise it with the provider and the NTC with proof of your top-up date.
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Your rights on mobile, internet, electricity, and water — slow or undelivered broadband and rebates (NTC), billing disputes and overcharges, the notice required before disconnection and the days you cannot be cut off, prepaid load validity, SIM deactivation under the SIM Registration Act, electricity bill-deposit refunds and meter errors (the ERC Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers), and how to escalate past your provider to the NTC, ERC, or MWSS.