Stay in control with AutoRecharge

AutoRecharge is available on select prepaid plans. Depending on your plan, there may be different AutoRecharge options: 

1. AutoRecharge on expiry: Your service will automatically recharge on the day of your recharge expiry. This means your service will automatically recharge on a cycle in accordance with your recharge expiry (for example, every 28 days); and
2. AutoRecharge on low balance: Your service will automatically recharge when your data or credit balance becomes low before your recharge expires (200MB or $2, depending on your plan). If this happens, a new expiry period will commence (for example, a new 28 day cycle) from the date of the AutoRecharge. If your data or credit does not become low before expiry, your service will AutoRecharge on the day of expiry (as outlined above).

To set up an AutoRecharge:

My Optus App

1. Open My Optus app
2. Tap Recharge
3. Tap Set Up AutoRecharge and follow the prompts

9999 SMS

1. Text the word MENU to 9999 and reply with the Auto Recharge selection.
2. You will be prompted to set up a new Auto Recharge.

To cancel your AutoRecharge:

My Optus App

1. Open My Optus app
2. Tap Recharge
3. Tap Set Up AutoRecharge
4. Select Cancel

9999 SMS

1. Text the word MENU to 9999 and reply with the Auto Recharge selection.
2. Reply with the option to cancel your Auto Recharge.

To manage your AutoRecharge settings:

My Optus App

1. Open My Optus app
2. Tap Recharge
3. Tap Set Up AutoRecharge
4. Tap Edit

9999 SMS

1. Text the word MENU to 9999 and reply with the Auto Recharge selection
2. Select the Auto Recharge you wish to manage
3. You will be presented details of your Auto Recharge.
4. Reply with the option to update

When you set up, cancel or change your AutoRecharge, we’ll send you an alert via text message. We may also send some Autorecharge notifications by email. For mobile broadband plans, we’ll send notifications to your email by default. From 17/09/25, we will only send reminder alerts if your AutoRecharge occurs every 8 days (or more) and confirmation of payments over $75.

If you wish to turn on or off email alerts, follow the below steps:

Turn Off Email Alerts

9999 SMS

1. Text the word MENU to 9999 and reply with the Auto Recharge selection.
   
2. Select the Auto Recharge you wish to remove email for.
3. You will be presented details of your Auto Recharge
4. Reply with the option to update
5. Reply with the option to update notifications

My Account

1. Log into My Account (optus.com.au/myaccount)
2. When logged in select the View details link
3. Select 'Settings' and then click on Show all settings
4. Select Service notifications and it will show the current notification settings
5. Untick the Alert me box and/or selelct SMS Only to remove email alerts

Update Your Email Address

My Account

1. Log into My Account (optus.com.au/myaccount)
2. When logged in select the View details link
3. Select 'Settings' and then click on Show all settings
4. Select Service notifications and it will show the current notification settings
5. Untick the Alert me box and select the SMS & Email radio button
6. Add the new email address and save your updated settings.

Turn On Email Alerts

1. Text the word MENU to 9999 and reply with the Auto Recharge selection.
2. Select the Auto Recharge you wish to add email for.
3. You will be presented details of your Auto Recharge
4. Reply with the option to update
5. Reply with the option to update alerts
6. Select Email & Text Alerts
7. Now log into My Account (optus.com.au/myaccount)
8. When logged in select the View details link
9. Select 'Settings' and then click on Show all settings
10. Select Service notifications and it will show the current notification settings
11. Tick the Alert me box or select SMS & Email and add a new email address
12. Save your new settings and you’re all set!

How do I set up & manage my AutoRecharge?
Set up and manage your AutoRecharge in My Optus app, including updating payment method and recharge amount and cancellation. If you are unable to use My Optus app, you can also text ‘MENU’ to 9999 and follow the prompts to set up an AutoRecharge.

How does AutoRecharge work?
Once set up, AutoRecharge on expiry will automatically recharge at your plan expiry. Payment will be taken from 5.30am (Sydney time) on the day of expiry and the recharge will be applied between 11pm and 11.30pm (Sydney time). 

AutoRecharge may also occur when you reach a low credit or data balance. On some plans (such as Optus Flex Plus) this will be included as standard when you turn on AutoRecharge. We'll let you know at the time of turning it on.

There are two types of low balance AutoRecharge, depending on your plan:

1. Low data: automatically recharges your plan when your data balance falls below 200MB. 
2. Low credit: automatically recharges your plan when your credit balance falls below $2.

My payment method has insufficient funds when my next AutoRecharge is due, what will happen?
If your payment fails, we will send you an Optus PayID. You can use this PayID to pay directly from your internet banking app. You can also share your Optus PayID with a family member or friend to pay on your behalf.

In addition, we will retry your AutoRecharge four times over two days. If we are unable to charge your saved payment method, it will be removed. You have 24 hours to add a new payment method before your AutoRecharge is cancelled.

You can choose to add a new payment method in My Optus app, via SMS to 9999 or by calling 555. You can save up to three payment methods, and choose which one will be used first. If your default saved payment method is unsuccessful, we will try the second, and so on until we have tried all your saved payment methods.

To find out more about PayID, visit Optus PayID.

What happens if I manually recharge mid-way through my AutoRecharge cycle?
For selected recharges, we will automatically move your next AutoRecharge date to the new expiry. If your AutoRecharge is updated, we will notify you. If you have unexpired inclusions on your plan that do not roll over, you will lose those inclusions.

How do I cancel AutoRecharge?
From 26/11/2025 if you need to cancel your AutoRecharge, you’ll need to do so before your next AutoRecharge payment is taken. Payments will be taken from 5.30am (Sydney time) on the day of expiry. Payment may also be taken when you reach a low balance, if you have AutoRecharge on low balance turned on. If you cancel your AutoRecharge after payment is taken, your next scheduled AutoRecharge will be processed as originally planned, you won’t be entitled to a refund, and the cancellation will only take effect from your next recharge. 

For cancellations prior to 26/11/2025, if you cancel AutoRecharge after you have been charged, but before midnight on the day of expiry, we will refund you within 2–10 business days.

If I change plans, how does affect my AutoRecharge?
If you choose to move to a plan that is not compatible with your current AutoRecharge, we will cancel your AutoRecharge and notify you. You can set up your new AutoRecharge in My Optus app. In some cases, we may make changes to your current plan or move you to another plan (for example, if your current plan is an old one that is being closed). If you have AutoRecharge when this happens, we may update your settings to reflect the updated plan, which means the amount and/or frequency may change. If we do this, we will provide you with notice in accordance with the terms of our Standard Agreement, available at optus.com.au/standardagreement.

How do I manage my notifications & alerts?
Notifications are sent in real time, so you will receive notifications 24/7. We’ll inform you of important updates for your AutoRecharge via text, and on select plans, email notifications can also be enabled.

When we do send notifications, we will text your AutoRecharge service (on select plans) and send notifications to the email address you have set up on your prepaid service where applicable. You can add or change this email address in My Account.

From 17 September 2025, we will send reminders if your AutoRecharge occurs every 8 days (or more) and we will only send you confirmation of payments that are valued over $75.

When does my account get charged?
We attempt the charge for your AutoRecharge at different times of the day to ensure successful payment. For AutoRecharge on expiry, we first attempt payment between 5:30am & 8:30am (Sydney time). For unsuccessful payments, we will re-attempt payment between 5:30pm and 8:30pm (Sydney time) and will make a total of 4 attempts over 2 days before your AutoRecharge is cancelled. Upon successful payment, we normally apply your recharge around 11pm.

If you have AutoRecharge on low balance set up, payment will be taken when your low balance trigger is reached and a recharge will be applied at that time. 

If your Auto Recharge was PAUSED or FAILED, we may attempt payment and perform the recharge then and there, when the Auto Recharge is re-activated.

1. AutoRecharge options:
   AutoRecharge is available on select prepaid plans. Depending on your plan, there may be different AutoRecharge options:
   
   a) AutoRecharge on expiry: Your service will automatically recharge between 11.00pm and 11.30pm (Sydney time) on the day of your recharge expiry. This means your service will automatically recharge on a cycle in accordance with your recharge expiry (for example, every 28 days); and
   
   b) AutoRecharge on low balance: Your service will automatically recharge when your data or credit balance becomes low before your recharge expires (200MB or $2, depending on your plan). If this happens, a new expiry period will commence (for example, a new 28 day cycle) from the date of the AutoRecharge. If your data or credit does not become low before expiry, your service will AutoRecharge on the day of expiry (as outlined above).
   
   
2. AutoRecharge on your plan:
   On Optus Flex Plus plans, your service will automatically recharge on expiry or when you reach a low data balance of 200MB (whichever comes first). It is not possible to AutoRecharge on expiry only.
   
   On Optus Flex Plus Casual, your service will automatically recharge on expiry. It is not possible to recharge on low balance.
   
   On all other Optus Prepaid plans (except for Optus Flex Plus Traveller), you can choose to automatically recharge your service:
   
   a) on expiry only; or
   b) on expiry or when your data or credit balance becomes low (ie, 200MB or $2), whichever comes first.
   
   In some cases, depending on your plan and how you turn on AutoRecharge, your settings may be set by default to include AutoRecharge on low balance. On all plans (except for Optus Flex Plus), you can turn off low balance AutoRecharge and choose to AutoRecharge on the day of expiry only.
   
   AutoRecharge is not available on Optus Flex Plus Traveller plans.
   
   
3. Authority: By setting up an AutoRecharge, you authorise Optus to automatically debit from your saved payment method the cost of recharging your current Optus Prepaid plan as per your selection during the AutoRecharge set up process and until your AutoRecharge is cancelled or changed (by us or you). Depending on the circumstances and the terms of your agreement with your financial institution, Your financial institution may also charge you a fee. You also authorise us to debit from this saved payment method any amounts specifically instructed by you (for example, you may direct us to perform a manual ad-hoc recharge via SMS, IVR or My Optus app). This authorisation is in place until you remove all saved payment methods from your account.
   
   
4. Payment methods: By setting up an AutoRecharge, you are electing to save the details of your payment method for your future recharge transactions with us. Your details are stored using a security measure supplied by your payment provider. We never store your payment details directly.
   
   You can save up to three payment methods and choose the priority order for us to deduct payments from. If your first priority saved payment method is unsuccessful, we will try the second, and so on until we have tried all of your saved payment methods. 
   
   You must have sufficient funds available via your nominated saved payment method(s) for your payments to be successful. For AutoRecharge, your AutoRecharge will be cancelled after 4 retries. If your AutoRecharge fails, any accumulated balances will not roll over.
   
   
5. Changing or Cancelling AutoRecharge: From 26/11/2025, if you want to edit or cancel your AutoRecharge, you will need to do so before payment is taken for your next AutoRecharge. For AutoRecharge on expiry, payment will be deducted any time from 5.30am (Sydney time) on the day of your current recharge expiry and the recharge will be applied between 11.00pm and 11.30pm (Sydney time). For AutoRecharge on low balance, payment is taken and the recharge is applied when the low balance trigger is reached.
   
   If you cancel after payment is taken: the scheduled AutoRecharge will be processed as originally planned; you will not be entitled to a refund; and the cancellation will only take effect from your next recharge. For cancellations prior to 26/11/2025, if you cancel AutoRecharge after you have been charged, but before midnight on the day of expiry, we will refund you within 2–10 business days.
   
   You can edit or cancel your AutoRecharge settings at via My Optus app, by contacting us at optus.com.au/contactus or via any other method specified by us from time to time. 
   
   If your handset is lost/stolen or you cease to be the account holder, we recommend that you contact us immediately to cancel your AutoRecharge and remove any saved payment methods.
   
   We may cancel your AutoRecharge if we suspect fraud. To the extent permitted by law we exclude all liability for any losses you suffer from the cancellation of your AutoRecharge or removal of your saved payment method(s) and do not provide credit for any unused/partially used recharge.
   
   
6. Changing plans: If you choose to change Optus Prepaid plans, your AutoRecharge may be cancelled, and you will need to set it up again. We will notify you if this happens.
   
   If Optus makes any changes to your selected Optus Prepaid plan or moves you to another Optus Prepaid plan, you authorise Optus to change your AutoRecharge settings to reflect the plan change (this may involve a change to the amount debited and/or the frequency of debits). Optus will provide you with notice of any such changes to your Optus Prepaid plan in accordance with the terms of our Standard Agreement, available at optus.com.au/standardagreement. If you don’t want your settings updated, you can cancel your AutoRecharge before your next payment is taken.
   
   
7. Recharge notifications: Any notifications that we send for Mobile services will be sent by SMS and may also be sent by email.. Any notifications for Prepaid Mobile Broadband services will be sent by email. You can also check your settings in My Optus app, or check your payment history for the last 6 months by texting “MENU” to 9999.
   
   
8. AutoRecharge and rollover: If your Prepaid plan does not roll over balances and either (a) you manually recharge in-between AutoRecharges; or (b) a low balance AutoRecharge is triggered partway through your plan period, you may forfeit remaining credit and other inclusions when that recharge occurs. If your Prepaid plan rolls over balances & the AutoRecharge fails, you will lose any accumulated balances.
   
   
9. Privacy: Any personal information you provide will be treated in accordance with the Optus Privacy Policy.