How To Refill A SIM Card

This article explains how to view, refill, and manage your prepaid SIM cards in your BlueCosmo online account. It also covers how to turn auto-refill on or off, extend your airtime, and understand your options if a SIM has expired.

Note: Iridium and Inmarsat have different refill rules. Please review Prepaid Refill and My Account Rules for more information.

Where to View Your Prepaid Cards

Your BlueCosmo online account lists all active prepaid cards associated with your account on the "Prepaid Refills" page.

1. Log in to your account at bluecosmo.ca.

2. Click on “My Account” at the top right of the page.

3. Select Prepaid Refills from the menu.

Important Information

• Minutes expire at 12 am (midnight) UTC time indicated on the date of expiry.

• New prepaid cards must be activated to appear in the "Prepaid Refills" section: Learn how to activate your SIM card.

• Iridium prepaid SIM cards are permanently deactivated 270 days after expiry.

  • These cards will no longer appear in your account.

  • A new Iridium SIM is required if the card has expired beyond this window. 

  • For more details, see Prepaid Refill and My Account Rules.

• Inmarsat prepaid SIMs do not expire in the same way as Iridium cards. You can still refill your card, regardless of how long it's been since the minutes expired.

• If you have multiple SIM cards and want to ensure you are refilling the correct one, please check the SIM card that is installed in the device. You can then match this SIM number with the number shown in Prepaid Refills. 
  Each SIM card will have a string of digits printed on it:

  • For Iridium SIM cards, this will be a 19-digit number beginning with 8988.

  • For Inmarsat, the SIM card will have an 18-digit number printed, beginning with 898.

How To Refill Airtime or Extend Your Card's Expiry

1. Sign in to “My Account” located on the top right of our website using your login credentials.

2. Select Prepaid Refills from the menu.

3. On this page, click "Refill" on the SIM card you want to refill. 

Tip: Keep an eye on your airtime balances and expiry dates. Most cards allow you to carry forward unused minutes if you refill before the expiry date, and refilling also lets you keep your current Iridium phone number.

Refill Options

You’ll be able to choose from the following types of refills:

One-Time Refill 

• Ideal for one-time use.

• You can always come back and refill again later when your airtime is nearly depleted or your card is nearing expiry.

• We’ll send you an email reminder when your balance is low or when your card is about to expire.

Auto-Refill 

• Ideal if you want to ensure you never run out of airtime.

• It authorizes us to automatically refill the prepaid airtime on your card when:

  • You have just 10 voice minutes of airtime remaining, OR

  • Your airtime is due to expire within 3 days, whichever comes first.

How to Enable Auto-Refill

1. In Prepaid Refills, choose "Refill" on the prepaid card. This card must have an active balance to set up auto-refill.

2. Select Auto Refill.

3. In the "Select Amount of Time" section, select the refill product you would like to use for auto-refill.

4. Click the Submit button.

How to Disable Auto-Refill

If you’ve previously selected an auto-refill option for your prepaid card and you want to turn this option off, you can disable the auto-refill you had previously set up for a prepaid card.

1. In Prepaid Refills, click on "Manage" on the SIM you want to disable auto-refill.

2. Select "Disable Auto Refill".

3. Click Confirm to disable auto refills.

What To Expect After a Refill

After choosing a one-time or auto-refill, you can pick from the prepaid options shown on the page.

• For most prepaid cards, your current airtime balance will be carried forward and added to the new balance.

• Iridium 300-minute cards and GO! 3000 SMS cards do not carry forward. Refills will reset your balance and expiry. 

• When selecting a product, the list will show:

  • The price associated with your selection.

  • The subtotal at the bottom (before tax).

Understanding Validity Periods

Note that the validity periods are calculated differently based on the specific product. For example:

• For Iridium Global cards (except for the 300-minute card), the new expiry adds to your existing expiry date.

• For Iridium Regional prepaid cards, the new expiry is calculated from the refill date. 

Be sure to check out the details on the prepaid product pages to understand how expiry is calculated.

Refills vs Extension

• Refills add the selected airtime minutes to your selected prepaid SIM card and update the expiry date of the airtime balance with the period indicated for that refill.

• Extensions add time to the current expiry time of your airtime balance with the selected extension period.