The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has urged Ufone customers to activate the free Balance Save service to protect themselves against unexpected deductions from their mobile balance. The service, also known as the PayG Blocker, automatically suspends mobile internet when a data package expires or when subscribers have used up its entire allowance, so that continued internet use cannot quietly eat into the remaining balance.
The problem it solves is one that millions of prepaid users in Pakistan know well. When a data bundle ends, the internet on most phones does not stop. Instead, it keeps running on pay-as-you-go rates, which are far higher than the rates charged inside a bundle. A subscriber who keeps browsing or letting apps refresh in the background may not realise the bundle has finished, and by the time the balance is checked, a large part of it can already be gone.
The regulator raised the alarm in a public advisory issued on March 19, 2026, warning that consumers were unknowingly incurring extra charges once their bundles were exhausted. To address the issue, it required all mobile operators in Pakistan to offer a free Balance Save service, and it published the activation code for each network so customers could switch it on without going through customer service. Jazz users can activate it by dialling *275#, Zong users by dialling *4004#, Ufone users by dialling *6611#, and Telenor Pakistan users by dialling *342#.
How the Free Service Works
Balance Save is a simple idea. Once it is active, the network stops mobile internet the moment the protection of a data bundle ends. That can happen in two ways: the bundle reaches the end of its validity, or the subscriber uses up all the data inside it. In either case, the blocker steps in and suspends internet access, so no further pay-as-you-go charges can be applied. The service does not add data to the account, and it does not extend the life of a package. It simply draws a line: no package means no internet charges.
It is important to understand what the service does and does not cover. An active data bundle keeps working exactly as before, and calls and text messages are unaffected. What is blocked is only the out-of-bundle internet use that used to drain the balance. Deductions for other reasons, such as paid subscriptions, caller tunes and other value-added services, are not stopped by Balance Save, and neither are call or SMS charges. The service is also not a wallet or a separate savings account. It does not move money into a protected place. It only restricts the kind of internet use that causes the surprise deductions.
How to Activate Balance Save on Ufone
Ufone subscribers can switch the service on in less than a minute. They should open the phone dialler, choose the Ufone SIM if the phone carries more than one, and dial *6611#. The network will respond with a confirmation, and from that point the blocker will be active on the line. The service itself is free, and the regulator has described it as a free facility on all networks.
Customers should not simply assume the service is working after dialling the code. It is worth waiting for the confirmation message and checking the status through the network response or customer support if anything seems unclear. If the balance keeps falling even after Balance Save is on, the cause is likely to be something else, such as an active subscription or a value-added service, and that needs to be checked separately. The code that lists active services can help identify what is still running on the line.
For prepaid users, the stakes are real. Mobile balance is often loaded in small amounts, and a few hundred rupees lost to background data can mean the difference between staying connected and going silent. Students, daily-wage workers and families who depend on a single phone for calls, messages and online payments feel these deductions most. A service that costs nothing and stops the leak is, in that sense, one of the more useful things a regulator has pushed operators to provide.
The wider lesson is that the tools to stop these deductions already exist, and they have existed for months. The regulator issued its advisory in March, and all four major operators offer the facility. What has been missing is awareness. Many customers have never heard of Balance Save, or they assume that switching it on will be complicated or costly. It is neither. A single code, dialled once, is all it takes.
Ufone customers who have watched their balance disappear for no clear reason now have a straightforward answer. Dialling *6611# will not bring back the money already lost, but it will stop the same thing from happening again. In a market where every rupee counts, that is a small step worth taking.
