Systems and methods are disclosed for directing a mobile device user with insufficient mobile credit to secondary pay sites. A PCRF receives a request from a mobile device corresponding to a user. The PCRF detects credit associated with a user mobile network usage account is below a threshold and assigns a tag to the request, the tag including redirect site information and secondary site information, the redirect site information including at least one network identifier corresponding to a redirect site and the secondary site information including at least one network identifier corresponding to a payment site accessible by the user when the credit associated with the user mobile network usage account is below the threshold. The PCRF transmits the request and the corresponding tag to a PCEF for routing the user to the at least one of the redirect site and the at least one payment site.

A method and system for payments for mobile phone payments with a disabling feature is disclosed. The method includes activating a mobile phone containing contactless payment systems, and having a timeout feature disable the contactless payment systems after a set period of time.

A mobile communications device receives an indication of a balance from a server when establishment of a voice call or sending of a message is requested. The mobile communications device determines whether the balance is sufficient to place the voice call or send the message over a mobile network. If the balance is sufficient to place the voice call or send the message over the mobile network, the voice call is established or the message is sent under normal operating conditions. If the balance is insufficient to place the voice call or send the message over the mobile network, a grace period is activated and the voice call is established or the message is sent during the grace period over an available wireless local-area network.

A method of extending calls includes receiving a request to establish a call session with a called party, and establishing the call session between the calling party and the called party. The method further includes monitoring the length of the established call session, and receiving a message requesting a termination of the call session. Still further, the method includes, in response to receiving the message requesting the termination of the call session, maintaining the established call session for an additional time period, wherein the additional time period plus the monitored length of the established call session is equal to or greater than a threshold of time.

To maximize efficiencies and to reduce termination costs of inter-carrier exchanges, an auto-dialer detection system enables an inter-carrier network switch to detect, in real-time or in near real-time, calls that are originated by auto-dialers. A call router of the switch may receive an incoming call attempt that includes a particular Automatic Number Identification (ANI). The auto-dialer detection system allows for a real-time or near-real time determination, based on the ANI and contents of a cache during a sliding window of time coincident with the reception of the origination, whether or not the call should be routed through the switch. Further, the auto-dialer detection system provides a real-time or a near real-time update to the cache contents to enable further real-time or near-real time detection and blocking of auto-dialed calls. Overrides to the cache (e.g., to always allow and/or to always block calls that include certain ANIs) may be provided.

A vendor evaluator system enables real-time or near real-time efficiencies of an inter-carrier switch. At a nominal periodic rate (e.g., every fifteen minutes or less), the vendor evaluator system updates a performance map of vendor exchanges to which calls may be routed from the switch. Specifically, in real-time or in near real-time, an updated performance score is generated for each vendor exchange and/or for each NPA-NXX code that is connected to the switch based on a weighted average of post dial delay, average call hold time, and attempt-seizure ratio. The score is compared against performance thresholds to determine whether or not the respective exchange and/or code should be included in a pool of acceptably-performing, candidate vendor exchanges from which a particular exchange is selected to service a call. Such techniques prevent poorly performing vendors from servicing calls routed by the inter-carrier network switch in real time or near real-time.

A method and system for payments for mobile phone payments with a disabling feature is disclosed. The method includes activating a mobile phone containing contactless payment systems, and having a timeout feature disable the contactless payment systems after a set period of time.

A third-party data balance transfer system enables a user of a wireless service network to transfer a data balance to another user of the wireless service network. For example, a third-party data balance transfer system may provide an interface to receive a request from a donor to transfer a data balance to a recipient. A third-party data balance transfer system may verify that the donor is eligible to transfer a data balance, and that the recipient is eligible to receive data. The third-party data balance transfer system may forward a message to the recipient when the eligibility of the donor and recipient are verified. The message may include instructions that direct the recipient to perform certain actions to activate the transfer a data balance. The third-party data balance transfer system may detect when the recipient performs the actions, and the third-party data balance transfer system may update account records for the wireless service network to enable the recipient to access the data balance transfer.

A third-party data balance transfer system enables a user of a wireless service network to transfer a data balance to another user of the wireless service network. For example, a third-party data balance transfer system may provide an interface to receive a request from a donor to transfer a data balance to a recipient. A third-party data balance transfer system may verify that the donor is eligible to transfer a data balance, and that the recipient is eligible to receive data. The third-party data balance transfer system may forward a message to the recipient when the eligibility of the donor and recipient are verified. The message may include instructions that direct the recipient to perform certain actions to activate the transfer a data balance. The third-party data balance transfer system may detect when the recipient performs the actions, and the third-party data balance transfer system may update account records for the wireless service network to enable the recipient to access the data balance transfer.

A mobile communications device receives an indication of a balance from a server when establishment of a voice call or sending of a message is requested. The mobile communications device determines whether the balance is sufficient to place the voice call or send the message over a mobile network. If the balance is sufficient to place the voice call or send the message over the mobile network, the voice call is established or the message is sent under normal operating conditions. If the balance is insufficient to place the voice call or send the message over the mobile network, a grace period is activated and the voice call is established or the message is sent during the grace period over an available wireless local-area network.