Why did my du bill increase?

1. You used more than your bundle

du counts out-of-bundle usage charges in your account balance, along with third-party subscriptions and any other applicable charges (du, Credit Limit).

2. A third-party subscription was added to your account

Third-party subscriptions are part of the charges du counts on your account (du, Credit Limit). For app stores such as Google Play and the Apple App Store, du's agreement says it applies a cap of AED 0 to certain third-party services, and you can ask du to raise or remove it (du, Consumer Services Agreement, clause 11.7). If the cap was raised on your account, app store purchases and subscriptions can reach your du bill.

3. You used your phone abroad

You are responsible for all charges for using your phone abroad, including data, and some charges can take time to appear on your account (du, Consumer Services Agreement, mobile services schedule, 2.4). A trip can show up on a later bill than you expect.

4. du changed its prices

du's agreement allows it to change your charges. If it does, it gives at least 28 days' notice, and if you do not accept the new charges you can cancel within 30 days of the notice (du, Consumer Services Agreement, clause 11.3). For a price increase, or a change with the same effect, you can cancel during the 28-day notice period without an early cancellation fee (clause 17.2). du sends notices by post, email or text message (clause 20.1).

So a du price rise comes with notice. Check your email and texts from du for the weeks before the bill.

5. Your TV content or package changed

TV content can come from other content providers with separate charges, and their prices can change. Where the change is within du's control, du aims to give seven days' notice. Changing your TV package can also mean extra charges (du, Consumer Services Agreement, fixed services schedule, 3.4 and 3.5).

6. A payment was late

If you do not pay by the due date on the invoice, du's agreement says it may charge a late-payment fee based on the unpaid amount until you pay in full (du, Consumer Services Agreement, clause 11.2).

7. You're comparing a different bill period

du generates a bill about eight days after your bill cycle date and emails you a copy (du, When and where can I get my bill?). If you set up automatic payment by card, du takes it 15 days after the bill date at the top of your bill (du, Ways to Pay). Compare the bill dates, not the day the money left your card.

What to check

1. Open the itemised bill. In the du app, tap Bill history, then View latest bill, or pick an earlier month. The itemised bill downloads as a PDF. You can also find it in My Account under Billing (du, When and where can I get my bill?).
2. Look for lines that are new this month: out-of-bundle usage, a third-party subscription, roaming or a TV change.
3. Search your email and texts from du for a notice of a price change in the past few weeks.
4. Watch your credit limit. A new du line starts with a default credit limit of AED 675, and du sends an SMS when your charges reach 80%, 95% and 100% of it. Above 100%, outgoing services may be interrupted, even before the due date (du, Credit Limit).
5. Ask du about any charge you don't recognise, through customer care or a du store.

See the change before it's due

Rasid is an app that keeps household bills and subscriptions in one place. Add du by hand, or connect Gmail with read-only access so Rasid finds the bills du emails you. Once Rasid has more than one du bill, the bill's screen shows recent bills side by side, the average, and how much more or less this bill is than the last. For a bill with a due date, Rasid reminds you three days before, at 10:00.

Rasid does not pay bills and cannot lower your du bill. You pay du directly, and only du can explain or correct a charge.

Join the Rasid waitlist

Related pages

• Your du bill: how to check it and pay it
• Etisalat (e&) price changes: what notice you get
• Why is my DEWA bill so high?
• Subscription price increases: how to know before you pay