Mobile top-up glossary
The terms you meet when sending an international recharge, explained in plain language. Every entry has its own link, so you can cite or share it by its anchor.
Mobile top-up
A mobile top-up is credit or services added to a prepaid phone line. You enter the phone number, pay, and the carrier credits the amount directly to that line. When the payer is in a different country from the recipient, it is called an international recharge.
Related:Send a top-upSupported countries
Airtime
Airtime is a mobile line's general-purpose credit: the carrier deducts it for calls, SMS or data used outside a plan. It is the most common product in a recharge, and expiry rules vary by carrier.
Related:Send airtime
Prepaid balance
Prepaid balance is the money available on a prepaid line. It is spent through use and replenished with top-ups; without balance, a line is usually limited to receiving calls. An international recharge replenishes it from abroad, in the currency and on the terms the carrier sets.
Related:Top up balanceFAQ
Data bundle
A data bundle is a browsing allowance with a defined validity — for example, a number of GB for 30 days. It activates when credited to the line and works separately from the general balance: once used up or expired, browsing falls back to the balance or stops, depending on the carrier.
Related:RecargaDoble services
Bundle (combo)
A bundle or combo groups several services into one product: minutes, SMS and data, sometimes with extra carrier perks. It usually stretches further than buying each service separately, and its exact contents are defined by the destination carrier.
Related:See product types
eSIM
An eSIM is a digital SIM card: it installs by scanning a QR code, with no physical chip. It lets you activate a line or a data plan in minutes, useful for travel or for providing connectivity without shipping anything. The phone must be compatible, and each code installs once.
Related:eSIM at RecargaDoble
Prepaid
Prepaid is the no-contract model: you pay before you consume, by topping up balance or packages. It is the dominant model in most of Latin America and the Caribbean, and it is the one that receives international recharges.
Related:Send a top-up
Postpaid
Postpaid is the billed model: the carrier charges at the end of the cycle for usage or for a contracted plan. Postpaid lines normally do not accept top-ups from abroad, because they do not run on prepaid credit.
Related:FAQ
Carrier (operator)
The carrier or operator is the company providing a line's mobile service — for example Movistar, Digitel or Cubacel. Every recharge is credited through the destination number's carrier, which is why a top-up starts by confirming which carrier the number belongs to.
International recharge
An international recharge is sending credit or packages to a number in another country: the payer is abroad and the destination carrier credits the product to the local line. Delivery is electronic and normally takes minutes; no cash travels.
Related:Send a top-upSupported countries
Phone prefix
The phone prefix or country code identifies the destination of a call or recharge — for example +58 for Venezuela or +53 for Cuba. When sending an international recharge, the number is written with its prefix so the system identifies the right country and carrier.
Related:Supported countriesHelp center