There’s a expiry time for top-up credits. And, it appears, an expiry time for the phones themselves. Nick found the the FAQ:
Q. Is there a minimum amount I need to Top-up?
A. The minimum amount you can Top-Up at a time is $20. As long as you add at least $20 every 90 days your account will stay “Current.”
Every time you Top-Up your 90 days starts over. If you forget to Top-Up at all in 90 days, your account becomes “Past Current” and you won’t be able to make or receive calls.
60 days after your account becomes “Past Current” your account will expire. But you don’t want that to happen because expired accounts lose their phone numbers.
Ah well. This isn’t that bad, but it’s still nothing like the straightforward nature of Virgin’s deal in Britain. One more catch and they’re out, I suppose. I did worry that they’d get screwed over by the American telcos.
The customer support voicemail is Very Virgin as well: 1-888-322-1122, if you’re in the US. This is not necessarily a good thing.