A friend recently lost her pre-paid card. And I had to make the call to the provider due to administrative reasons.

Call Operator: Hi. Welcome to _____. This is Pamela speaking. How can I help you?

Me: Hi. I am Robert. I would like to report a lost prepaid number.

Pamela: OK. May I have the number?

Me: 8XXXXXXX.

Pamela: OK. Robert, I need your full name and your IC number, please?

Me: Robert Sim. S88XXXXXJ.

Pamela: So do you want to cancel the line or reconnect it?

Me: Reconnect it.

Pamela: OK. So you have found your SIM card?

Me: No…

Pamela: OK. You haven’t found your SIM card. So you want to cancel the line?

Me: No. Reconnect it, if is possible.

Pamela: Look. You haven’t found the SIM card. You can only cancel the line. Do you want to speak in Chinese?

Me: Huh. Oh. Sorry, I didn’t get what you mean. Cancel the line then.

Pamela: OK. You can only reconnect the line when you find the card.

Me: Oh. So I cannot get a replacement card.

Pamela: Yes. So you want to cancel the line ah?

Me: Yes. Cancel it. Thank you.

Pamela: OK. The cancellation will be done within 30 minutes. In the event you find your card, you can reconnect the line. You can also do a balance transfer to the new line at the Shop. But the line must be under your name. There will be an administrative charge of $10.

Me: Oh, OK. Thanks. By the way, how much balance do I have left?

Pamela: So you want to check the balance, ya? Please wait for a moment. … OK, you left with XX amount in your card.

Me: Thank you! Bye!

Phew.. What a call. I did not know that there is such a difference between prepaid cards and postpaid cards. By not letting the subscriber replacing the lost SIM card, it really makes people treasure the line more.