Google Play Direct Billing FAQ

What is Direct Carrier Billing?

Direct carrier billing (or DCB) is a mobile payment option that lets you download and purchase digital content like apps, games, eBooks, etc. from Google Play Store and charge it to your Prepaid balance or to your Postpaid bill.

What is Google Play Store?

Google Play Store is an app store available on Android phones.

What kinds of content is available on Google Play Store?

There are literally thousands of contents on Google Play Store! You can select and download the content that you want. They are categorized under Games, Apps, Books, etc., and inside each category is a view of Top Paid and Top Free apps that are downloaded by other users.

What purchases are eligible for Google Play Carrier Billing?

Only digital or virtual goods are eligible for Google Play Carrier Billing, not physical goods like clothes or groceries. Examples of digital goods include:

• Apps and content, such as online games and apps
• Virtual in-app items and goods such as virtual currency and reports
• Virtual goods from social networks
• Digital subscriptions for e-books, and magazines

Who do I contact if I have a question about something that I purchased using Google Play Mobile Payment?

Please contact the merchant/application developer that you made a purchase from if you have any questions regarding the application that you downloaded or for issues related to app that you have downloaded. You can find the contact options (an email address or phone no. or a website) of the merchant/application developer under the developer section in the application that you have downloaded or from Order Receipt email send after your purchase .

In case of a billing discrepancy, you can contact stc customer care call center (124).

Is the service available for Prepaid and Postpaid?

Yes, all Postpaid Voice Consumer, Prepaid Voice consumer, Postpaid Broadband Consumer are the only customer eligible to use the service, business/corporate/enterprise customers are not able to use the service. Eligible customers can perform these payments if they have sufficient balance/credit.

Is it possible to use Mobile Payment purchase to download apps via Wi-Fi?

Yes, it is possible to do that.

Will I be notified after making a purchase?

Yes, you'll receive order receipt email from Google Play with the full purchase details and also you will receive notification via SMS from Google Play on the details of your purchase.

Can anyone use my mobile number for payment?

No, customer needs to enter his Gmail account password to verify each transaction unless he disable this feature.

Is there a cap or limit in my Google Play Store purchases via Direct Carrier Billing?

Yes, there is.

• For Postpaid customers are only allowed to spend BD 37 per day or per single transaction and/or BD 94 per month as worth of purchase in Google Play Store.
• For Prepaid customers are only allowed to spend BD 75 per day or per single transaction and/or BD 188 per month as worth of purchase in Google Play Store.

What if I have maxed out my limit in my Google Play Store purchases? How can I purchase apps again?

You can purchase apps in Google Play Store using the other payment options like credit card.

How do I change my payment method to Google Play Carrier Billing for future purchases?

• Open Google Play Store, Tap the menu icon at the top left
• Tap MyAccount
• Change payment method to stc billing

What details I will receive on the Receipt Order Purchase Email Confirmation?

For every transaction on Google Play, Google will issue an email receipt/invoice. The email receipt contains detailed information regarding the transaction for your future reference.

Here is a sample invoice from Google:

1. Order Date
2. Content Name
3. Link to Content Publisher / Developer Contact
4. Link to Order History
5. Links to Google Play refund policy and terms and conditions
6. Links to Google Play and Google Wallet help center
7. Total price (in USD)
8. Payment method used (stc)

When will Prepaid users be charged if they choose Direct Carrier Billing as payment option?

Prepaid users will be charged immediately for the purchases on Google Play Store.

When will Postpaid users be charged if they choose Direct Carrier Billing as payment option?

Postpaid users will be charged through Postpaid bill. The transaction will reflect on the next bill.

How will the charges reflect on the Postpaid bill?

You'll see your transaction charges for your purchases under the name of "Google Play Mobile Payment" on your bill.

Can I get all details of the purchases I made on Google Play?

Yes! You can check your email for purchase notifications or confirmations from Google. These notifications are sent to you real-time after your purchase.

Will I be notified after making a purchase?

Yes, you'll get a notification via email from Google on the details of your purchase. You can also view the apps installed by going to the "My Apps" section inside the Google Play Store. This section is for active apps that are successfully installed.

You'll also see the list of apps that you have installed under the "All" section. This section includes all the apps, including the deleted ones.

You’ll also receive notification SMS on the details of your purchase.

Do I need mobile internet to purchase apps or in-apps?

Yes, you need to have mobile internet to purchase apps or in-apps in Google Play. Data can be either Mobile Data Service provided by your mobile operator, or any Wi-Fi connection.

Just be advised that for your first purchase via Direct Carrier Billing, you need to use your Mobile Data Service. For your succeeding purchases, you can already choose to use a Wi-Fi connection.

How about Wi-Fi? Can I use a local Wi-Fi in a foreign country to purchase apps and in-apps?

Yes, you can use a local Wi-Fi to purchase apps or in-apps in a foreign country.

Do I need to register before purchasing an app on the Google Play Store?

Yes, you need to register first to start purchasing apps on Google Play Store. You need to provide your personal info such as your mobile number, name, address, etc.

What if I enter incorrect details during the registration? Will I still be charged correctly?

Don't worry, the charge will still be made on your correct mobile number even if you provided wrong details. This data is for database purpose only and has nothing to do with your charging.

Is the purchase of an app secured on Google Play?

Absolutely! App purchase on Google Play Store is secured. You're required to enter a password every time you make a purchase. If you do not wish to see the password prompt every time you make a purchase, you have the option to disable it. Password is for security reason only, especially if your family members also use your mobile phone.

What are the other payment options available on Google Play?

The payment options available on Google Play Store are via credit or debit card, redeem, or through your stc billing.

Which is the default payment option?

There is no default option for payment at first. You need to select the payment option that you want.

For your succeeding purchases, the last payment method will be the default option of payment. For example, if you paid through Direct Carrier Billing, then DCB becomes the default option.

Can I cancel an app after purchase?

Yes, you can cancel the app within 2 hours from the time of purchase. You're entitled to a refund for canceled purchases, too. Just remember that after the 2 hours trial ended, the refund button will be disabled, and you'll not be able to cancel the app anymore.

Can you please explain to me the cancelation process?

You can go through the steps below for the cancelation process:

• Step 1: You can view the installed app on your device.
• Step 2: Look at the app's options: Open and Refund. Click "Refund" to cancel the app.
• Step 3: After clicking the button, you'll be prompted with the confirmation of cancelation. The app will then be installed from your mobile device.

Will I be notified after canceling an app purchase?

Yes. If you canceled an app purchase within the 2 hours trial period, you'll receive an email notification from Google about the amount, canceled app, and other details of refund.

How much time or days will it take for me to get the refund for the canceled the app?

It will take a maximum of 7 days to get your refund.

I have purchased an app or an in app but it doesn't work. What do I do?

In case the app is not working, you can raise your concern directly to the app developer. The support details for the developer can be found in the app itself or in the email notification that you received during the time of purchase.

Will I get a refund if the developer was unable to resolve the issue in the app?

The developer needs to notify Google for the refund, and then Google needs to inform us to give back the refund to you. Developer related refunds can be processed within 6 months from the time or date of purchase.

I did a SIM-swap, and since then, I am unable to purchase any content on Google Play. I'm just getting an error message. How can I make a purchase in this case?

When you change SIM, it might take some time for Google's server to respond. This is an intermittent problem and should not last for many minutes. If you can't still purchase after an hour or so, you need to do a factory wipe, and then try making a purchase again. Settings can create a mismatch. Factory wipe should clear all previous setting.

I'm using a dual SIM. But upon inserting both SIMS, I became unable to make any purchase on the device. How can I make a purchase with dual SIM?

Dual SIMS have a master SIM and child (secondary) SIM. The master SIM is the one registered first in Google Play. The charging via Direct Carrier Billing is on the master SIM, too. That means if you entered both SIMs at the same time, the device will not be able to recognize which is the master SIM. You need to insert one SIM first and make an initial purchase. This will establish the connection with Google Play and your preferred Globe mobile SIM.

You can enter the 2nd SIM in your device after your initial purchase. Don't worry, you will not be able to make purchase from your 2nd SIM. If you want to purchase using a different SIM other than the one registered in Google Play, you need to take out the master SIM and establish connection with Google Play using your preferred SIM without the master SIM in the device.

Is it possible to purchase content and charge to your phone bill when in roaming?

You can only purchase content in Roaming Network if you have already setup Direct Carrier Billing service on your mobile service in your home network.

Can purchases be made via PC / Mac?

No, Direct Carrier Billing Service is available for purchases made from mobile device only.

If I accidentally delete an app, will I be charged twice to get it again?

No, your purchases are accessible from 'My Apps' section within Google Play, as long as you use the same Google Id that you used to download the app (i.e. [email protected]), you will not be charged again.