Rogers, Fido to require customers with past due balances over $75 to pay before upgrading

According to documents obtained by MobileSyrup, Rogers and its flanker brand Fido will adjust how they handle hardware upgrades starting June 23rd.

Both carriers will require that customers pay off past due balances over a specific amount before they are eligible for a hardware upgrade. Specifically, customers carrying a past due balance of $75 or over must make a payment before they become eligible to complete a hardware upgrade.

Carriers commonly refer to existing customers who sign up for a new contract and get a new device as hardware upgrades.

Further, the documents say that an account will be considered “past due and in-eligible” for hardware upgrades when the balance is past the billing due date by one day or more.

MobileSyrup has reached out to Rogers for clarification about the upcoming changes.

While it isn’t clear what the motivation behind the change is, it’s likely that this will make it more difficult for some people to get upgrades if they miss a bill payment. However, for most people, it likely won’t have a dramatic impact on the upgrade process.