Orange to introduce teen-targeted 10p top-ups

Popular UK mobile service provider Orange are to take the landmark decision to introduce much smaller top up minimums of ten pence on Pay-As-You-Go tariffs called Tiny Top Ups, citing economic downturn and a burgeoning youth market as reasons for the move.

Many service providers set the minimum top up at £5 to £10 to encourage use of their service. However, research by Orange has shown that most people, especially in a financially restrained era, carry far less money around with them, less than £1 in the case of one quarter of 18-24 year olds.

One quarter of British people on similar tariffs will wait until they are paid to top up their phones which, Orange claims, can cause many to miss out on big opportunities in a world where staying connected is a priority.

Further research showed that one in ten of those interviewed had missed out on opportunities for work, one in seven had not been able to contact a prospective love interest, and one in six had missed out on meeting with a friend. According to Orange, this could be avoided with tiny, incremental payments that can help out in emergencies.

“Tiny Top Ups make it easier for Orange pay-as-you-go customers to top up using their loose change,” stated Pippa Dunn, VP of Propositions at Orange. “It’s a big change to your small change; and with many people managing their personal finances more closely than ever, Tiny Top Ups will help people who are watching their pennies to stay in touch.”

Several marketing campaigns are accompanying the new program; those on Twitter can guess how many 10p coins are in a huge tube to win its contents, and all those who top up 10p in the first month of launch will have the amount doubled in their accounts.