Help me understand my China Mobile phone plan?

[obscuritea]

I'm studying at a university here and signed up with China Mobile for some 48元/month deal they have for students. While the person I talked to did know some English, and I know some Chinese, phone plan terms are pretty hard to communicate 100% clearly in a foreign language, so I'm pretty confused about how this all works-

 

1. This is a monthly plan, but I don't know how I'm supposed to pay for it? They asked for 50元 when I signed up but didn't really say anything about the next month. Like do I just go to a China Mobile store every month and say I need to pay for this upcoming month? And how do I know when the next period's 48元 is due?

 

2. If this is a monthly plan, why do I still have a balance like on a pay-as-you-go plan? The plan I chose is supposed to include 360 minutes of talking, 400 texts, 4gb of mobile data on campus/800mb off-campus, etc. I assumed this meant you only would need to buy a 充值卡 if you went over the limit- however, I just got a text today saying I've used 35 元 and now have 15元 left on my account, even though I should be still well within the plan's allowance (and according to the text, it seems I have definitely not gone over any of the provided amounts in the <2 weeks I've had the phone). Why is money being deducted from my balance (which I didn't even know I had) if what I've used so far is supposed to be included in the plan? Or am I just completely misunderstanding this somehow?

 

Any help is super appreciated, I just want to understand what I'm paying for, and also avoid suddenly being without phone service because I don't how it works.

[aone]

48元 will be deducted every month, For pre-paid  SIM card, it is usually deducted from 1st - 5th of each month. Because you are  new user, they postpone deducting, I suppose.  If you don't go over any of the provided amount, no need to worry. Just wait and see if it is OK next month. 

 

To avoid suddenly being without phone service, You can just go to a China Mobile store every month and say you need to pay for this upcoming month. 

 

Or

You can go there just for one time and pay more than 50 元，e.g. 600元(for 12 months) - make sure don't go over any of the provided amount otherwise, you will pay surcharge to balance. To keep yourself updated with your balance, dial 1008611, a message will be sent to you.