View your telephone bill online!

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A brand new service from Pakistan Telecommunications Limited (PTCL), the only fixed line operator in Pakistan, allows you to view a PTCL subscriber’s telephone bill! In most cases all you need to know is the phone number so this means that you can view almost anyone’s telephone bill online!

First go to PTCL’s billing area and enter the complete telephone number.

PTCL online billing
PTCL phone bill lookup

Then in the account ID field you enter your account ID from your PTCL bill. If you don’t know the account ID try this PTCL account ID generator:

Once you’ve entered the phone number and account ID click on the search button and your bill will (hopefully) be displayed. Below you can see an example of a bill for an NIB bank office! But in theory you can view anyone’s bill.

PTCL bill
Click to view the complete bill!

To say the least this service by PTCL is a serious violation of privacy. Although PTCL does not display the actual phone numbers called, it does display things like the National Tax Number and the address.

KESC bill

The Karachi Electricity Shortage Supply Company (KESC) also has a similar online bill viewing service. But they require you to enter your account number to view your bill. This is safer than PTCL’s service but far from ideal. They should password protect the bill viewing section and only allow subscribers who sign up for this facility to view their own bill.

NADRA

Pakistan is the country with the world’s largest biometric (fingerprint) database of its citizens managed by a government agency called NADRA. Some 90 million individual’s data is stored in NADRA’s database. So one should not expect privacy in such a country. NADRA has a service whereby you can SMS an individual’s Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) number to 7000 and get a reply containing their full name!

Privacy implications

While all of these little bits of data might sound harmless, you can piece together a pretty good profile of an individual from them. You can infer things about the subscriber’s financial position by looking at his phone or electricity bill. How rich is he? Does he pay his bills regularly or does he have cash flow problems? Does he make a lot of calls overseas or not? Or simply whether the person is currently at home or on vacation!

Obviously web services should not be implemented like this. You don’t just expose your subscriber’s information online like this.

79 thoughts on “View your telephone bill online!”

  1. This is not just online but in meatspace as well. If you need a duplicate bill, you go to the customer service and you get it with no authentication.

    Most KESC connections are not in the name of the person who pays the bill anyway.

  3. Hi,
    thnaks for information but the question is that how i can get the bill if i m not having ID and how i can get it for Islamabad number. What do i have to prepend before 7 digits landline number for islamabad.

  4. yar yeh batao id kaha se laye mere se bill ki copy ghum hogae hai muje sirf apna phone number yaad hai batao kaisay maloom karay kitna bill aya hai

  5. To webmaster,
    This page “View-your-neighbours-telephone-bill-online!” should be removed as now you need a valid Account ID other wise it gives following error “Please enter valid Account ID” and does not show the bill.
    it may be showing for some or previously by mistake or something not now.

    Thanks
    Amir

    • I have updated the blog post to show a workaround for the PTCL account ID requirement. Now it is possible to view anyone’s phone bill online even if you don’t know the account ID. However, I don’t know how long this loophole in PTCL’s systems will exist.

      BTW AG, this is a blog and posts in it are not deleted even if they go out of date. Readers are advised that blog posts can sometimes become out of date just like newspaper articles.

      • Dear all,

        its sure that we Pakistanis are thing totaly in a negative way. despite such things you people must appriate the effort by PTCL.
        Now customers can pay their bill on time by getting duplicate bill on a click. Before this we have to visit the OSS/Customer Care Center by driving a distance and Queued in to wait for the turn and also there was a huge wastage of time as well. We have to take short leave from office to get the duplicate bill and Bla Bla Bal…

        Now anyone can get the bill easily.

        • Sometimes they just cut off your phone line and then make you come to the tele exchange where you have to grease a few palms to get your phone up and running. This practice is so common now that line-man jobs are ‘sold’ to the highest bidder.

  8. Thanks for info but this does not work at all. the URL u mentioned is giving “runtime error” even with my own fon number. the PTCL site is not working as it has always been. i entered my A/c number & tel No. but i got nothing shown.
    can u pl confirm the method.
    regards,

    • Yeah notice the date on this article? It was written about a year ago. So looks like they’ve made a few changes to their site.

  10. How to pay a ptcl bill online………………
    Tell me please…..please……please……please……

    Thanks

    • This page allows you to view your online bill but PTCL service are down from now I don’t know from where to find my bill and get the print out for submission. hope it would be helpful for you do let me know if you get the print of your bill or seeing your bill online Thanks. https://dbill.ptcl.net.pk/PTCLSearchInvoice.aspx

  18. the account ID generator is worthy bt why peshawer is not included in the list,, they should have to include peshawer as well…
    thanks

    • I made the account ID generator and looks like I didn’t include Peshawar. I’ve added it now. If anyone else has a city or town that they’d like me to include please mention the city and the area code in the comments.

  19. Salam,
    On 13/1/2012 I received a call from PTCL asking me to give them my email ID for receiving bills and alerts. Don’t know why. do they also take charges?
    Is here anyone experienced the same?

    Will PTCL only email me my bills or also broadband/internet use details?
    Thanks

    • Look at your bill for the correct account id. The generator is not 100% accurate.

  28. yar jaldi say batao bill kis tarah dehkon bar bar likah aata hay kay no record found kabhi hamarain comments per bhi ghor kro

    • You seem to be under the mistaken impression that I have control over what PTCL’s site spews out. I don’t. This site is owned by me, an individual, and is not affiliated with PTCL in any way. It says so quite clearly in the notice above the comment form which you so carelessly ignored. If you have problems with PTCL’s site I suggest you take it up with them.

  29. I think these services are helpful but at the same time could harm individuals,, you know, we have lot of people who are ingenious and one could expect anything from them. high ups must do something to eliminate illegal use of someone else personal information.

  31. Kindly Mail my Tel Bill PTCL 35127041

    this is very urgent because since 2 month we do not recieved any bill.

    Best Regards

  39. Learnt about NADRA is amazing facts about Pakistan, Thanks providing wonderful services.

  42. PTCL is now fail to provide online bill services because I am still unable to get my bill. Please help if any body know

  44. How to find the bill of a home which is from not mentioned cities…… I am from orakzai agency and i need monthly bill of september urgently, please if there is any way tell me…. Thnx

  50. Dear Webmaster
    Peoples says that everything is available on net, your website proved it when I am searching Account ID of my phone Number which I got it, Now the matter of using this in good or bed way its depend on user however the idea of each user have its own id with password may be provide by Utilities providers like Banks and it may be save Privacy of any one.

  51. We have received threads from this number 1999 . We really don’t know how’s that parson please let us know how is that . He was saying we will kill you and like other same threads. Please confirm me how is this… .i m waiting your reply . time and date.. 5pm …. 2-10-2014

    • If you could tell me your phone number, id and location maybe I can figure out what the new format is. You can use the
      contact form if you want privacy.

  53. i am vary happy to learn that PTCL providing these services.,it will surely save time and give us a correct and full information about bill with just in one click. i appreciate PTCL for this service, in fact pakistani citizen will be able to enjoy modern technology benefits.its nice work

    • “Please note that this site is not affiliated with PTCL in anyway. However, comments from PTCL users are most welcome. Thank you! “

      • hi samaad

        how are you

        Need your help to find out my old ptcl bill

        actually i don’t have an a account id
        but i remember by telephone no
        which is [number removed]
        can u help me

  57. I cant generate my account ID because mansehra ct is no included in the least shown.
    what should i do? plz tel me somone.

  58. Can anyone please tell Wether we have to pay the bill after one month or before we use ptcl broadband wifi

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