Our main tariffs come with a usage quota, a number of gigabytes (or terabytes) per month that is allowed within the package.
We meter download only, i.e. data from the Internet to you. Upload does not matter. It does not matter what time of day or week the usage happens. Our systems accurately record every byte and log usage every hour (or when you disconnect). We even have systems to track when your usage allowance is reached within a few seconds. It does not matter why the data is being downloaded, e.g. you download a web page or file, or someone sends you a file or email, etc.
The quota works on whole months. The month depends on how you are billed, and for most people it is calendar monthly so starts at 00:00:00 on the 1st of each calendar month. We also offer 4 weekly billing which applies a quota at 00:00:00 on the start of your 4 week period. We also offer lunar billing which applies a quota on the exact second of the full moon (as we calculate it). The quota is sold based on a calendar monthly basis, so 4 weekly is 92% of the quota each 4 weeks for 92% of the price, and lunar billing is 97% of the quota each full moon for 97% of the price.
Logging of usage is recorded at our L2TP Network Server, recording all packets we send to you as we send them (including IP packet headers), and so includes packets that may be discarded later (such as by a firewall in your network equipment, or congestion on your link), and re-sent packets, and unsolicited packets, etc.
It is up to you to pick the right quota, but for many tariffs you can change the quota when you like, up or down, applying the change from the next billing month.
At present there are a few restrictions changing to/from terabyte quotas, but we hope to remove these in future.
We are also working on a way to increase quota instantly, charging part of the month's difference in price for a pro-rata additional quota.
Our control pages log your quota usage in more detail, but you can usually see a quota icon on the top of our main www.aa.net.uk web page from your line.
If you use too much, on our terabyte tariffs your service slows down, and starts using quota from the coming month. eg, a 5TB quota this slows to around 15Mb/s. The speed is slow compared to normal, and is not ideal for streaming movies, but works reasonably for web pages, Facebook, email, and so on.
On the lower quotas you have the choice to slow down, as above (but it is often unusably slow, so not recommended); or you can have the service stop, where access to a normal web site pops up with an option to buy top-up; or you can have a top-up applied and billed automatically (recommended).
The top-up is an extra 250GB of allowances right away for £5.00. If not all used, then this carries forward as top-up, and keeps carrying on month after month until all used.
You do not have to use all of your quota - most people set a quota at a level above their normal usage. It would be unusual for even a high usage household to use a all the quota in our highest tariff option in a month.
Each billing month you receive your quota again, but we also add on a bonus quota which is half of the unused quota from your previous billing month.
For example, if you were on 500GB/month, and only used 300GB, then the next month you will start with a new 500GB quota plus a bonus of 100GB (being half your unused 200GB), making 600GB.
Any top-up you may have is separate and continues until used and is not halved.
There are actually two reasons we sell services with a quota.
