Mobile electronic communications with grace period

A method of controlling voice calls and messages for a mobile communications device configured to communicate over a mobile network, the method comprising:

• maintaining an indication of a balance in a balance data record of an account associated with the mobile communications device, the indication of the balance being adjusted to indicate a reduction in the balance in response to at least one of establishment of a voice call over the mobile network or sending of a message over the mobile network;
• determining whether the balance is depleted;
• tracking a grace period using a grace-period data record while the balance is depleted, the grace period having a predetermined duration that begins from a time that the balance is determined to be depleted;
• disallowing access by the mobile communications device to the mobile network during the grace period;
• and
• allowing the mobile communications device to establish voice calls or send messages over an available wireless local-area network during the grace period.

A communications system comprising:

• at least one server;
• and
• a plurality of mobile communications devices, each of the plurality of mobile communications devices associated with an account maintained at the server, and the plurality of mobile communications devices configured for wireless communications with a mobile network and wireless local-area networks;
• the server configured to maintain balances for the accounts and track grace periods for depleted accounts that have balances that are determined to be insufficient to place voice calls or send messages over the mobile network;
• the server further configured to allow placing of a voice call or sending of a message for a particular mobile communications device of the plurality of mobile communications devices over an available wireless local-area network of the wireless local-area networks during a respective grace period of a particular account associated with the particular mobile communications device, while disallowing placing of the voice call and sending of the message over the mobile network during the respective grace period.