Is there a PAYG Sim that can last forever (or close) on one payment?

dmpoole

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I have a good deal on EE but I want a spare sim in my dual sim phone just in case.
This sim may never get used but I don't want a monthly contract and I want to pay the minimum possible for something I might not use.
In the old days PAYG sims lasted forever if you didn't use them, is there something similar out now?

Any help appreciated.
 
I have a Vodafone PAYG sim in a spare phone. the call charges are 20p per minute but a max of £1 a day (not sure about data as i use a dumb phone). This means that if I need to use the phone in an emergency it wont cost me more than £1 for that day.

Vodafone

the other option is to go for

1pmobile.com who seem quite cheap.

I think with both of these you will have to use your phone every few months so that it does not deactivate.
 
With Vodaphone I can't see where you buy a £10 Sim and then it can last forever!

1pmobile is very tempting but costs £30 a year.
 
if you click on the link above and expand on the "What are standard PAYG Rates" it gives details of the standard tariff. You just dont buy a bundle
 
if you click on the link above and expand on the "What are standard PAYG Rates" it gives details of the standard tariff. You just dont buy a bundle

I'm sounding really tight here but it costs £1 if I do want to use it which is a bit over the top.
 
yes you do sound a bit tight (lol). Actually it says that in order to keep your SIM active you need to perform one charageable activity every 180 day (six months). Looking at it, it seems to have changed from when I first took out the SIM, then you got charged 20p minute with a max of £1 a day. Now it seems like you get charged £1 as soon as you make the call but it doesn't cost anymore for that day if you are not using the data.

So in theory, this should cost you £2 a year to keep the sim active.
 

Get sim, topup, using a voucher so there's no auto payment mechanism tied to the sim, with whatever amount you feel is necessary, DO NOT buy an addon or anything with what you have topped up, just leave it as free credit. Credit stays on the account as part of the three 3,2,1 pricing structure and NEVER expires as long as you use the phone for something (even if it's sending 1 txt message) every six months.

I've had these sims as my backup sim in my primary mobile and my sims in my assorted samsung tablets (which allow you to make normal phone calls as well) for over 10 years now and spend literally pennies a month keeping all the devices active. The 200mb of free data every month is a godsend on the few occasions I've been in GiffGaff (O2) deadspots as it's cost me nothing to get internet access for a few crucial minutes, although obviously not designed to be used for gaming or video emergencies!!!!

Of course YMMV but personally I can't fault it.
 

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Get sim, topup, using a voucher so there's no auto payment mechanism tied to the sim, with whatever amount you feel is necessary, DO NOT buy an addon or anything with what you have topped up

Just ordered the Sim.
So when you say buy a voucher what does that exactly mean? Does it mean go to the shop and buy one from behind a counter?
Is a Top up different than an addon?

I'm a bit confused since I've only ever had monthly contracts since the early 00s.
 
Just ordered the Sim.
So when you say buy a voucher what does that exactly mean? Does it mean go to the shop and buy one from behind a counter?
Is a Top up different than an addon?

I'm a bit confused since I've only ever had monthly contracts since the early 00s.
Next time you're in your friendly local supermarket just buy say a £10 three topup voucher.

When you have the sim installed and activated, which can be a bit of a faff first time if I'm honest, then I would suggest doing it this way (this is how I always do my topups so there's never any payment mechanism linked to the sim...but I'm an anal old flatus). Turn off wifi and turn on using the sim for data, open your friendly browser and login to your account on three, as it's doing it through the mobile data connection you shouldn't need to enter your password details, it should 'auto detect' it's a three sim and route you to the allowances for that specific sim. Now add credit and there's an option to 'use a voucher', enter the voucher number and it should hopefully take the credit info added, the website will then 'invite you' to buy either data addons or minutes addons (these are effectively mini bundles THAT DO EXPIRE even if not used, so don't buy them), instead just leave the credit on the account. Then check the data allowance from your login menu and you should see the screenshot I uploaded earlier.

Although there's a LOAD of absolute nonsense comments it's worth googling "hotukdeals 200mb three sim" and reading the threads. For the avoidance of ANY doubt....

This sim can be used for both data and normal calls
This sim is NOT designed for tablets only (see above)
This sim does NOT automatically expire your credit (see my screengrab earlier)
This sim can be activated fine (read the delivery paperwork properly and carefully, don't just rush in), but sometimes takes a couple of attempts (JUST MAKE SURE YOU DON'T FALL INTO THE TRAP OF BUYING ADDONS THAT ARE TIME EXPIRED..DO NOT BUY ANY ADDONS, they're not needed).
My personal advice, but your choice, DO NOT TOPUP USING A CREDIT OR DEBIT CARD VIA THE WEBSITE, that then ties a payment mechanism to the sim, always use a voucher as the credit never expires anyway, then there's no possibility of arguments later.

I, right now, have a three sim as my backup sim in my primary phone and also in 6 samsung tablets, all of which can make calls, the tablets are used as front ends to my smart house control devices so some are in fixed locations.

Hope this helps.
 
I have a Three sim and ive not topped up in 2 years. cost me £10 2 years ago and ive got about £8 credit left.

A call or text needs to be made every gew months or so to keep.it active.

I use wifi all the time so there's no need tomuse up.data/minutes
 
I have a good deal on EE but I want a spare sim in my dual sim phone just in case.
This sim may never get used but I don't want a monthly contract and I want to pay the minimum possible for something I might not use.
In the old days PAYG sims lasted forever if you didn't use them, is there something similar out now?

Any help appreciated.
Hello there, I just joined up to share this information with you as this is something I was searching for for literally years, and I found it!

Mobal Telecom! An amazing company that have been around since the dawn of the mobile phone age. Most people have never heard of them, but they were originally established specifically to provide communication services to the construction industry in the early 1990s.

They offer a UK based SIM which you pay for once only US$15 - for life!...

The service is as follows:

  • Works in over 190 countries
  • No monthly fees, no minimum usage, no contract
  • Never expires - keep your international cell phone for life
  • Multi-Sized SIM - Fits any device
  • Receive SMS messages free, worldwide!
  • any calls are charged to the credit card linked to your account, I rarely use it for calls, but it is superb for receiving verification SMS messages from most (NOT ALL) companies.

Hope this helps and isn't too late.

Have a great evening / afternoon / morning!

Ian
 
Hello there, I just joined up to share this information with you as this is something I was searching for for literally years, and I found it!

Mobal Telecom! An amazing company that have been around since the dawn of the mobile phone age. Most people have never heard of them, but they were originally established specifically to provide communication services to the construction industry in the early 1990s.

They offer a UK based SIM which you pay for once only US$15 - for life!...

The service is as follows:

  • Works in over 190 countries
  • No monthly fees, no minimum usage, no contract
  • Never expires - keep your international cell phone for life
  • Multi-Sized SIM - Fits any device
  • Receive SMS messages free, worldwide!
  • any calls are charged to the credit card linked to your account, I rarely use it for calls, but it is superb for receiving verification SMS messages from most (NOT ALL) companies.

Hope this helps and isn't too late.

Have a great evening / afternoon / morning!

Ian
Where can these sims be purchased?

I dont use or havr a credit card.

do they do a credit check?

do they hold your personal details?
 
Where can these sims be purchased?

I dont use or havr a credit card.

do they do a credit check?

do they hold your personal details?
You purchase online, I don't know if I am permitted to share URLs here, but if you search Mobal Telecom you can find out for yourself - best thing to do is to communicate with them. Frankly, I can't imagine any firm not making some kind of check. I have found their service to be excellent. Very responsive.
 
You purchase online, I don't know if I am permitted to share URLs here, but if you search Mobal Telecom you can find out for yourself - best thing to do is to communicate with them. Frankly, I can't imagine any firm not making some kind of check. I have found their service to be excellent. Very responsive.
Oh, I believe visa/mastercard debit cards also work... They will certainly have an account registered for you as they need to keep a record of any calls or SMS messages you do send in order for you to pay for them - these SIMS have no data element, they are purely for cellphone calls and traditional SMS messages, however I have successfully used a number as the number linked to WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal.
 
I have never been credit checked when buying a sim card from a phone shop and dont need to give personal details.
 
I have never been credit checked when buying a sim card from a phone shop and dont need to give personal details.
But did any of those sim cards work in 190 countries for $15 and never have that credit run out?
 

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