Pay as you go micro sim.

[dennis55]

Hi all. I have a Samsung mini GT-S 6500 that has been in a drawer for a few years which my wife could use. My wife isn't tech savvy and hardly uses her phone. She has a very old Nokia on Vodafone but doesn't hold charge for long. Her last sim card I purchased for her, I thought was a pay as you go but, when she put a tenners worth of credit on the phone it ran out after a month.
She wants a PAYG sim card for this Samsung which when I last used it was on T mobile, I guess it will be EE now. All she wants is a micro sim card that will allow her to put a fiver or a tenners worth of credit on the phone and will last her all year. It is frustrating when she shops and we can't get in touch with her or she can't phone us to ask if we need anything from shops etc. Are there such sims that will enable her to do that. I know she'll need to change number but that isn't a problem.

 

[Dave X]

Most sims these days are hybrid sims (so all 3 sizes in one), there are a number of providers who offer basic PAYG, I wouldn't recommend EE direct as they are expensive, Asda Mobile runs on EE and has much cheaper rates of 8p per minute and 4p per text.

Look at Pay As You Go Bundles | Asda Mobile | May 2020 From £5 (scroll to the bottom, for the basic PAYG).

You can order a free sim on the website.

 

[dennis55]

Thanks for the reply. I doubt the wife will make more than two calls per month so cost per call won't be a problem. She also has no idea how to send a text.
One problem, I would need the phone unlocking to accept another network.
All she's bothered about is not having to pay a monthly fee or having to top up every month. One top up will last her all year.

 

[Dave X]

Thanks for the reply. I doubt the wife will make more than two calls per month so cost per call won't be a problem. She also has no idea how to send a text.
One problem, I would need the phone unlocking to accept another network.
All she's bothered about is not having to pay a monthly fee or having to top up every month. One top up will last her all year.

If the phone is EE locked it should be fine with an Asda sim (as it's an EE MVNO), EE direct are very costly without buying bundles, in the region of 35p a minute iirc.

To unlock, you can request the unlock code from EE, it costs £8.99.

one other thing, if it's going to be used as you describe, make sure you turn mobile data off or the credit will trickle away as it connects to the net in the background.

 

[tickedon]

The cheapest pay as you go tariff I ever found was Three's "321" pay as you go plan - 3p per minute for calls. Rather difficult to beat and credit doesn't expire either (assuming you use the phone once every few months).

SIMS still available on Amazon, and as said, you just need to pop out the correct size of sim these days.

 

[depot]

The cheapest pay as you go tariff I ever found was Three's "321" pay as you go plan - 3p per minute for calls. Rather difficult to beat and credit doesn't expire either (assuming you use the phone once every few months).

SIMS still available on Amazon, and as said, you just need to pop out the correct size of sim these days.

They have stopped the 321 price, it’s a lot more now about 10p per minute , I have seen the SIM cards in shops saying 321 on them, don’t know where you would stand about that

 

[tickedon]

They have stopped the 321 price, it’s a lot more now about 10p per minute , I have seen the SIM cards in shops saying 321 on them, don’t know where you would stand about that

Their website clarifies that:

http://www.three.co.uk/terms-conditions/price-guides

"You'll have this plan [321] if you bought your Pay As You Go SIM before 12 March 2020. You'll also have this if you purchased a Pay As You Go device from three.co.uk, or if you bought your Pay As You Go SIM from one of our distributors after 12 March 2020. "

It's only SIMs for Three stores and Three online after March that are on their new plan (so far!)

 

[depot]

Their website clarifies that:

http://www.three.co.uk/terms-conditions/price-guides

"You'll have this plan [321] if you bought your Pay As You Go SIM before 12 March 2020. You'll also have this if you purchased a Pay As You Go device from three.co.uk, or if you bought your Pay As You Go SIM from one of our distributors after 12 March 2020. "

It's only SIMs for Three stores and Three online after March that are on their new plan (so far!)

Thanks for that, I’ll pick up one for a spare, you can’t beat that price per minute.

 

[dennis55]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. The phone in question is locked to T Mobile or EE as it will be now. I will need to get it unlocked but not too sure how whether it's too much trouble.

 

[Dave X]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. The phone in question is locked to T Mobile or EE as it will be now. I will need to get it unlocked but not too sure how whether it's too much trouble.

You just need to contact EE, it may cost you £8.99 so you've got to weight up whether it's worth spending that on such an old handset.

How do I unlock an EE device to use with another network?

Find out how you can unlock your EE device to use it with another network and how long it will take to do unlock, whether it's a pay monthly or pay as you go.

ee.co.uk