How does the free sim card thing work?

TraceyB_2

Am trying to get my head round the free sim card thing - can someone put me straight here please!

I can see that there are various companies offering free sims - do you have to have a PAYG phone for each company offering a free SIM or can you use just one phone for all sims?

I currently have a contract phone - I assume the sim cards wont work on this? I guess I'll need to pick up a cheap PAYG phone - did someone post on here about a cheap Tesco one recently?

Thanks in advance :T

Dalkirst

No you don't need a 02 phone to go with an 02 sim all sim cards fit all phones but whether the phone is locked to that network or not is another matter:)

pash_2

lots of people on here have unlock codes for phones for any network.. get the sims .. try them, if you need to unlock the phone come back and do a search for phone unlock codes.. you will be fine!
Pash x

TraceyB_2

Sorry to sound thick but will they work with my monthly contract phone or would I still need to get a PAYG one first?

cw1972

they will work with either as long as they are on the same network or are totally unlocked

nokia's are the easiest to unlock - most work simply with codes - other phones tend to have to be unlocked by data cable and specific software

GeoThermal

Hi Tracey
PAYG phones are the same as contract phones so no you don't need a different phone for a PAYG sim.

However as mentioned many phones are locked to a particular network. If your phone is locked and you want to use a PAYG sim from a different network, then you need to get the phone unlocked. With some phones you can do this yourself, with others you need to get a local phone unlocking service to do it. If you post details of what phone you currently have we will be able to advise what options you have.

Hope that helps.

Clowance

once a phone is unlocked, can you swap between sims of different networks, or does putting a new sim for a different network in then lock the phone again to the new network? I am having terrible trouble unlocking a NOkia 3200 and have used two of the codes up.

angel

Quite a simple question here... if I take out my sim card, will all my stored numbers be lost, and will I have to re-set the clock etc.?

cw1972

with some phone you can store the numbers on the phone itself, but mostly they are stored on the sim - same with text messages

and most phones will require you to set the time/date if you've had the battery out for more than a minute or so

Slapps

can i point out that the sim cards r free so wot do u have 2 lose!!!!!!
tho don't get 2 carried away like me and end up with 18 lol

Premier_2

Clowance wrote:

once a phone is unlocked, can you swap between sims of different networks, or does putting a new sim for a different network in then lock the phone again to the new network? I am having terrible trouble unlocking a NOkia 3200 and have used two of the codes up.

Once a phone is unlocked completely, it will remain unlocked.

Inserting another SIM will not re-lock the phone.

(A couple of provisos: Some specific phones can be unlocked temporarily using a code, you will usually be told this provided with the code - all Nokia codes provide a permanent unlock.
Also, reflashing a phone with new software can lock the phone if you use the wrong software)

There's a thread here dedicated to helping people unlock Nokia mobile phones
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=104726