Free Orange, O2 and T-Mobile Sims

MSE_Martin

What's the deal?

It's possible to get a free Sim card from Orange, O2 and T-mobile, enabling you to get free texts and access different call charges or to turn a old phone into a PAYG phone without any cost.

Better still as Orange is included you can get its Sim solely to take advantage of the Orange's 2 for 1 Wednesdays cinema offer; which means you can take a friend with you to see any film every Wednesdays for free (read more about using cheap Sims to grab that deal Orange 2 for 1 loophole article).

What is a Sim card?

A Sim card is the little chip you put in the back of the phone that gives it its identity - so that the mobile phone company knows what phone and tariff it is.

Thus by getting a new Sim, you get a new number and a new tariff, and you can swap this with your usual Sim card (or put it in an old phone) to get the best of both words.

You must unlock your phone to use a different Sim.

To use a different Sim in your phone, you need to ensure your mobile is unlocked (don't confuse this with unblocking, which is illegal). Many people pay to have their phones unlocked, but this isn't necessary, you can do it yourself for free. Read the Unlocking mobiles article for full details.

The Available FREE Sim Offers

• Orange is currently running a promotion which offers 300 free text messages upon registering and crediting the free SIM with a minimum £10 (so if you only used the texts, this is a cheap 3p/text, but of course you get the call credit too).
  
  Credit it with £20 or more and you'll get 600 texts, and for £30 you'll get 1000. After a month, you'll also receive free evening calls.
  
  Call Charges: It costs 20p per minute to call landlines and other Orange handsets using this SIM, and 40p p/m to other networks. Texts are 10p each. Full T&Cs

• O2 is running a similar offer. Again, 300 free texts are available upon registration and £10 top-up of the SIM, but these can be exchanged for either 50 free anytime minutes or 100 off-peak minutes.
  
  The more you spend, the more free texts/minutes you receive, up to a maximum of 1000 texts/150 anytime/300 off-peak mins for those who top-up more than £30 per month.
  
  One big advantage of 02 is the application form allows you to request up to 4 SIM cards per order, but only one order per household.
  
  Call Charges: Calls from O2 phones to landlines or handsets on the same network cost 25p per minute for the first three, and 5p per minute thereafter. Cross-network calls cost 40p p/m. Full T&Cs

• T-Mobile's free SIM offer differs from the above in that it offers a choice of three tariffs, as well as two free SIM cards as standard. Furthermore, provided that you top-up £10 or more per calendar month, you'll also receive free evening and weekend texts.
  
  Call Charges: The standard "everyone" price plan offers the best rates of the three. Calls to UK landlines and even cross-network cost 12p per minute. Texts cost 10p. Full T&Cs

Martin


FULL MOBILE PHONE ARTICLES: Mobile Phone Cost Cutting | Batter Down Your Contract |

Cinders2001

I have a question:
Never having Unlocked my phone before, can you or anyone tell me what will happen if I do?
Do I loose anything stored on it?
What will happen?
I have an old Nokia 3310

Excuse my ignorance, but I really don't know !

slasher

No you won't lose anything by unlocking the phone. There are many free online unlocking websites which work for the Nokia 3310.

taxi73

Thanks for that:T :T :T I am on O2 on a contract that will run out shortly and was going to go pay as you go...so this is absolutely ideal:j :j :j

Cinders2001

Slasher, If I unlock it, what will happen to the T Mobile network connection I am currently with?
Will I have to re-register or something?
.....slightly scared to do anything in case I bodge things up!

anniecave

Cinders

If you get the phone unlocked, you would be able to use a different SIM from another network on the phone, if you want to. So you could put an Orange SIM in there if you want. You would still be able to use your existing SIM card, no problem and you won't need to re-register or do anything.

If you are at the end of a contract and want to just be on pay as you go with the same network, you wouldn't have to do anything to phone anyway, you'd just need to contact your provider (eg T-mobile) and ask them to convert you from a contract to just a pay as you go service.

keith234

great, i think i need a new sim and un lock my phone and pass some on to friends too!

tasha38

hi

just a quick question Martin, your piece said that with the orange offer texts are 3p per text but on the orange link it states that texts are 10p per text...........can anyone clarify plssssss

tasha38

hi again

sorry ive just worked out my own answer.......its been a long day!!!!!!!!!!

dognboneman

If you go for the O2 Payg Free Sim your entitled to £2.50p free credit if you register your number within 30 days of first using it.

You can register it by

1. Log onto https://www.o2.co.uk/register and follow instructions.

or 2. Call free on 21500 and leave your details when requested.

or 3. Text 21500 free with title,full name.house number and postcode.

EG: MR Bill Brown 23 EN3 9PX

queensberry

If you ring O2 and tell them you want to end your contract they will offer good deals to keep you. I was offered 50 free mins & 50 texts per month absolutely free, but in my case it was better for me to start a new contract with O2 through Mobileshop. With regards to porting your number O2 will only let you keep your number if you move from another network or from contract to payg or from payg to contract.