Does a SIM card contract like this exist?

apple_mac_user

My current phone is probably 20 years old now and I am considering making the move into modern times as far as mobile phones go.

Sorry for asking people to do this for me but I don't know anything about phones and you could probably find in 60 seconds what would take me half a day of research!

My SIM card contract is very useful for me as I am a light user however people are telling me it no longer exists. I get charged about £0.15 per text message and £0.25 per minute of calling however I only pay when I use it, there is no minimum charge or expiry date. It is rare for my monthly bill to cost more than one pound.

• I am looking for a "nano" SIM card that fits an iPhone 5 / 5s / 5c
• SIM card only, that I use with my pre-purchased iPhone, that can be cancelled any time - I don't want to take out a [strike]payday loan[/strike] 24 month contract
• I don't mind if it involves paying after usage, or putting credit onto an account but for the later I hope it does not expire if it is possible - all the SIM cards I found make the customer top it up with £10 per month and then just delete it after 30 days!

Thanks very much if anyone can help or advise me!

NFH

It sounds as if Three's prepaid deal of 3p/min, 2p/text and 1p/MB would be ideal for you. You also get 150MB of free data every time you top up by £5.

I've never heard of a UK prepaid SIM card that requires you to top up periodically to prevent expiry (unlike in France for example). On the contrary, UK SIM cards all require periodic usage, mostly every 6 months. Exceptions are Lycamobile and Toggle (3 months) and White Mobile (2 months).

apple_mac_user

Wow that looks perfect for me

I checked and like you said only needs using every 180 days and doesn't expire

Thanks very much!

Nice_Weather_For_Ducks

Ovivo would be an option too.

http://www.ovivomobile.com/offer/ovivo-for-phones/

prowla

One of the issues with many PAYG SIMs is that the supplier may delete them if they're not used for an extended period of time.

apple_mac_user

prowla wrote: »

One of the issues with many PAYG SIMs is that the supplier may delete them if they're not used for an extended period of time.

Yes, I have no issue with having to use it every 180 days but when they require £10 top-up each month they might as well not call it "pay as you go" as it's just a disguised contract

Also that OVIVO does look very good however they provide a free service by advertising which I would always try to pay money to avoid, but for people who don't mind adverts I can see it being a fantastic choice

I think I will be going with 3

Thanks very much again everyone

grumbler

apple_mac_user wrote: »

...but when they require £10 top-up each month they might as well not call it "pay as you go" as it's just a disguised contract...

Name and shame?

I don't think so.

McKneff

My orange phone is one of them.


Pay £10 and I get free texts and data for just a month, unless I top up again, the texts and the data stop.

ZhugeEX

grumbler wrote: »

Name and shame?

I don't think so.

I think he means bundles and add ons like all networks do.

And yes, Three is the best option here.

However it's worth noting that an iPhone would use a lot of data each month. I'd always recommend accounting for at least 500mb of data (£5 on Three's PAYG) per month even if you don't use the internet that much.

grumbler

McKneff wrote: »

My orange phone is one of them.

Pay £10 and I get free texts and data for just a month, unless I top up again, the texts and the data stop.

No, it isn't.
It doesn't require making top-ups every month.
The balance gets spent, but doesn't expire.
Texts and data don't stop until your balance gets zero as a result of your usage - like for any PAYG.

NFH

ZhugeEX wrote: »

However it's worth noting that an iPhone would use a lot of data each month. I'd always recommend accounting for at least 500mb of data (£5 on Three's PAYG) per month even if you don't use the internet that much.

500MB is indeed a typical average amount, but many people use a lot less. For example, I always use wifi when it's available and I consequently use only around 150MB of my 800MB allowance in some months.