Best tariff for someone who mostly wants to recieve calls (rather than make calls).

MrsX_2

Hello, I'd like to get a mobile for my Mum so that I can call her when she's out and about. The reason is that she provides my childcare, and I do occasional weekend 24 hr on call. At the minute she's staying in when I'm on call in case I need her,which is obviously a waste of her time and very, very boring!
So I'd like to get her a phone so she can go out and about and I can call her if I need her.

I know from past experience that she'll rarely use the phone to make calls and she most certainly won't text! The last phone she had spent most of its life switched off and in a drawer.

She has an old Nokia in the drawer, which works and is suitable, so if I could get a very cheap SIM I'd use that.

Any ideas anyone?

HappyMJ

Ovivo...£20 upfront but no ongoing charges and you can make some calls and texts for free each month.

Or just get any free PAYG SIM and never top it up. You won't be able to make any calls though.

MrsX_2

HappyMJ wrote: »

Ovivo...£20 upfront but no ongoing charges and you can make some calls and texts for free each month.

Or just get any free PAYG SIM and never top it up. You won't be able to make any calls though.

It looks like Ovivo only works with a smart phone, I'm hoping to use her old Nokia handset.
Looking for a cheap as chips PAYG, really.

grumbler

HappyMJ wrote: »

Or just get any free PAYG SIM and never top it up. You won't be able to make any calls though.

...and it's likely to get disconnected in 6 months and the number will be lost.
AFAIK giffgaff is the only network where incoming calls/texts can sustain the sim remaining alive.

MrsX_2

grumbler wrote: »

...and it's likely to get disconnected in 6 months and the number will be lost.
AFAIK giffgaff is the only network where incoming calls/texts can sustain the sim remaining alive.

Thats the experience we've had before, it's currently got a tesco SIM in it but when switched on it says something along the lines of the SIM needing to be re registered.

Ideally I'd like something that I can top up and not lose the credit that doesn't get used. She may use the phone occasionally, but not enough to warrant spending £10 per month on it.

tyllwyd

Any PAYG sim would be suitable because if she doesn't make any calls the actual price per call isn't really an issue - if you want to make sure it stays on and active, your best bet is probably to ask to see her phone every now and again to check that it is charged up and send yourself a text. Otherwise, if the phone is never charged or turned on when it is needed, it is going to be worse than useless.


Another option might be to find something that she actually wants to use the phone for - does she like to check the weather, or the news headlines, or see photos of the grandchildren? If you get her a cheap smartphone and find some way of making her interested in looking at it every day, then it will get used and charged.


Oh, just thought - do you know what network the old Nokia is registered to? If its not unlocked already, it might not be economic to get it unlocked which would cut down your options, so the first thing is to check the network and model of the phone.

MrsX_2

tyllwyd wrote: »

Any PAYG sim would be suitable because if she doesn't make any calls the actual price per call isn't really an issue - if you want to make sure it stays on and active, your best bet is probably to ask to see her phone every now and again to check that it is charged up and send yourself a text. Otherwise, if the phone is never charged or turned on when it is needed, it is going to be worse than useless.


Another option might be to find something that she actually wants to use the phone for - does she like to check the weather, or the news headlines, or see photos of the grandchildren? If you get her a cheap smartphone and find some way of making her interested in looking at it every day, then it will get used and charged.



Oh, just thought - do you know what network the old Nokia is registered to? If its not unlocked already, it might not be economic to get it unlocked which would cut down your options, so the first thing is to check the network and model of the phone.

I think it's already unlocked, its an old Nokia 3310 I think, so no 3G etc.
I'm guessing the phone will only be switched on and used when I'm on call, so approxiamately once every four weeks.
The problem we've found is that unused credit tends to expire, so after a certain period of time you need to top up if you want to make the odd call and if you don't the SIM expires.

I gues what I could do with is knowing who has the longest expiry time on unused credit.

NFH

grumbler wrote: »

...and it's likely to get disconnected in 6 months and the number will be lost.
AFAIK giffgaff is the only network where incoming calls/texts can sustain the sim remaining alive.

Correct in theory, according to the networks' official policies. However, I have O2 and Three SIM cards which have always had a zero balance and on which I receive a call every six months in order to keep them active.

mummyroysof3

I would just reregister the sim and find put what their terms of use are and fulfil them ie make a call a month only takes a few mins doesn't it and keeps use of phone. Does she really have to be in contact if its only once a month?

grumbler

MrsX wrote: »

Ideally I'd like something that I can top up and not lose the credit that doesn't get used.

This is the case for any PAYG. You can lose the credit only if the sim gets disconnected. Otherwise it never expires.

matelodave

Tesco, Sainsbury's etc. Just make a call or text every couple of months to maintain the service. My mum had one and £10 lasted her about 8 years