Which sim?

ohreally

After a power outage left an elderly relative without telecoms, I have given them one of my old mobiles.

Which sim would suit them. PAYT, no data or texts required as they will never use. I'm happy to provide the sim and to put £10 or £20 on it, but I need this to not expire anytime soon.

tyllwyd

Just about any PAYG SIM from a main network would work - they need to be used every six months to stay active.


But if you are worried about power cuts, a simple corded phone would be better than a mobile that is never used - a corded phone will work in a power cut, but there is every chance that the mobile battery will have run down when it is needed in an emergency, or your elderly relative won't remember how to use it, or probably will have lost it at the back of a drawer somewhere.

forgotmyname

We have a corded phone connected with the ringer disabled for emergencies.

I had the same thought, Cordless phones are useless if you have a power cut.

ohreally

We kind of are where we are. I've told them I would sort out a sim and ensure they're good to go.

NiftyDigits

ohreally wrote: »

We kind of are where we are. I've told them I would sort out a sim and ensure they're good to go.

Look here or here

No need to add credit as there is already a fiver included.
Just get them to make a short call at least once every three months.

roddydogs

Cant you just buy them a cheap corded phone? I kept my old one when I went Cordless, just in case.
Elderly people with mobiles, not a very good idea they always forget to charge them & reception can be poor.

matelodave

I'd agree with the majority - get a corded phone. It always works and it will always be in the same place as it's hard to lose if it's plugged in.
We tried mobiles with both my Mum and Mum-in-Law and in both cases they seldom got charged unless we did it for them even though we got phones with docking stations which made it really easy. Likewise they were for ever losing the handset, either down the chair or put away in drawers

macman

If it's purely for emergency use, then the tariff really does not matter. The only factor should be that the network you choose offers a decent signal at the property.
As pointed out above, any SIM will expire if not used during the relevant period. Just make a diary note to send a text from it every x months.

MoneyMate

Have a look at Asda, Low call rates and easy to top up.
https://mobile.asda.com/orders/new :beer:

ohreally

She's already been on the phone today - unable to plug the charger in.

Visited a local shop and they supplied a sim, EE. Not a provider I've ever used - any good and anything I need to watch out for?

ste_wilko

I wouldn't trust a mobile for emergencies. Most manufacturers state in their manuals that they shouldn't be solely relied up on due to things like batteries dying etc.

Also, with a corded a phone obviously there is the cost of standing charges etc.

I would recommend LifeLine alarms that connect to a call centre who can arrange help quickly, for a lot of eventualities. It's nowhere as cheap as the mobile option but it is a hell of a lot more reliable