O2 cancelled my iPad sim after 6 months of non-use - do all providers do this?

bib1

I have an iPad that I only use in the house.
In case of a power-cut or a broadband outage, I have a PaYgo O2 sim card installed.

During the recent storms, expecting a power-cut, I checked to make sure I could buy a data-block for emergency use.
It failed. Rang O2 (office hours only!) and told they had cancelled the sim due to 6 months of non-use :mad:
They were unable to re-activate and are sending me a new sim :j
So now I have to remember to top-up every so often to keep the sim active :mad:

I suppose it's a small price to pay for having an emergency back-up but ......
My take on this is that O2 simply throw low-value customers away - they've given me the opportunity to try another provider :rotfl:

Does anyone know of a provider that tries harder to keep it's customers?
I'd even settle for an email reminder before they cut me off.

Nilrem

I'm not sure if it's so much that you haven't topped it up, as you haven't by the sounds of it used it at all.

As phone numbers are limited (even with the changes that they've brought in to add additional codes and number ranges), they tend to get recycled.
So if the number/sim hasn't been used at all for a time they'll probably retire it so it can be reused in the future, otherwise the phone companies would probably find they soon had more inactive numbers that haven't been used for 6+ months than numbers that are in use.

IIRC phone providers have to buy in number ranges, and the regulator likes them to reuse numbers where possible because of the limits in the number ranges available, and the cost (and disruption) or adding new number ranges at the national level in a logical manner.

I very rarely use my mobile to make calls, and typically top it up about once a year, but it doesn't get cut off because it's active on the network (the phone is on and connected) so the network knows it's still in use.

Basically as long as you turn it on and let it log onto the network (even if you don't do anything with it) from time to time it's unlikely that it'll expire.

Pincher

I keep a cheap GSM phone for visitors, and I need to use it at least once every six months. Typically, it gets suspended after six months of inactivity, but you can call up the network provider to re-activate it within 90 days. After the grace period, the number gets released into the pool of numbers available for allocation. You might lose the credit that was on the account.

JJ_Egan

I understood from emails received from networks its not a case of topping up just use the phone /text once or twice in the six months .

macman

Exactly the same as any mobile PAYG SIM.

Pincher

bib1 wrote: »

In case of a power-cut or a broadband outage, I have a PaYgo O2 sim card installed.

A smart phone that does Wi-Fi hotspot and a tariff that allows tethering is probably what you really want.

bib1

Thank you all - great answers - knew this was a good forum :beer:

Nilrem wrote: »

Basically as long as you turn it on and let it log onto the network (even if you don't do anything with it) from time to time it's unlikely that it'll expire.

Special thanks for helping me understand why my sim got recycled - apologies for my anger to O2

Pincher wrote: »

A smart phone that does Wi-Fi hotspot and a tariff that allows tethering is probably what you really want.

This old fossil ain't gotta smart phone but if I ever join the 21st century, your personal hotspot suggestion will be just the ticket :T