Keeping prepaid SIM cards active - smallest possible balance deductions

NFH

According to EE's PAYG non-standard charges, calls to "bypass services" on 07755 22 numbers cost 3p per minute. This would be the cheapest way of incurring a balance deduction every 6 months in order to keep a dormant SIM card active. Does anyone know of a working 07755 22 number that could be used for such a purpose?

oldharryrocks

Thats part of the old Dolphin Numbering Range owned by https://www.coretel.co.uk I havent seen any examples of it in use. However they do own https://www.dialacode.co.uk whose short code 29 09 29 is only charged at 2p a minute by EE to call Australia. So if you called it and as soon as you hit recorded announcement terminated the call it should do the trick. Its not yet shown on EE list you quote, but Dialacode 3p short codes are.

NFH

Thanks. I hadn't noticed that EE gives 29 03 and 29 25 only as examples and that any 29 xx prefix will suffice where xx is the price in pence per minute. This is a much better solution than the 07755 22 prefix that I first asked about.

Now I need to find a similar solution for Vodafone, which doesn't seem to be supported by Dialacode. I keep a Vodafone SIM card for cheaper data roaming in expensive places at £5 for 25MB per day.

redux

I think they took most of those out of use when they launched the prefix method. One number starting 077553 was still working for a while, having allowed calls to certain European mobiles, but I haven't tested it for a couple of years.

Their 290179 and 290129 prefixes for calls to Hong Kong are 1 penny a minute.

redux

Alternatively, for EE, their free Call Abroad add-on gives calls to Irish or Polish landlines at 1p/min ...

NFH

redux wrote: »

Their 290179 and 290129 prefixes for calls to Hong Kong are 1 penny a minute.

EE deducted 2p, not 1p, for a call under one minute to 29 01 29. When I click on https://myaccount.ee.co.uk/recent-usage, it says:

PayG Recent use - Error
We're working on fixing this page.

Anyway, I'm not fussed about a penny, but as information for others who want to use 29 01 29 to make genuine international calls, something isn't right with EE's billing.

NFH

redux wrote: »

Alternatively, for EE, their free Call Abroad add-on gives calls to Irish or Polish landlines at 1p/min ...

Thanks. I've used this on an old T-Mobile SIM card (because it wouldn't let me call 29 01 29). This idea also helped me to find a solution for my Vodafone SIM card at http://www.vodafone.co.uk/explore/costs/calling-abroad-from-the-uk/vodafone-international/index.htm

redux

And it might be worth actually using the SIM more, by setting up access or divert numbers abroad to make UK bound calls ...

i.e. call Ireland or Hong Kong for a penny, back to UK for quarter of a penny

I'm surprised about the 2p charge on the T-Mobile SIM. I can remember being charged only a penny for a brief call to a 3p number, so per second billing, but it was about 5 years ago.

NFH

redux wrote: »

I'm surprised about the 2p charge on the T-Mobile SIM.

The 2p charge for calling 29 01 29 was on the EE SIM. The T-Mobile SIM correctly charged me 1p for a call to an Irish landline.