PAYG Sim question

Legacy_user

My elderly dad needs a mobile phone with a PAYG sim. We have been to Carphone warehouse and he can get a basic phone for free with a sim but the sim top up expires after 30 days.

We can buy a basic phone for him online if we have to but we want to know if it's possible to get a PAYG top up which doesn't expire. He doesn't need data just minutes and texts.

Inner_Zone

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5388627

Amongst others.

grumbler

Pam17 wrote: »

... the sim top up expires after 30 days.

Sure? Can you find this online at CPW and post a link?

Tyler_Du

Get a basic unlocked phone and use a three 321 SIM,don't think the credit expires on that.

grumbler

Tyler_Durden_UK wrote: »

Get a basic unlocked phone and use a three 321 SIM,

And what 'basic' phone would you suggest for an elderly person?

don't think the credit expires on that.

The credit doesn't expire (like on all PAYG without bundles), but the SIM can expire together with credit after 6 months of inactivity.

ariba10

grumbler wrote: »

And what 'basic' phone would you suggest for an elderly person?

Have look at the DORO range.

(Even my O H can handle one of them)

[Deleted User]

Tesco have PAYG phones in store for £6.99 and although their regular tariff is 25p a minute you can switch to their Lite tariff at 8p a minute - I use it and credit does not expire until you have used it all up, they use the O2 network.
Asda also have the same sort of tariff (8p a min) and if you have an unlocked phone you can order a free sim and top up card on their website, they use the EE network.
In both cases you do have to send a text or make a call every few months to keep it alive but the sim I got from Asda last September still has £2 of the £5 top up I put in at the time - and they start you off with 10 free minutes and 10 texts to get you going before you put any credit in at all.
Both Tesco and Asda sims suit very simple phones as they operate on 2g as well as 3g.

grumbler

ariba10 wrote: »

Have look at the DORO range.

(Even my O H can handle one of them)

That was my (tongue-in-cheek) point. All modern 'basic' phones I know, including Doro, don't have 3g.

McKneff

How much does he spend each month.
I have a contract that costs tme 8.94 a month, I have 500 minutes unlimited texts and loads of Data time, this is Sim only though,

Inner_Zone

McKneff wrote: »

How much does he spend each month.
I have a contract that costs tme 8.94 a month, I have 500 minutes unlimited texts and loads of Data time, this is Sim only though,

But that's not PAYG. You could run a PAYG for say 3p over six months out of an initial top-up say £5.00 and the phone cost from £1, and still have £4.97 credit for the next six months and so on.

Ian011

If you choose a pay-as-you-go deal, beware that calls can cost anywhere from 3p to 45p per minute depending on exactly which deal you go for.

There are plenty of providers offering calls at 3p, 5p, 7p, 8p or 10p per minute. To pay any more than that would seem to be a rip-off.

If you are spending any more than £5 per month, you should instead get a monthly bundle even if you will not use all of the allowance.