Best PAYG sim card for emergency use only?

Undervalued

I keep an old (not smart!) phone in the car for total emergency use only, should I lose or forget my iPhone. Turned off its battery holds up for months.

However I have had a couple of problems if it has not been used for several months with it going out of service (or whatever they call it) and having to phone up to re-activate it.

However this time the provider has apparently "lost all trace of it on their system" and it can't be re-activated. Only option is to get a new sim card and start again. They have given me a small "goodwill gesture" to compensate for the lost credit.

So my question is which provider is best for this sort of use? The phone staying active for several months unused is more important than the cost of the calls.

Thanks.

Inner_Zone

Obviously it will depend on signal.


O2 Classic for a non 3G phone, (but can be used in a 3 or 4G phone).

3 for a 3 / 4G phone.

Both:
3p per min
2p per text
1p per MB though you probably won't use that.


or Asda (on EE)
8p per min
4p per text
5p per MB though you probably won't use that.


Finally,
Vodafone Pay as you go 1
20p per min
20p per text
20p for each 5MB
Maximum of £1 per day if you don't exceed data allowance which you probably won't use anyway.


O2, £10 minimum topup.
3, Asda and Vodafone, £5 minimum topup.


But all listed here require a chargeable event every six months to keep the remaining credit alive. Others are as low as 84 days.

mobilejunkie

Actually with Vodafone you can extend that to every 270 days (though I always do it every 269 just to be safe) - and it doesn't have to be a chargeable event.

Inner_Zone

mobilejunkie wrote: »

Actually with Vodafone you can extend that to every 270 days (though I always do it every 269 just to be safe) - and it doesn't have to be a chargeable event.

Pray tell how please?

mobilejunkie

Actually it's Virgin that is free, but they are every 180 days. Vodafone costs 14p if you send a balance by sending *#1345#

Frozen_up_north

O2 or Three (3G phone only). Forget the ripoff alternatives.

Just make a test call once a month, that ensures the battery is still OK too.

Make sure to replace the battery... after a couple of years they are past their best, regardless of how many charges it's had.

At 3p for a test call, the cost is negligible and at 3p/min, if you need to make a call it's not going to cost much. A £10 topup will last years, or at least until the network change something.

I use a 3 PAYG SIM in a remote alarm, great value!

macman

Most providers disconnect you after 90-180 days without use, and the number is recycled. Just send a text every 3m and it will be fine.

simonbk

I have a Virgin SIM with a few pence credit left on it that has stayed active for the last 8 years without topping it up! If I ring someone it gives me the option to send a free text to let them know I'm out of credit - this can be done up to 5x a month and has been a lifesaver over the years when my other phone is dead or I've left it somewhere else.

I test it every month or so by ringing it from my other mobile as I keep expecting the number to be recycled but so far it has remained live, receiving the odd text here and there (mostly promotional ones from Virgin).

My main mobile uses a Freedom Pop Basic 200 plan (£0.00 a month) so I haven't paid for making a mobile phone call in years...

mobilejunkie

simonbk wrote: »

I have a Virgin SIM with a few pence credit left on it that has stayed active for the last 8 years without topping it up! If I ring someone it gives me the option to send a free text to let them know I'm out of credit - this can be done up to 5x a month and has been a lifesaver

Send a free "BALANCE" text to 789000 once every 179 days and it stays alive.

eDicky

Although they no longer mention this, a GiffGaff SIM can be kept alive by receiving five incoming calls. If registered, they send an email to notify that the end is near. This seems to be after a year or more with mine, which has zero credit but a reasonably nice number so I've been keeping it, by calling it from the inclusive minutes on my main number, answering and hanging up, five times, which of course costs nothing.

simonbk

mobilejunkie wrote: »

Send a free "BALANCE" text to 789000 once every 179 days and it stays alive.

Just tried that and got the following reply:

Oops! Looks like you've entered those keywords incorrectly.

Searching the Virgin Community Forum it appears they've changed the keyword to simply "ANY" so I texted "ANY" as a reply and got this response:

Your airtime balance is £0.03 and you've got 0 minute, 0 texts and 0 MB data left in your bundle.

Thanks for the tip. Previously I was dialling 789 and waiting for the option to hear my balance but the SMS alternative is easier and keeps a log for you in your messages to remind you to keep your number active.