SIM - still working! How? Why?

simonineaston

Hi there you phone service experts! I have an ancient pay as you go SIM card, that came with a Motorola F3 (what a cool little phone that was...). Y'day I charged the phone battery and I powered it up just now and phoned my iPhone - and That's A Bingo! - it works! The card is branded Tesco and begins 07512 - can any of you techie wizards out there in MSE forum-land tell me who the carrier is and how come I can still use it, years after the last time I bought call time or used it to make a call?

ballyblack

tesco mobile?

AndyPix

Tesco piggyback on O2 IIRC - If that's what you mean

Jon_01

There is normally a 6 month cut off if no calls/texts are sent. Sometimes the network servers miss this (I was never able to find out how when I worked for one of the networks).

If you now use it and then stop again, the odds are you won't have the same luck twice!

forgotmyname

I have an orange pay as you go phone that has not been used for 10 years, its still live. Did receive a letter recently saying if its not used in the next 3 months they will disconnect it.

Its pay as you go with a difference. You dont top it up. You use it and just pay for the calls at the end of the month. If you make no calls then there is no charge. Wife rarely used the phone back then so was ideal for her.

Used to be mad when she made a 5p call or text and they would send a bill costing them 30p+.

But with no restriction if you needed to make a lot of calls, no messing with topups.

J_B

forgotmyname wrote: »

I have an orange pay as you go phone that has not been used for 10 years, its still live. Did receive a letter recently saying if its not used in the next 3 months they will disconnect it.

Its pay as you go with a difference. You dont top it up. You use it and just pay for the calls at the end of the month. If you make no calls then there is no charge. Wife rarely used the phone back then so was ideal for her.

Just being pedantic, sorry


You have a contract phone from Orange on the "Virgin Equivalent" tariff.


I have one too in the glovebox - I used it a couple of months ago to keep it alive, but as the DD has expired (not been taken for X months/years) they haven't taken a payment.
They disabled their on-line account system for these accounts so, I'm stuck in limbo .... not sure where to go with it ... or to even bother!


Further discussions here ...
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5750151/orange-to-close-your-account-online-on-29th-december-2017

forgotmyname

Nope not a contract phone its pay as you go. It costs nothing if you dont use it. There is no contract.

There was no free phone with it either.

You just happened to pay after making the calls rather than having to topup beforehand.

Trying to think what phone we used back then, something ancient that used midi files for the ringtones. Maybe a Motorola?

J_B

forgotmyname wrote: »

Nope not a contract phone its pay as you go. It costs nothing if you dont use it. There is no contract.

You just happened to pay after making the calls rather than having to topup beforehand.

As I said above, I was just being pedantic ... and I have one exactly the same myself.




PS - have you ever heard of a zero hours contract?

System

It's simply a pay monthly sim with no line rental charge.
3 offered 3togo and sim zero which are the same idea.

forgotmyname

J_B wrote: »

As I said above, I was just being pedantic ... and I have one exactly the same myself.




PS - have you ever heard of a zero hours contract?

Yeah zero hour contract. Thats where they escort you to the exit and hand you an evelope with your P45 in it