Changing Phones

polymaff

I need to get a new phone for my O2 PAYG.  The new phone needs a smaller sim.  O2 tell me that you can't have two sims with the same phone number - but they won't tell me what event will activate the new sim and, presumably, deactivate the old sim, and they won't confirm how long, if at all, neither sim will work.  Any thoughts?

Not brave enough to chop the old sim down to that required by the new phone - or if that works?

Martin_the_Unjust

Go into an O2 shop and get them to do it there and then.

Rodders53

polymaff said:

I need to get a new phone for my O2 PAYG.  The new phone needs a smaller sim.  O2 tell me that you can't have two sims with the same phone number - but they won't tell me what event will activate the new sim and, presumably, deactivate the old sim, and they won't confirm how long, if at all, neither sim will work.  Any thoughts?

Not brave enough to chop the old sim down to that required by the new phone - or if that works?

https://www.o2.co.uk/help/device-and-sim-support/activating-your-sim seems clear enough to me.

(Hint: expand the Replacing your sim and Activating your sim sub-sections).  

Cutting down sims can work if you're careful enough (allegedly) but why bother when they'll give you a new one.

polymaff

Martin_the_Unjust said:

Go into an O2 shop and get them to do it there and then.

No photo ID, limited mobility.

polymaff

Rodders53 said:

polymaff said:

I need to get a new phone for my O2 PAYG.  The new phone needs a smaller sim.  O2 tell me that you can't have two sims with the same phone number - but they won't tell me what event will activate the new sim and, presumably, deactivate the old sim, and they won't confirm how long, if at all, neither sim will work.  Any thoughts?

Not brave enough to chop the old sim down to that required by the new phone - or if that works?

https://www.o2.co.uk/help/device-and-sim-support/activating-your-sim seems clear enough to me.

(Hint: expand the Replacing your sim and Activating your sim sub-sections).  

Cutting down sims can work if you're careful enough (allegedly) but why bother when they'll give you a new one.

Thanks for that

Up to 24 hours of no phone. ...

Cutting down eliminates so many things that might go wrong !

Neil49

polymaff said:

Rodders53 said:

polymaff said:

I need to get a new phone for my O2 PAYG.  The new phone needs a smaller sim.  O2 tell me that you can't have two sims with the same phone number - but they won't tell me what event will activate the new sim and, presumably, deactivate the old sim, and they won't confirm how long, if at all, neither sim will work.  Any thoughts?

Not brave enough to chop the old sim down to that required by the new phone - or if that works?

https://www.o2.co.uk/help/device-and-sim-support/activating-your-sim seems clear enough to me.

(Hint: expand the Replacing your sim and Activating your sim sub-sections).  

Cutting down sims can work if you're careful enough (allegedly) but why bother when they'll give you a new one.

Thanks for that

Up to 24 hours of no phone. ...

Cutting down eliminates so many things that might go wrong !

Cutting down and damaging the sim would be even worse. 

Order a replacement sim and carry on with your existing phone until the switch takes place.

Just don't organise the switch to take place over the weekend when they are busiest. Go for a Tuesday or Wednesday. 

Browntoa

I'm with O2 , switchover on Sims has always taken less than an hour , sometimes within minutes

macman

Are you sure that your existing SIM isn't a '3 in 1' already? 
Most providers have used these for some years now.

polymaff

Neil49 said:

polymaff said:

Rodders53 said:

polymaff said:

I need to get a new phone for my O2 PAYG.  The new phone needs a smaller sim.  O2 tell me that you can't have two sims with the same phone number - but they won't tell me what event will activate the new sim and, presumably, deactivate the old sim, and they won't confirm how long, if at all, neither sim will work.  Any thoughts?

Not brave enough to chop the old sim down to that required by the new phone - or if that works?

https://www.o2.co.uk/help/device-and-sim-support/activating-your-sim seems clear enough to me.

(Hint: expand the Replacing your sim and Activating your sim sub-sections).  

Cutting down sims can work if you're careful enough (allegedly) but why bother when they'll give you a new one.

Thanks for that

Up to 24 hours of no phone. ...

Cutting down eliminates so many things that might go wrong !

Cutting down and damaging the sim would be even worse. 

Order a replacement sim and carry on with your existing phone until the switch takes place.

Just don't organise the switch to take place over the weekend when they are busiest. Go for a Tuesday or Wednesday. 

That's true. Cutting the sim is an extreme - either a brilliant or a super-dumb approach.

Your other comments imply that the switch starts the first time that the new phone with the new sim is switched on.  Hope so - and I'll follow that mid-week advice.  Thanks.

polymaff

macman said:

Are you sure that your existing SIM isn't a '3 in 1' already? 
Most providers have used these for some years now.

Oh, yes, and O2 say that the replacement will be a 3-in-1 - but the existing O2 card - from over 10 years ago - just had the one sim.

I may be a bit twichy on all of this, but a recent switch of the landline from copper to FTTC was supposed to be a breeze.  The engineers noted a slight reflection on the run from the cabinet to our home, spent a couple of hours trying to find the fault - and then gave up.  During that visual / mechanical searching they snapped the wire which was the fault without realising it - and so left me with no phone service.  Less than an hour later my wife fell and ripped off her scalp - literally - a four inch square of scalp and hair hanging down over her face.  The first time I've ever needed to call 999 - and the xxx phone was useless.  The mobile signal is pretty poor around here and it took four attempts to complete a 999 call.  Pretty traumatic - so cut me some slack. ...

matelodave

If your mobile phone signal is pretty poor with O2 have you thought of trying another provider EE, Vodafone or Three (or one of the cheapies) quite often the coverage can be either significantly better (or possibly worse) but the cost of a cheap paygo sim to try it out might be worth it rather than soldiering on with a poor signal from O2.

My main mobile phone is on Three but I keep an old phone for backup with a 1p mobile sim (EE) for places where Three is a bit iffy. Peace of mind for £30 a year