Asda Mobile terms & conditions .... frequency of top ups.

ButtersUK

I might be wrong but I thought I saw mention that an amendment to their T's and C's dictated that subscribers to their PAYG plan at 15p per minute were now required to TOP UP every 180 days rather than just make a chargeable call or text. 

I have two, long standing but infrequently used, numbers on their PAYG and do make six monthly calls, and have done for years, and have had no trouble and haven't been asked to top up every six months - and both numbers still work fine.

I rang them just now and got through after two rings and the assistant went away and looked up the book of rules and came back saying there is still NO NEED to TOP UP every six months. 

Maybe I was mistaken all along but am pleased we can still maintain a number for infrequent use without having to pay an annual sum for the pleasure of it.

Are there any others available to new customers that permit that benefit? I'm not aware of any.  Obviously O2 Classic 321 is no longer available without regular top ups and the THREE plan isn't either.  The 1p Mobile is £30 a year ..... am I missing anything?

alanjones60

Iv got a three data reward sim that still has the 3 2 1 rates,and i have not topped up for over a year, and a 02 classic sim,not topped that up for even longer,and both still works.
I use RWG now as my main sim,and there is no need to top up untill you have to.No regular top up required

ButtersUK

alanjones60 said:

Iv got a three data reward sim that still has the 3 2 1 rates,and i have not topped up for over a year, and a 02 classic sim,not topped that up for even longer,and both still works.
I use RWG now as my main sim,and there is no need to top up untill you have to.No regular top up required

All received, thanks ... but would you confidently say that I, as a new applicant for either product,  would get those terms?  My understanding is that both institutions are trying to tighten up and to discourage their use .... but, I could be wrong.

I do have an  O2 Classic SIM which (held for several years - bought before the, apparent, new terms were imposed) but do top it uip to the tune of about £60 a year so it's obviously not going to be at risk of closure due to failure to conform to rules and regs).

I've said elsewhere that whilst the features of RWG plans might be appealing their customer service isn't. I've tried to contact them with a view to subscribing - and failed. So if they won't talk to me as a prospective new customer, then what chance would I stand with a problem or query?  Trustpilot tells it's own story.

alanjones60

True, their customer service has slipped a lot since i joined in 2021

ButtersUK

............and regarding my other questions about being able to get those Sims on those early terms?

flaneurs_lobster

I've got a couple of quid on a GiffGaff SIM that's in a spare spare phone, hasn't been topped-up for at least a couple of years, I send a text from it every 3 months just to make sure it's still alive.

I also have an O2 Classic, activated about 18 months ago. Heeding advice on here I'm topping it up every six months as I don't want to lose the use of this SIM. Regularly nudged by O2 as to the benefits of migrating this to one of their shiny new tariffs. 

ButtersUK

Just visited the Giff Gaff site, could see no hint of anything such as you mention.

flaneurs_lobster

ButtersUK said:

Just visited the Giff Gaff site, could see no hint of anything such as you mention.

Standard PAYG rates, get a free SIM, add credit to account, don't buy a monthly plan.

ButtersUK

Ah, you're one step ahead of me there ....   Ta very much.

savergrant

I'm with rwg, have a spare phone for my 10 year old daughter in case of emergency and test it once a month.
There is NO requirement to make any further topups. Obviously no business is 100% secure but you only pay £5 upfront.
Tesco mobile lite tariff could be worth a look as an alternative, or if your ee signal isn't great;
https://www.tescomobile.com/help/payments-and-charges/call-charges/pay-as-you-go-lite

ButtersUK

Blimey, that Tesco site has got some stuff in it, has it not?

That downloadable price list is probably the longest list of it's kind I've ever seen.

As it happens O2 reception locally isn't good so I had no need to spend time there.

I'm sure one of RWG's plans would have been OK but I balk at the prospect of communicating (or attempting to communicate) with a firm who, judging by my own experience and that of a good few others who chose to offer their reviews,  seems not to have much concern for their customers.  The confusion between whether customers deal with RWG or with Now Mobile doesn't appear to help either.

Having had some sort of assurance from Asda Mobile's staff that I don't need to regularly top up, and that regular, 6 monthly calls or texts is enough to maintain the account would seem the most straightforward option.