basic pay as you go phone?

messia07

hi all, 


how hard is it to switch a EE  pay as you go bundle sim to a "standard sim"(?). i've read you can just text STOP PACK to 150 before you 1st top-up and that will work? 

i only ask because my old 3g EE PAYG is getting switched off and i need a replacement. - i mainly use my mobile for 2fa and to receive the odd phone call / text. i rarely make phone calls myself but send the odd text.

 i bought a cheap vodafone PAYG phone from argos but it came with a "30-day pay as you go bundle" sim ( i didn't set anything up, yet). although i understand the vodafone sim will revert to "pay as you go 1" if not topped up every month, i'm not sure if that the correct sim for me.

also can you get a "standard sim" from a EE store on the high street? ..when i was trying to find out why my phone was getting switched off, the people at the EE store just wanted to sign me up for a contract.

thanks

eDicky

messia07 said:

i only ask because my old 3g EE PAYG is getting switched off and i need a replacement. - i mainly use my mobile for 2fa and to receive the odd phone call / text. i rarely make phone calls myself but send the odd text.

For this kind of use you probably don't need any replacement, texts and calls can function adequately on 2G after the 3G switch off.

messia07

eDicky said:

messia07 said:

i only ask because my old 3g EE PAYG is getting switched off and i need a replacement. - i mainly use my mobile for 2fa and to receive the odd phone call / text. i rarely make phone calls myself but send the odd text.

For this kind of use you probably don't need any replacement, texts and calls can function adequately on 2G after the 3G switch off.

unfortunately i've been getting texts saying my account will be switched off due to lack of use, i tried to fix that problem (using the phone more / topping up ) but it didn't work. the people at the EE store say its due to my PAYG phone being on 3G.

oldernonethewiser

A relative with an old basic phone on PAYG has been getting texts saying she will lose access to emails,internet etc.  

Is this the what you have been getting?

She uses the phone to, at most, make one call a week but there is no suggestion she will lose the account or number. 

Kim_13

messia07 said:

eDicky said:

messia07 said:

i only ask because my old 3g EE PAYG is getting switched off and i need a replacement. - i mainly use my mobile for 2fa and to receive the odd phone call / text. i rarely make phone calls myself but send the odd text.

For this kind of use you probably don't need any replacement, texts and calls can function adequately on 2G after the 3G switch off.

unfortunately i've been getting texts saying my account will be switched off due to lack of use, i tried to fix that problem (using the phone more / topping up ) but it didn't work. the people at the EE store say its due to my PAYG phone being on 3G.

They should be able to supply you with a 5G enabled sim using your current number, which will receive 2G, 4G and 5G after the 3G switch off, depending on what your phone is compatible with. I had to get a new sim from my network when 4G arrived so that is entirely legitimate, but everything else looks like a sales tactic. One text every 6 months is enough to keep the sim alive. You don’t need a new phone until 2G also goes (date not yet known, but all networks had confirmed that they would do it by 2033.)

savergrant

If you are a very light user consider switching to rwg (their basic sims run on ee) or tesco lite tariff (on o2) as they are likely to be cheaper than what you are paying ee direct.

https://www.rwgmobile.wales/webshop/offers/order-a-sim/

https://www.tescomobile.com/help/payments-and-charges/call-charges/pay-as-you-go-lite

With tesco you do need to opt out of other tariffs to get onto the lite tariff but it is slightly cheaper for texts (4p compared to rwg's 5p)

Emmia

If you want to consider a more modern phone, then the classic nineties/noughties Nokia 3210 has been relaunched - but updated with dual SIM and 4G capability.

https://www.hmd.com/en_gb/nokia-3210/specs

eDicky

messia07 said:

eDicky said:

messia07 said:

i only ask because my old 3g EE PAYG is getting switched off and i need a replacement. - i mainly use my mobile for 2fa and to receive the odd phone call / text. i rarely make phone calls myself but send the odd text.

For this kind of use you probably don't need any replacement, texts and calls can function adequately on 2G after the 3G switch off.

unfortunately i've been getting texts saying my account will be switched off due to lack of use, i tried to fix that problem (using the phone more / topping up ) but it didn't work. the people at the EE store say its due to my PAYG phone being on 3G.

I advise you to stay away from the EE store, they are only interested in selling a new contract/phone regardless of your actual needs. Their 'advice' can consequently stray from the truth.

If you don't use mobile data (internet on your phone), the 3G switch off will probably hardly affect you, and certainly not in itself cause your account to be closed.

Take a look at the MSE advice articles on mobile phones. A new (or used) non-smart 4G enabled handset can be quite cheap, changing network provider is not difficult, as per advice being given here.

Kim_13

If you do decide to change network and want to keep your current number, text PAC to 65075 when you’re ready to switch (though EE won’t refund the extra credit they made you think you needed to top up, so don’t do it until it is used.) You don’t need to have any interaction with EE at all to switch, they are obliged to supply the PAC by text within 2 hours (though in practice it is usually near immediate) when you send the request to that number.

messia07

thanks for all the replies.    maybe i didn't read the text correctly?

 oldernonethewiser, i'm not sure but when i was trying to get help at EE, the person at the store said another customer had came in asking about the same problem. i often get those texts saying i haven't used my phone and if i don't, i could lose my number.. so when i got this text, i instantly thought they were completely shutting me off + the people at EE seemed to confirm this(?)

the full text i received, reads -

hi from EE, your current plan will lose mobile data access from XX date. we've previously attempted to contact you about this and means you can only access services such as email, social media and browsing if you are connected to wifi. if you don't want to lose access to mobile data, please call us on 150 or visit your local EE store for more help.


is mobile data access just the internet, or am i losing the phone number it's self?

thanks

oldernonethewiser

messia07 said:

thanks for all the replies.    maybe i didn't read the text correctly?

 oldernonethewiser, i'm not sure but when i was trying to get help at EE, the person at the store said another customer had came in asking about the same problem. i often get those texts saying i haven't used my phone and if i don't, i could lose my number.. so when i got this text, i instantly thought they were completely shutting me off + the people at EE seemed to confirm this(?)

the full text i received, reads -

hi from EE, your current plan will lose mobile data access from XX date. we've previously attempted to contact you about this and means you can only access services such as email, social media and browsing if you are connected to wifi. if you don't want to lose access to mobile data, please call us on 150 or visit your local EE store for more help.


is mobile data access just the internet, or am i losing the phone number it's self?

thanks

This is exactly the message my relative got.  No, you won't lose your phone number nor your ability use the phone for calls and texts.

Perhaps pop into the EE store and educate the staff there?

https://ee.co.uk/3g-switch-off

Relevant part for you "Although 2G remains for now, we do plan to switch it off later in the decade. In fact, all UK networks are looking to close both 2G and 3G over the next decade. While 2G remains, you’ll still be able to place calls and send texts over the 2G network if your device doesn’t let you use the 4G/5G network, but not data."