Talk Home Mobile SIM - 1 GB or 2 GB data + Unlimited Minutes + Texts + EU roaming - £2.74 per month

makara

My elderly mother is a VERY low (almost NOTHING) user - and now that "1p mobile" makes you top up £10 every 60 days (instead of 120 days) that equates to £5 per month

Found a "Talk Home" offer here - you need to sort by "Total Cost" -

https://www.moneysupermarket.com/mobile-phones/sim-only/?sortBy=TotalContractCost

It seems Talk Home's 1 GB Data deal for £2.74 is NOT available on their own website - but IS available via the above Moneysupermarket.com link

I made the mistake of NOT selecting the Pop-Up 2 GB bonus within 19 minutes on my computer - and couldn't resurrect it...

...so tried from my mobile phone - and got a Pop-Up for it there

My mother never uses Data - so the 2 GB is a nice to have / but not needed

However the £2.74 rolling cost for unlimited minutes and texts is much better than the ~ £5 that nearly all other providers are charging now for low / zero data usage SIMs

PHK

Does Talk Home now have access to VoLTE, WiFi calling and Band 20? Last time I checked it didn’t which makes it of limited use for calls in the post 3G world. 

flaneurs_lobster

PHK said:

Does Talk Home now have access to VoLTE, WiFi calling and Band 20? Last time I checked it didn’t which makes it of limited use for calls in the post 3G world. 

No to 4G & Wi-Fi calling.

OP, it's still £2.74/month. Do you need to be on the EE network? Asda Mobile PAYG £5 top-up. Use every 6 months to keep active, had one running for years.

makara

flaneurs_lobster said:

PHK said:

Does Talk Home now have access to VoLTE, WiFi calling and Band 20? Last time I checked it didn’t which makes it of limited use for calls in the post 3G world. 

No to 4G & Wi-Fi calling.

OP, it's still £2.74/month. Do you need to be on the EE network? Asda Mobile PAYG £5 top-up. Use every 6 months to keep active, had one running for years.

She used to be on Asda PAYG - I can't remember why I switched her, but assume it was due to cost - do you not need to top up with £x per every xx months any more? 

As an indicator - she probably makes a minute call to me (if that) in every other month 

Please do let me know - we don't need to be on EE

flaneurs_lobster

makara said:

She used to be on Asda PAYG - I can't remember why I switched her, but assume it was due to cost - do you not need to top up with £x per every xx months any more? 

Seems you're right, £5 top-up needed every 180 days, FAQ is specific.

(I must be on a legacy plan, haven't topped up in a couple of years).

makara

flaneurs_lobster said:

makara said:

She used to be on Asda PAYG - I can't remember why I switched her, but assume it was due to cost - do you not need to top up with £x per every xx months any more? 

Seems you're right, £5 top-up needed every 180 days, FAQ is specific.

(I must be on a legacy plan, haven't topped up in a couple of years).

Many thanks - such legacy plans are rare and incredible in the current times 

I've looked at her usage on 1p mobile over the last 18 months or so

More recently she has hardly made any calls - say 1 minute to me over 2 months (we live together, and I tend to data-call into her Alexa device from my mobile if I'm out and about)

However she has sometimes made 10 or 20 minute calls to friends here and there 

I suspect where a monthly tariff might be more economical is the rare time she calls our G.P. surgery - as waiting in the queue would eat up a PAYG amount quickly 

That said I read Trust pilot reviews about Talk Home after posting here - and they range from extremely good to extremely bad

I will see how they serve us - and if I find they aren't up to scratch I may try returning to Asda

Thanks for looking into the top up info

flaneurs_lobster

As you say, any 20 minute ad-hoc calls will stuff most PAYG tariffs (Asda is 15p/min). They do have a zero data unlimited calls/texts plan at £4/mth, worth looking at if the lack of VoLTE at Talk Home gives call issues.

mnbvcxz

Talkhomes payg plan at 1p a minute/text/mb would presumably be an option for low users as well? No monthly fee. Or am I missing a catch, thinking about it for myself.

makara

mnbvcxz said:

Talkhomes payg plan at 1p a minute/text/mb would presumably be an option for low users as well? No monthly fee. Or am I missing a catch, thinking about it for myself.

It states this (90 days) - under the heading "How does a PAYG sim work?" -

"A single top-up is required every 90 days to keep your Talk Home Pay as you Go SIM active"

- which sounds very similar to how "1p Mobile" used to be a mandatory 120 days top-up / then 90 days / now 60 days

However what it doesn't state is what the MINIMUM top-up is every 90 days...?

If someone can find that and paste the info here?  If it's cheaper than £2.74 per month it would suit my mother perfectly

EDIT - I then found this MSE Forum link -

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6559925/is-there-a-cheap-payg-sim-for-very-occasional-use/p1

In there someone mentions £2.50 for every 90 days - although no one seems sure if it is still that price?

BUT WAIT...

I tried adding the PAYG as a "new user" on their website -

https://talkhome.co.uk/dashboard/order-sim/details?amount=0&autotopup=true&plan=110&plantype=payg&planamount=0.01&autorenew=true

And in the Terms it states -

"To purchase the Penny Pro plan, users must make a minimum top-up of £5. Once activated, the plan requires a minimum spend of £5 every 30 days to stay active. If the penny pro usage falls below the defined criteria, the short amount will be deducted from the balance to keep the plan activated. In any case, the minimum spend requirement is not met, the Penny Pro plan will be automatically deactivated, and users will be charged standard rates for their usage. To reactivate the plan, users must maintain a minimum balance of £5 in their account"


Therefore it seems the £2.74 per month Unlimited minutes (NON payg) is better value - at effectively almost HALF the cost per month..

Am I reading the Terms right for PAYG?

mnbvcxz

Yikes, thank you very much Makara for taking the time to find that out. I read the page several times and did not spot it at all. I will give that a miss then.

makara

You're welcome - they seem to be giving contradictory info - and what's even stranger is that their minimum tariffs for both Pay Monthly and PAYG don't appear in the usual fashion - you almost have to stumble into them...via a third paty link / or by clicking somewhere else on their website