BT Cellnet with free number

jtcowie

I have got a Motorola mobile phone with a BT Cellnet Pay As You Go SIM card. I have had the phone for about 5-6 years. It came with the facility to choose one telephone number which I can phone free - whenever and for as long as I like. The only requirement was that I top up the phone with at least £15 every 60 days. It's been fine all this time, but now the phone isn't working properly (I can send and receive texts) but can't hear anyone who calls. So, is it possible to unlock the SIM card to use it in another phone and keep the free number option?

I'd be grateful for any advice on this.

Thanks.

Edinburghlass_2

Welcome to the Telephone Boards

Its not really a case of unlocking the simcard, you should be able to use that simcard in any unlocked phone.

If you are buying a new phone, best to get a Nokia which is easy unlocked but why not try your simcard in someone elses phone that you know is unlocked ie able to take any simcard.

HTH

edited to add I am still using the first simcard I ever had but have bought several new phones since then.

jtcowie

Thanks for replying so quickly. However, I have tried to use the simcard in a couple of phones which are definitely unlocked (they will take other network simcards) but to no avail. Is it possible that BT Cellnet somehow 'locked' the simcard?

jtcowie

Rikki

As it is a BT Cellnet sim card (old style) the modern phones may have a problem with it.
Years ago when I upgraded my phone the new phone wouldn't accept my BT Cellnet sim card and I had to have a replacement.
It might be worth you phoning o2 (0800 005005) or calling into an o2 shop and asking them. It maybe possible to have a replacement card,same No and the same calling plan. There may be a charge. Or they could recommend a phone which the card would work in. Your probably better off taking the phone and calling into the shop.

reelcrazy

They will not transfer your free best friend tariff on to a new sim. I know because I have tried.

Also, these sim cards were "married" to the original handset so can not be put in to another type of phone.

Sorry for such negative replies.

rowantoad

http://www.mobiles.co.uk/bt_paygo.html

edit: Actually I would ring them, this might be an old page that shouldn't be there.

Looks like you might be able to still get this? Maybe? Different phone but same tariff. You'd have to change your number if they won't transfer them.

Theres some on ebay too. Seems you can change your nominated free number every time you top up so a second hand one would do?

soul_sister_2

hi

if its the moto phone then the sim and phone should not be locked. the handsets were manufactured married as said, but the last model to launch with this tarrif was the moto. you could transfer your old number to a new sim card. call o2 customer services and ask if the sim is on brite or in platform.

if its brite then the sim will not work in any other phone if it is in then it should work.


hope this helps

paul2468

I have got the free best friend plan from the old BT cellenet now 02, They do not do this plan anymore. But i dont see any reason they wont upgrade your phone.
I was walking around with an old phillips c45 phone the size of a housebrick for about 4 year because i did not want to lose the plan. last month a recived an email from 02 saying that i could upgrade my phone and keep the free best friend so it is still available.
Failing that go onto ebay and type in free best friend, they come on every so often for about £70.00.

crystal_clear

Hi there
I too had such phones several of them on bt cellenet and motorola phones and my experience was they were locked together someway by motorola and niether the phone or sim could be used with opposites but i do believe you can get an upgrade handset to marry with the sim if you go with both to an o2 shop or send off to motorola
Hope this helps

soul_sister_2

paul2468 wrote:

I have got the free best friend plan from the old BT cellenet now 02, They do not do this plan anymore. But i dont see any reason they wont upgrade your phone.
I was walking around with an old phillips c45 phone the size of a housebrick for about 4 year because i did not want to lose the plan. last month a recived an email from 02 saying that i could upgrade my phone and keep the free best friend so it is still available.
Failing that go onto ebay and type in free best friend, they come on every so often for about £70.00.

hi the fbf is no longer available on any new tarrifs, however it is available for selected customers only. if you are selected you will recieve a text or a call advising you to call a number. if you have one of these plans a nd you want to transfer it and you have not recieved a text then you can basically forget it ever exsisted.

pricefighter

Can you still change your free geographical number number every time you top up.
If so what is there to stop you putting in say 1899,s 0207 access number, and getting cheap calls to everybody?