Pre pay for dummies

[James]

I've had the same mobile phone number since the 2G era. A long time ago I ported from what was then Orange to what was then T-Mobile.
I was never a big user and had, until recently, a £10/month package.
A few years back I got a work phone that has become my default, but I want to keep the old one as I still have things linked to that number, and eventually I'll retire and won't have the work one.
Recently that £10/month package has been 'upgraded' to £16.50/month, which is a lot just to keep a number.
For my limited usage (which is really receiving calls/texts) occasionally, it seems like a PAYG deal makes sense.
Question is, can I/how do I, transfer my number from EE to a PAYG service? And which should I go to? EE, as T-Mobile now is, seems to have a minimum one-month period in which to use what you buy, which is not what I'm after.
J

[GeoffF100]

It was dead easy to keep my number when I transferred to 1p mobile:

https://www.1pmobile.com/classic-sim

I did not even have to phone up for a PAC code. 1p mobile uses the EE network.

[didds]

presumably you had to port your number to your new sim Geoff? or did 1p mobile just "tale over" you existing "account" ?

just interested

didds

[Maroochydore]

Tesco PAYG doesn't have any time limits on credit (which is why I use them). Operates on O2 network.

Info about swapping to Tesco mobile here https://www.tescomobile.com/help/gettin ... -switching

[GeoffF100]

presumably you had to port your number to your new sim Geoff? or did 1p mobile just "tale over" you existing "account" ?

Here are the instructions:

https://www.1pmobile.com/ask-penny/?que ... o-1pMobile?

All admirably clear. Everything has been easy with 1p mobile. The only pitfall is that they retain your credit card details without asking. I delete them after each payment.

[Stompa]

If it is really only going to be used for incoming calls/texts then the most cost effective solution would be a PAYG where you make just a single (as small as possible) initial topup. Then send a text message every six months to keep the number live.

[James]

Hi
Revivifying this thread I started due to a change in circumstance.
I took Geoff100's advice and went to 1p mobile. At the time it was £10 to top up for 120 days, so c£30 pa. But it is now changing to £10 for 90 days so c£40 pa, which is more than I want to pay just to receive the odd call now and again.
So... any better contenders for a receive-only service provider?

[Imbiber]

giffgaff?

[Infrasonic]

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheap ... y-filters/

[GeoffF100]

Hi
Revivifying this thread I started due to a change in circumstance.
I took Geoff100's advice and went to 1p mobile. At the time it was £10 to top up for 120 days, so c£30 pa. But it is now changing to £10 for 90 days so c£40 pa, which is more than I want to pay just to receive the odd call now and again.
So... any better contenders for a receive-only service provider?

You could try Vodafone PAYG 1:

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/pay-a ... ans/payg-1

Incoming calls and texts are free, but you pay £1 for every day that you use data, or make calls or texts. You have unlimited call time and texts on those days. It costs £1 every 180 days to keep your number. It is not as user friendly as 1p mobile, but it is cheap (until they put the price up).

[88V8]

Hi
Revivifying this thread I started due to a change in circumstance.
I took Geoff100's advice and went to 1p mobile. At the time it was £10 to top up for 120 days, so c£30 pa. But it is now changing to £10 for 90 days so c£40 pa, which is more than I want to pay just to receive the odd call now and again.
So... any better contenders for a receive-only service provider?

Another vote for giffgaff.

No fixed cost. Just payg. And a reliable service.

V8

[Maroochydore]

As I stated in August 2023 Tesco's SIM only deal "Tesco PAYG doesn't have any time limits on credit (which is why I use them). Operates on O2 network.

Info about swapping to Tesco mobile here https://www.tescomobile.com/help/gettin ... -switching

[Gerry557]

There are lots of cheapish contracts too but even the fiver a month ones might be too much for you.

Lebara often do 6 months for a couple of quid then a fiver. You can just keep porting to whatever floats your boat.

[GeoffF100]

As I stated in August 2023 Tesco's SIM only deal "Tesco PAYG doesn't have any time limits on credit (which is why I use them). Operates on O2 network.

Info about swapping to Tesco mobile here https://www.tescomobile.com/help/gettin ... -switching

Your link does not work. Tesco says that its PAYG credit lasts only one month:

https://www.tescomobile.com/no-contract-sim

I cannot find a Tesco PAYG where the credit does not expire.

[Stompa]

One other possibility, though they don't seem all that well regarded, would be:

https://talkhome.co.uk/sim-only-deals/payg/110

It is a little strange in that the scheme needs to be 'reactivated' every 30 days, otherwise it reverts to their standard rates. I believe though that you can set it up to automatically reactivate every 30 days with a 1p direct debit.

[elkay]

One other possibility, though they don't seem all that well regarded, would be:

https://talkhome.co.uk/sim-only-deals/payg/110

It is a little strange in that the scheme needs to be 'reactivated' every 30 days, otherwise it reverts to their standard rates. I believe though that you can set it up to automatically reactivate every 30 days with a 1p direct debit.

I was interested in this, but I'm not sure you have the details correct.

It appears that you pay 1p to activate a PAYG plan. The PAYG plan then reactivates every month for zero cost.
This is a PAYG plan that automatically recurs every 30 days. There is a one-time charge of 1p (£0.01) upon subscription. All recurrences thereafter are free of cost.
No mention of when/if credit expires.
It appears that the minimum topup is possibly £2.50.
I have submitted a couple of enquiries:
- does credit expire?
- what is the minimum topup amount.

Depending response to these questions, this could be a useful solution for anyone wanting to have a spare SIM on a different network (EE).

[Stompa]

One other possibility, though they don't seem all that well regarded, would be:

https://talkhome.co.uk/sim-only-deals/payg/110

It is a little strange in that the scheme needs to be 'reactivated' every 30 days, otherwise it reverts to their standard rates. I believe though that you can set it up to automatically reactivate every 30 days with a 1p direct debit.

I was interested in this, but I'm not sure you have the details correct.

It appears that you pay 1p to activate a PAYG plan. The PAYG plan then reactivates every month for zero cost.
This is a PAYG plan that automatically recurs every 30 days. There is a one-time charge of 1p (£0.01) upon subscription. All recurrences thereafter are free of cost.
No mention of when/if credit expires.
It appears that the minimum topup is possibly £2.50.
I have submitted a couple of enquiries:
- does credit expire?
- what is the minimum topup amount.

Depending response to these questions, this could be a useful solution for anyone wanting to have a spare SIM on a different network (EE).

Yes, I know that's what it says, but that's not what happened for me. I think I did pay 1p to activate the plan, and my subsequent manual reactivation was indeed free. However, when I attempted to manually reactivate for the second time they wanted 1p, which was taken from my balance. I was also offered the option of setting up automatic reactivation, but that had to be done by credit card (or Paypal I think). You couldn't have automatic reactivation where the 1p was taken from your balance, goodness knows why not.

My initial topup was indeed £2.50, but having just checked the minimum I'm now offered is £5.

There is a long thread about TalkHome here:

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/talk/thread ... ome.39594/

[James]

Thanks for the replies.
Tesco appears to require a minimum top up of £10, which only lasts 28 days from what I can ascertain, but happy to be proved wrong.
Giffgaff seems to have a minimum top of of £10 but it doesn't expire, just requires one text to be sent every six months.
Calls/texts are more expensive on Giffgaff, I'm not planning to use it for that, so overall cost of ownership will be cheaper for just keeping the number live.

[JonE]

I don't recollect ever seeing RWG mentioned in these pages but they offer PAYG with non-expiring credit charging voice at 5p per minute, SMS at 5p plus data at 1p per MB. Various 'teaser' & in-advance plans are on short-term offer from time to time which may suit some users better than PAYG.

I've had no problems whatsoever with PAYG over last 18+ months (including roaming in EU) and am still using the initial credit I loaded onto it. Free SIM is available pre-loaded with £1 credit for testing purposes:
https://www.rwgmobile.wales

Cheers!
(usual disclaimer applies)

[Infrasonic]

^^ Interesting, runs on the Now network which is an EE MVNO.

£2.50 a month deal...
https://nowmobile.co.uk/sim-only-deals/payg/123

Terms & Conditions
This is a PAYG plan valid for 30 days and includes enhanced 5G connectivity in the UK without throttling or capping.

Cancel anytime - no refunds, the remaining balance on the plan will be available for the remaining duration after which it will expire.

Free roaming applicable to the select EU countries only - please refer to our acceptable usage policy for details.

Useful information: Acceptable Usage Policy | Terms & Conditions