Is there a mobile sim that stays active without being topped up monthly ?

[TheTigerUK]

What I mean is there any sim card that you can put £20 on or any amount (spare phone) and not top up again until the balance has run down be that a couple of months or a year etc with no contract ?

[TaketheCannoli]

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/wha...-burner-phone/

Google burner phone - the article above is a good reference.

[number2]

I currently have a spare analogue phone in the car which has an o2 top up sim as you describe.

[noTAGlove]

Yep, but usage rates are very, very expensive.

Sent from my SM-A536B using Tapatalk

[catflem]

I had one with Three up until a few months ago - but beware that you do have to make at least one chargeable call or text within every 180 day period.

It came in very handy when I lived abroad as it gave me a uk telephone number without costing a fortune.

[markrlondon]

What I mean is there any sim card that you can put £20 on or any amount (spare phone) and not top up again until the balance has run down be that a couple of months or a year etc with no contract ?

Yes, as far as I know most UK PAYG SIMs work this way.

For the avoidance of doubt, what keeps the account alive is not the topping up but the regular chargeable usage. In other words, they mostly require that you do something (call or text) that incurs a charge at least every 3 months (in most cases, although some timeframes vary).

I can confirm that PAYG on Tesco Mobile, Asda Mobile, Three, and EE work this way.

I have a couple of PAYG accounts that I keep alive this way and I have set up a schedule to send a chargeable text message once a month to ensure that I stay within the keepalive timeout.




P.S. If you want to keep an account alive for a long time at minimal cost, Tesco Mobile have a PAYG tariff called 'PAYG Lite' which they do not promote. This has very low charges compared to other PAYG accounts. You can switch to it via their web UI.

[TheTigerUK]

@Marklondon, thanks

[oldoakknives]

I have a PAYG on EE for my backup iPhone SE. Only have to make a call every month or so to keep it rolling over. No monthly charge.

[smalleyboy1]

I have a GiffGaff sim I put £20 on 6 years ago and now down to about £14.