Help me find a basic sim card for my old phone without the requirement to top up every month

July 15, 2012 1:44 AM

Is it possible to buy a pay as you go sim card (UK) for my old phone that doesnt require me to top up every month?

I have an old Ericsson k750 in my drawer at home and since I have no phone I would like to put a new sim card in it to make it work. I used to have some money on it and it would top it up every few months as needed (it would sit in the glove box of the car for emergencies only)

I have looked around but I can only find sims now that require topping up at least £10 each month. I dont want any data, texts or free minutes. I dont mind paying over the top prices for calls or texts even, the phone will be used very infrequently.

Does such a thing exist anymore?

posted by aqueousdan to Technology (5 answers total)

Have you looked at Lebara? Their website is confusing about whether they require monthly topups, but they do have a page saying that the SIM expires if you don't make a chargeable call or text every 84 days, implying you could go that long without topping up. But maybe that still requires automated topups.

I have an old Orange SIM that doesn't require regular topups, and I am not letting it out of my hands!
posted by brianogilvie at 2:02 AM on July 15, 2012

It's buried deep in the terms and conditions, but I think most providers do allow it. Giffgaff, for example say one call every 6 months, which seems reasonable. But you could definitely be forgiven for thinking you're obliged to buy one of their bundles, which, as you say, run out at the end of each month. I suspect other providers are similar, but I'd recommend Giffgaff anyway. I like their approach, and their prices are the best.
posted by ambrosen at 2:04 AM on July 15, 2012

On my old O2 Pay & Go plan (which I had as of 2 months ago) you got bonuses like free texts for topping up every month, but it wasn't mandatory. I didn't top up every month; I would get a reminder text saying 'your free texting is about to expire', but no problems.
posted by Gordafarin at 2:05 AM on July 15, 2012

Yes, Family Mobile. Perhaps surprisingly, it's from Ikea. No monthly top-up, but when you do top-up the minimum is £10.
posted by davemack at 2:08 AM on July 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Another vote for Giffgaff, here. Calls are 10p per minute, SMS are 6p. You can make it cheaper by buying a goodybag, but there's no need to. I've been with them for nearly 18 months without a problem.
posted by Solomon at 8:56 AM on July 15, 2012