PAYG Mobile phone deal for emergency use only...

[sammyc]

You could get it as a free sim and also get £4.25 cashback.

Although as the referral from TopCashback's site lands specifically on Vodafone's page about data sims, and presumably the free data sim listed at the bottom wouldn't be the actual right type of sim you'd want, you'd need to click "Go back to Pay as you go page" at the top and then scroll down to the "Choose a free sim" option there.

If I recall correctly, I was able to successfully get the cashback doing something like that last year.

https://www.topcashback.co.uk/vodafone-ltd-free-sims/

I do a fair bit of cashback noodling myself, including TopCashback but wouldn't've particularly thought to look at this.. may v well be handy for a spare (thinking especially of the increasing number of demands for a number for OTPs). Would then use as mentioned above, the top up £5 route & do the minimum to keep the sim active. Cheers for posting!

Re the main topic, just to mention if no-one else has that even after a number hibernates because of no chargeable activity you still have a reasonable margin to call in & have it reinstated - EE for example is 179 days for hibernation but only after 273 will your number & credit be lost.

[sammyc]

Just a quick bump with what may or may not be a silly question -

Having looked further into Vodafone, and then coincidentally having bought a 2nd hand but new unopened Android phone that came with a '£10 30-day bundle sim', am I right that you can't stop these bundles and just use the credit as PAYG1 (as opposed to stopping the bundle renewing), easily? Easily as in you might be able to ask customer service to do it for you but cba with that really. Iirc I was always able to stop an ee sim that was set up as a certain type of pack simply, before it started, via text, though that may have changed as well.

Also I kind of assume that this is a preloaded sim bought along with the phone originally but for the sake of argument how do you tell that apart from one that's a bundle in waiting that you top up yourself, because call me stupid I can't see how you'd know by looking.

[Kumagoro]

You could get a data SIM like the three 24GB for two years which can be had for about 35 quid, Vodafone do a similar one. Then you have access to the internet and messaging. Although they are supposed to be for data they do have a number and you can put some money on for calls. I'm not sure how often you have to use it to keep it active but there maybe a good chance that it would be okay for two years compared to other Sims. More expensive than you would like but maybe an option.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Mobil.../dp/B01M3VJ2B2

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vodafone-Pa.../dp/B08HH5JC6Y

Vodafone link is head already. This seems to happen when it goes out of stock. It was also 35 at the time.

You can see it on camel camel camel that it existed and for the price https://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/product/B08HH5JC6Y

[sammyc]

Interesting, I had bypassed the data sims but they are a slightly more useful option than I thought on second look. £45 for 24 months seems to be vodafones offering.

However it's not really what I'm after at the moment (sorry, having missed out pertinent chunks of info) - I picked up this locked-to-vodafone phone mainly for the more recent version of Android to run some apps off, and it's unlikely to be used other than except if I do choose to put a sim in and use it as a 2FA number &c. Very unlikely to want it for outward calls, texts, or data, but a tenner's worth of PAYG1 would be not unhandy to have as a backup. However a bundle would be of pretty much nil use, hence wanting to know if there is an easy way to turn the £10 bundle into PAYG1 assuming it does have £10 on it. Other than that I wouldn't bother.

Vodafone's FAQ are as clear as mud like most mobile providers as fas as I can see, there are countless threads of people getting into a twist and confused as to PAYG1, how to stop bundles, where their credit has gone, does their pack run parallel to their credit or one after the other, &c &c. Yes they might be confused because they have misunderstood or not read the terms, but this sort of info should be stone cold idiotproof in my book. For example there isn't an obvious path from the PAYG page to how you would just get a sim, top up and select PAYG1 - PAYG1 is described as being available to existing customers, and 'choose free sim' is also phrased as get sim/add bundle later. Presumably they are just trying to steer you towards bundles since last year's change, as seems to be the consensus?

[Saracen999]

Last time I asked them, which was several years ago so could have changed, I was told no, you can't stop the sim package once it's started. Before it activates? Dunno, didn't ask. It's why I went for what they used to call (IIRC) 123 (or 321) which, for rare use was the cheapest way. I think they call it PAYG1 now, and it's not as good as it was but still, for someone like me who wants £0.00/day (or month) regular cost because I use it mainly at home via wifi, the cheapest way. I go weeks, sometimes months, without making any chargeable use at all, but can activate it just by sending a text, making a call or turning data on (briefly, but be careful with that on PAYG1). About all I have to do is something that's chargeable two or three times a year (every six months, I think).

It ends up costing me about £5/yeaar, generally .... except when we were away sorting out a deceased relatives house clearance and BT helpfully turned off the landline despite saying it would be left on (and the bill paid by DD). Idiots.

So for an emergency use phone, that's my best suggestion. Available instantly, but virtually zero cost until/unless you actually use it ... for outgoing calls, texts etc. Incoming is fine.

Beyond that, I have nothing to help.

[sammyc]

Ta anyway - I pretty much concur with your (and others') observation that they really aren't interested in the old style payg customer, stick a fiver on and do something chargeable when you have to, ie me.

In a not even particularly ideal world a sim pack would say 'I'm a potential £10 bundle, top me up' or 'I've got £10 PAYG1 on me' on it, nothing that's open to any doubt. But then in an ideal world I could still use my old phone, or buy a new one, with my ideal config - buttons on the bezel, menu on the right, home centre, back on the left, vol on the left of the phone body, on/off on the top, thank you very much.

And if anyone does know how I tell if a sim is preloaded with credit, ta much.

[DanceswithUnix]

Just to throw in a curveball (I know, so unlike me )

Are you sure the phone is locked to Vodafone? They claim they don't usually do that any more ( https://www.vodafone.co.uk/vodafone-...-code-request/ ), and you can ask for an unlock code. I would try putting a non vodafone sim in it and see if it complains.

I've not had a locked phone for years so not tried, but there are other mvno operators that use the Vodafone network. If you have a local Asda, you can probably pop in and ask if their sim will work and perhaps give it a try. They seem to be one of the few companies still doing a proper pay as you go

https://mobile.asda.com/pay-as-you-go

[sammyc]

Ooh, there's a thought - if it will take another sim I would probably stick with ee payg who I already use. The trouble with asking for an unlock code, if it needs it, is that at first look it appears to involve having a vodafone account which I don't want.

Still would like to know if the sim has credit, in that if I could use it as PAYG1, it's a cheap way to run a 2FA phone for a reasonably long spell & worth doing. If it has credit but I can't use that credit as PAYG1 I could at least flog the sim on ebay and use the cash to pick up a vodafone sim and get a topup voucher and try and work out how to top it up without it turning into a bundle and.. gawd, life is too complicated.

I will check into the locked-ness though.

[sammyc]

update (after an unexpected pause for my laptop to have a funny turn ), you are quite right in what you say DanceswithUnix, the phone was happy to be given an ee sim and so part 1 of query solved, no thanks to me taking the item description literally & not checking. Thanks again

As far as the credit on the sim bit goes I haven't had time to go into that much further but as it has a fairly long activate-by date I guess I can stick it in a drawer and cross that bridge &c &c.