Keeping PAYG alive - the 90 day rule

[Gordon Freeman]

It seems a lot of PAYG SIMs require you to make a call every 90 days to
avoid being cancelled. Would other chargeable use would also count, e.g.
texting or using the internet/email from the phone?

[Denis McMahon]

You'd probably need to check the terms of the individual SIM provider /
card.

I personally wouldn't assume that sending an SMS was making a call if "a
call" was specified.

Rgds

Denis McMahon

[S Viemeister]

When I'm out of the UK, I simply text from one of my Orange SIMs to the
other, and then hit reply . They've been kept active this way for about
10 years.

[Roger Mills]

I've got two Orange PAYG phones which I rarely use. In order to keep
them alive, I send a texts from one to the other every couple of months
- A to B one time, B to A two months later, etc. That has worked for
several years. [One of the phones has got less than £1 of credit on it,
but I managed to get a free 50p (I think) top-up on one occasion, using
a code from a drinks can!]
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

[Woody]

"Gordon Freeman" <Gor...@freeman.invalid> wrote in message
news:Xns9FECDFC...@127.0.0.1...

The usual rule is that it must be a top-up or a chargeable event,
so sending a text will meet that requirement, and on most PAYG it
is the cheapest option.

Works on Labara, Virgin, O2, Orange, and Asda for certain.



--
Woody

harrogate three at ntlworld dot com

[Woody]

"Gordon Freeman" <Gor...@freeman.invalid> wrote in message

news:Xns9FEDE44...@127.0.0.1...

> "Woody" <harro...@ntlworld.spam.com> wrote:
>
>> The usual rule is that it must be a top-up or a chargeable
>> event,
>> so sending a text will meet that requirement, and on most PAYG
>> it
>> is the cheapest option.
>>
>> Works on Labara, Virgin, O2, Orange, and Asda for certain.
>

> Cheapest thing for me is sending a small email, which typically
> costs me 3p
> compared to 10p for a text. Only downside is it also costs
> money to receive
> emails whereas receiving texts is free. If it's true that it's
> any
> chargeable event, then sending an email or loading a webpage
> should qualify
> for keeping the phone credit alive since any internet use costs
> at least 1p
> on my tariff (1p/3KB, rounded up to whole pennies).
>
>


I suspect it may be a call/text chargeable event - not all phones
can send e-mail!

[mrcamp]

Data usage counts as well. I have kept my virgin UK sim active this way
for the last 9 years. I just open up a simple webpage like google.com
and costs no more than 3P. Have never sent text or made a call to keep
it active. Any chargeable activity does it, period!

'Woody[_4_ Wrote:
> ;872582']"Gordon Freeman" Gor...@freeman.invalid wrote in message
> news:Xns9FEDE44...@127.0.0.1...-
> "Woody" harro...@ntlworld.spam.com wrote:
> -

> The usual rule is that it must be a top-up or a chargeable
> event,
> so sending a text will meet that requirement, and on most PAYG
> it
> is the cheapest option.
>

> Works on Labara, Virgin, O2, Orange, and Asda for certain.-

>
> Cheapest thing for me is sending a small email, which typically
> costs me 3p
> compared to 10p for a text. Only downside is it also costs
> money to receive
> emails whereas receiving texts is free. If it's true that it's
> any
> chargeable event, then sending an email or loading a webpage
> should qualify
> for keeping the phone credit alive since any internet use costs
> at least 1p
> on my tariff (1p/3KB, rounded up to whole pennies).
>

> -

>
>
> I suspect it may be a call/text chargeable event - not all phones
> can send e-mail!
>
>
> --
> Woody
>
> harrogate three at ntlworld dot com

--
mrcamp

[Woody]

"Peter" <occassional...@nospam.co.uk> wrote in message
news:sfe0j7tr9udqarieb...@4ax.com...
>
> "Woody" <harro...@ntlworld.spam.com> wrote

> I concur. SMS seems to work on everything I have tried.
>
> Also some networks are 90d and some are 6m, and most of them
> don't
> know what they have configured :)
>
> I also see signs that the often mentioned 90d Voda expiry is
> not
> rigorously operated. Not sure, but it looks like they look at
> the
> usage over the previous x months before terminating the card.
> That
> would make business sense, after all.
>


Curiously Labara have an 80d limit.

[J B]

On 02/02/2012 20:00, Woody wrote:

> The usual rule is that it must be a top-up or a chargeable event,
> so sending a text will meet that requirement, and on most PAYG it
> is the cheapest option.
>
> Works on Labara, Virgin, O2, Orange, and Asda for certain.

We have a Three PAYG sim in a spare phone - it has never had any credit
on it, it was given to daughter1 when she 'upgraded' to 'put in your old
phone and give it to a friend'

It sits in the desk at home 24/7 switched on and enables both kids to
phone home using their 'free' 3 to 3 call package
It has now been functioning for over 12 months without any credit.

Does an incoming call constitute a 'chargeable event'???
Seems as though it does.

--
J B

[Chris Blunt]

I don't think incoming calls would normally be counted. What you can't
know is whether the phone would have been disconnected had those calls
not been received.

Sod's law says that it will be disconnected just before the kids need
it to call home in an emergency situation.

Chris

[Steve Terry]

J B wrote:
> On 02/02/2012 20:00, Woody wrote:

<snip>

> We have a Three PAYG sim in a spare phone - it has never had any
> credit on it, it was given to daughter1 when she 'upgraded' to 'put
> in your old phone and give it to a friend'
>
> It sits in the desk at home 24/7 switched on and enables both kids to
> phone home using their 'free' 3 to 3 call package
> It has now been functioning for over 12 months without any credit.
>

Being regularly pinged by the network by leaving it on 24/7 is keeping it
active

Steve Terry
--
Get a free GiffGaff PAYG Sim and £5 bonus after activation at:
http://giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/gfourwwk

[J B]

On 17/02/2012 12:53, Steve Terry wrote:

> J B wrote:
>> We have a Three PAYG sim in a spare phone - it has never had any
>> credit on it, it was given to daughter1 when she 'upgraded' to 'put
>> in your old phone and give it to a friend'
>>
>> It sits in the desk at home 24/7 switched on and enables both kids to
>> phone home using their 'free' 3 to 3 call package
>> It has now been functioning for over 12 months without any credit.
>>
> Being regularly pinged by the network by leaving it on 24/7 is keeping it
> active

Hmmm - it even had an SMS from three about the 'tariff change'

--
J B

[jonphred]

On Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:18:56 -0000, J B <j...@invalid.com> wrote:

<snip>>

> Hmmm - it even had an SMS from three about the 'tariff change'
>

So it's 3Pay? We have S2 handsets on 3Pay which received that and they
have had no credit added since the mandatory top-up when purchased. We
were promised free Skype "for ever" so for 3 to kill such 3Pay SIMs would
be problematic for them. I also have a 3 Zero SIM just in case.

jonphred

[Graham.]

On Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:53:22 -0000, "Steve Terry" <gfou...@tesco.net>
wrote:

>J B wrote:
>> On 02/02/2012 20:00, Woody wrote:
><snip>
>> We have a Three PAYG sim in a spare phone - it has never had any
>> credit on it, it was given to daughter1 when she 'upgraded' to 'put
>> in your old phone and give it to a friend'
>>
>> It sits in the desk at home 24/7 switched on and enables both kids to
>> phone home using their 'free' 3 to 3 call package
>> It has now been functioning for over 12 months without any credit.
>>
>Being regularly pinged by the network by leaving it on 24/7 is keeping it
>active
>
>Steve Terry

My anecdote in the thread "Do Virgin PAYG SIMs ever expire?"
seemed to me to suggest the exact opposite.
ie the Virgin SIM lay dormant for 5 1/2 years and then registered with
the network as if nothing had happened.
But its very reappearance seemed to initiate the mechanism for its
demise.

--
Graham.
%Profound_observation%

[J B]

On 17/02/2012 18:05, Peter wrote:
>
> "Steve Terry"<gfou...@tesco.net> wrote

>
>> J B wrote:
>>> On 02/02/2012 20:00, Woody wrote:
>> <snip>
>>> We have a Three PAYG sim in a spare phone - it has never had any
>>> credit on it, it was given to daughter1 when she 'upgraded' to 'put
>>> in your old phone and give it to a friend'
>>>
>>> It sits in the desk at home 24/7 switched on and enables both kids to
>>> phone home using their 'free' 3 to 3 call package
>>> It has now been functioning for over 12 months without any credit.
>>>
>> Being regularly pinged by the network by leaving it on 24/7 is keeping it
>> active
>

> How?
>
> You need to do a billable event of some sort.

Well, we've had it for over a year now and it has *never* had *any*
credit on it - it still works.


--
J B

[Andrew Benham]

Have you *ever* made a call/text from this SIM ? As per a previous post,
some networks don't seem to start the 6 month (or whatever) expiry period
until you make the first chargeable event.
My parents had a mobile just for emergencies, and didn't use it for
years. But then they made one call, and 6 months later it got disabled.

[J B]

On 18/02/2012 14:53, Andrew Benham wrote:
> On Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:35:59 +0000, J B wrote:
>
>> On 17/02/2012 18:05, Peter wrote:
>>>
>>> "Steve Terry"<gfou...@tesco.net> wrote
>>>
>>>> J B wrote:
>>>>> On 02/02/2012 20:00, Woody wrote:
>>>> <snip>
>>>>> We have a Three PAYG sim in a spare phone - it has never had any
>>>>> credit on it, it was given to daughter1 when she 'upgraded' to 'put
>>>>> in your old phone and give it to a friend'
>>>>>
>>>>> It sits in the desk at home 24/7 switched on and enables both kids to
>>>>> phone home using their 'free' 3 to 3 call package It has now been
>>>>> functioning for over 12 months without any credit.
>>>>>
>>>> Being regularly pinged by the network by leaving it on 24/7 is keeping
>>>> it active
>>>
>>> How?
>>>
>>> You need to do a billable event of some sort.
>>
>> Well, we've had it for over a year now and it has *never* had *any*
>> credit on it - it still works.
>
> Have you *ever* made a call/text from this SIM ?

I called 333 on 4th August 2011 - will that do for you?
With *no credit*, we're limited with our options ;)

--
J B

[Daniel James]

In article <jhj5uf$lni$1...@dont-email.me>, J B wrote:
> We have a Three PAYG sim in a spare phone - it has never had any

> credit on it, ...
[snip]

>
> It sits in the desk at home 24/7 switched on and enables both kids
> to phone home using their 'free' 3 to 3 call package It has now been
> functioning for over 12 months without any credit.

I can see how that might be a "bug" ...

Three obviously don't want unsold SIMs to be killed off in the shop, so
they may wait until the first top-up is done before they start the
timing between "billable events" ... so by never putting any credit at
all on the phone you may have found a loophole.

Cheers,
Daniel.

[Dennis Ferguson]

No, Three PAYG SIMs (or at least the ones I have) don't seem to
expire. I have two of them which I use for voice and data when
I'm in the UK, but I've gone for as long as a year out of the
country without inserting them in a phone. I do keep credit on
both SIMs, but the web site says the balance will "never expire"
and it hasn't yet.

This suits me. The tariff is Flat 12, which is a decent rate plan
when I need the phone, but I don't have to worry about remembering
to maintain the balance when I'm away.

Dennis Ferguson