topic Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2... in Pay As You Go

How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

thealbs — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:22:16 GMT

I have had an extremely frustrating time trying to *give* money to 02.

Situation is as follows:

PAYG SIM installed in new electric gate mechanism (i.e. I don't have physical access to it)
The SIM is a large size SIM and my mobiles all take Micro SIMs (so, even if I could get the Sim out, I have no handset that accepts it)
The Sim came preloaded with £10 and is reducing rapidly
I have tried to register the Sim in 'My O2' so I can organise auto top-up but it involves me responding to a text message on the Sim - not possible for the reasons stated above
I have tried twice to explain this via Online Chat but it is clearly not included in any of the scripts and I have lost patience on both occasions. I am trying to PAY MONEY for heaven's sake!
I have tried to pay via https://myo2payg.o2.co.uk/webtopup/details?journey=guest#/ but the page errors saying that there is a problem with my bank. This is despite me trying three different cards from two different banks ... all of which work find everywhere else. O2 appear to be blaming the banks for their own system issues? Surely not..
I have tried the automated telephone system and, after spending several minutes entering all of the personal details... it just says "there has been an error" and hangs up on me

So, question ... how do you top up a PAYG SIM when it is not physically accessible to you??

I have never had so many issues tyring to give money away before!

Thanks in advance for anyone who can help here.

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

MI5 — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:29:12 GMT

@thealbs

You will have to find an old phone to put the sim in to get the text to register for your MyO2, there's no way around this, and also required as your first top up needs to be done with a voucher. After that, you can register your card.

You can also push out the smller sim to use in your phone then put the small sim back into the sim holder for the gate.

https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/How-to-Guides/How-to-Top-Up-PAYG/ba-p/1156408

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

thealbs — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:31:53 GMT

Thanks for the very quick response.

Is that correct though and the only way I can pay money to O2? Do I really have to:

1) open up an electro-mechanical mechanism I have no knowledge of to extract the SIM

2) buy / find an ancient phone to inser tthe SIM in

3) register, top-up, etc

4) reinsert the SIM into the industrial gates?

Surely in this day and age there is a way O2 can register this SIM against My O2 account centrally and avoid this risky approach??

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

MI5 — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:34:03 GMT

I wouldn't say it if it wasn't correct.

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

gmarkj — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:35:08 GMT

1). Yes. First voucher on a PAYG sim has to be done via a voucher.
2). Depending on the sim, it might be a multi sim meaning the chip part can be "pushed out" into a smaller size so you can put it into a phone.
3). Yes. You need to register the sim against your account, meaning you need to receive a/some texts - so it has to go into a phone. Once registered (and first top up done) you can top up on-line.
4). If you want the gates to work as designed...

Alternatively get a different sim, register and top that up and then install that into the gate?

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

thealbs — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:36:57 GMT

And I wouldn't question if it clearly wasn't such a breathtakingly archaic way of achieving such a simple objective.

As I said in the first point above... I dont have physical access to the SIM so that's not possible.

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

MI5 — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:38:13 GMT

All I can suggest is that you go back to the gate manufacturer / installer for help then.

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

thealbs — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:38:29 GMT

Thanks gmarj. Your final option is my preferred one. Get a new Sim on a more flexible network, register it then my gate installer back to change it over. Thanks.

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

gmarkj — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:43:44 GMT

I wasn't thinking about a different supplier/network, but suppose that would work!
What does the instruction manual/installation say?
Presumably the installer would know how to do it?

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

MI5 — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:49:57 GMT

I'm fairly certain that any network would want to text the sim to register it anyway.

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

thealbs — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:53:09 GMT

Haha - after two days of Online Chat frustrations, I am most definitely thinking of another supplier !

Have just left a message for the gate installer to come back and swap the SIMs over. I'll make sure I register the SIM when I buy it in the (Vodafone) shop. Thanks for the prompt help everyone.

I'm still totally baffled as to how O2 can't (once they have validated my identity - which they have done several times now), not link the SIM to My O2 accout and let me give them some money. Hey ho...

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

gmarkj — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:55:38 GMT

Just make sure that Voda have good coverage where you are else it might cause another issue!

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

thealbs — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:57:30 GMT

Indeed - its fine !

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

thealbs — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 16:19:24 GMT

Quick update for anyone else who faces the same catch-22 in future...

I just went to a local ATM on the off-chance of being able to top-up there and it worked first time. This was using the same payment card that was being rejected by O2's online and phone-based automated systems, and has been accepted at numerous(far too many in fact) other places in the run up to Christmas.

No need for a top-up card, inbound SMS message to be re-entered or other such shenanigans.

Strange eh?

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

MI5 — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 16:35:45 GMT

That counts as a voucher for first top up, as I said previously.
Your card would now work online but I suspect you would still need to register for your MyO2 to do that, which would require a text for verification purposes, so your best bet would be to just top up every 6 months or so at an ATM as you'll not be able to find your credit balance.
Which tariff is it on, out of interest?

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

thealbs — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 16:39:48 GMT

Not a clue which tarriff it's on ! I'm assuming basic PAYG but not sure how I can tell without having it registered.

I can however find credit balance and set alerts for low credit via SMS interface into the gate management system, so think I'm covered now.

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

MI5 — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 16:41:53 GMT

I ask because if it's a big bundle tariff, you'll need to top up every month. You need the classic PAYG tariff which customer services will be able to check / change for you.

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

jonsie — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 17:08:20 GMT

Hindsight is wonderful and an option would have been to get the gate installer to register the sim in the first place as you intend to do with your new network but of course you weren't to know that. However I would have expected your engineer or the manufacturer to know that all sims have to be registered by receipt of a text message no matter the network.

Another option after the initial top up by voucher (as far as I'm aware only O2 have this stupid glaringly obvious system error!) would be to call O2 for the balance every month but there again, I suspect the sim fitted would be a big bundle sim which would require a £10 top up every month.

Personally, in your situation, I would be straight on the phone to the gate installer, get a date for a sim change and take a trip into town to get a sim registered for any network, making sure of course that it is a suitable sim where you keep the credit. The sim will of course remain active (by that I mean it will be in continual use) and so negate the need to make a chargeable call/text every 6 months.

Let's hope you can get this done before Christmas, just awful when you have a new toy and can't use it.....

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

Cleoriff — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 17:58:22 GMT

Slightly off topic but this is regarding PAYG and top up

We are constantly told the first top up does NOT have to be a voucher.

Even when I edited the guidelines, I checked again and the answer was NO...you can top up via any method

Just shows how much CS know!!

Re: How to top up with no handset?? This is driving me crazy O2...

MI5 — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 18:01:37 GMT

We all know we know more than they do