pay as you go sim minefield

[Hezza86]

Please excuse my ignorance here as I've had a pay monthly contract for the best part of 20 years. 

Im looking at a pay as you go sim card to stick in my old phone to be used by my oldest son. (whos 😎 now it wont be used regularly, mostly he'll only have access when we are on holiday (going to london soon and Paris in May) or maybe a day out somewhere. Day to day it wont be used as he's not getting a phone yet for his main use. This is mostly so he can use the camera/contact family when hes on holiday and I can track him if needed. 

Anyway due to the limited use I cant get my head around the new pay as you go sim cards. I want to get o2 as Ive found the coverage good and myself and my husband are o2 customers. 

The pay as you go sims offered are the big bundle pay £10 and get unlimited text/minutes and 21gb data and the rolling plan is £10 with 30gb data unlimited text/minutes. That's all grand when I put the first £10 on but what then happens a month later when we haven't used all that data and I have no desire to stick another £10 on it until its needed. 

for example we are away in Feb so I'd want it up and running for then. We then dont go away again till May so would be good to have something then as we will be abroad at disney in Paris so Im sure he'd love to use the disney app etc himself when out there. 

Can anyone give me some advice on what is best to get as I'm finding the plans confusing from the point of what happens after that first month if i don't top up again and still have data left or is it a use it or loose it in the month type thing. Or am I better looking for an old pay as you go sim that is exactly that (aware i can buy elsewhere as just got one for a smart watch) just top up as and when required with no plans attached to it. 

[jonsie]

On all the sim plansjust top up on the months that the phyone will be used
On other months the phone can still be used for incoming calls and texts but in reality a chargeable call needs to be made every 3 months to keep the phone active

Any data roll over only applies when the phone is topped up and that would be only for the following month

[Enlli]

If O2 is good for you try giffgaff which runs on O2.

You don't have to go by their  Goody Bag route. Just pay for calls text and data.

I have had one in a tracker for the last three years. I just top it up annually 

[MI5]

Tesco is also an option running on O2 network.

[Hezza86]

Thanks everyone, from doing some more googling seems tesco looks a good option esp as the standard tarrif costs are way cheaper than o2's if we weren't using a data plan or anything. Gonna pop into our local tesco mobile shop at the weekend and have a chat with them. Its slowly making sense in my head, its just picking the right thing for us & stopping the 8 year old from thinking he has a phone all the time lol

[Enlli]

@Hezza86 The one thing about PAYG is if you think you have made a mistake you can just leave as you are not tied in

[Hezza86]

Yeah thats very true, Im sure we will eventually get a monthly plan once he gets his own phone proper but right now its not needed