Sim allocation and use?

[imatsig]

Hi,
I changed my mind about a monthly airtime + phone upgrade from O2, but it was too late to stop the phone being delivered.
I want to change the model of the phone itself, and now subsequently the airtime deal as well.

I have not opened the new delivered phone at all, ie. its still cellophane wrapped etc.

It turns out that returning the phone is slow and might take a week or so. (involves having to wait for a jiffy bag to be delivered to me and so on)
When the phone is received back by O2, and checked out as ok, it gets marked on the system as returned and the whole contract for phone and airtime can then be then cancelled, and basically you can start from scratch.

I've since discovered that there's an O2 sim only contract with 10% more data than the sim plus phone contract offered by O2 anyway and is £9 a month less, plus it's only a one year commitment instead of three. So I'd  like to take the sim only contract up.

I was also sent a new sim with the new phone I'm returning, my question is (in I hope a not too long winded way) is if that sim I received with the new phone that I'm returning, is tied either to the new phone, or the contract that I'm going to be cancelling when the phone is acknowledged as returned?

So if I now buy a phone from elsewhere, and use the sim that came with the new phone I'm returning, and have the sim activated, can the sim only contract I then subsequently take out, when the phone has been checked and credited back, be applied to that sim I've started using.
Hope that makes sense?

What I achieve by doing this, if it works is -

a) a better and less expensive airtime contract

b) a faster way of starting to use a new phone (bought from elsewhere), than the long drawn out process of returning the phone to O2, having it checked, and the system registering it.

Or perhaps I have to return the new sim with the new phone I'm returning?

However what I want to avoid is somehow finding that by starting to use the sim  (having it activated, if that's possible) before the returned phone is registered as returned, will somehow mess up my being able to switch to a sim only deal, later on next week when I can?

Anyone know this kind of detail about sims please?

many thanks

Mick

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

@imatsig 

You need to return the sim and take a new simo contract for that specific deal you want.

[bigdavie88]

As it was an upgrade the sim you got is blank and inactive. You dont even need to use it if your current sim fits in the new phone or phone that you buy.

As for the sim only plan if you decide on this you again can still use your current sim as even though this would be an upgrade of sorts its basically just a tariff change.

It makes no difference if you send the sim back as its currently inactive as long as you return the phone in the cooling period you will be fine.

[imatsig]

Many thanks, for the information, very helpful.
I've discovered that there's a  returns form available online with a returns address, (this no one at O2 could tell me - 'Oh no you have to wait for the jiffy bag' they said), and so now at least I don't have to wait for the jiffy bag to arrive on Monday (more days of delay) and can get the return started tomorrow...:)

[imatsig]

Ah thanks that contradicts what MI5 posted, that I needed to return the sim?
It's an iphone 6s to iPhone 11 Pro, so it looks like they both use nano sim's so I could carry on using my existing active sim that I'm still using in the iphone 6s then?
As long as the mechanical size fits, sims are phone agnostic are they, and you can just switch them over?
many thanks bigdavie88

[bigdavie88]

Yes they both take nano sims and as the iphones are not 5G yet you dont need a new sim so continue to use your current sim.
As you dont need the new one you may as well return it too but wont matter a jot if you do or not as I said its blank.

[imatsig]

excellent thank you for replying and the info...