Which PAYG tariff for infrequent use?

[Anonymous]

Hello,

My parents are retired and I am about to give them my old Xperia S mobile phone which takes a micro sim.

The phone will probably be only used for emergencies while out and about or for the occasional call when they are away from their landline.

I will put a new PAYG sim in for them but I'm slightly confused with O2's tariffs! Maybe someone could explain?

There are 2 which might be suitable:

1. The Big Bundles sim is 'from £10 a month'.

2. The O2 Unlimited is 'from £15 a month'.

After the initial credit to activate the sim, how long is it before that credit expires?

The O2 Unlimited states, 'Plus when you top-up you keep your credit', but the Big Bundles does not.

Does this actually mean what it says? The credit on the O2 Unlimited will still be on the phone beyond a month? If so, how long does this credit last for before it expires

If I can remember correctly, when I was on PAYG (about 10 years ago), you had to make at least one call every 6 months to keep your credit and the phone number active, but this might have changed now?

Because the Big Bundles tariff does not state, 'when you top-up you keep your credit', does this mean the credit on that tariff does expire after a month?

To sum up, I do not want my parents to be forking out money every month when the phone is likely to be used infrequently. I need a sim which keeps its credit until the phone is used.

Which tariff would fulfil this roll?

Thank you for any help

[Cleoriff]

Hi @Anonymous How did you get one with your phone in Europe?

http://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Pay-Monthly-and-Pay-Go/International-Roaming-and-Whats-it-all-about/m-p/911304/highlight/true#M100901

[MI5]

---

@Cleoriff wrote:

Hi @Anonymous How did you get one with your phone in Europe?

http://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Pay-Monthly-and-Pay-Go/International-Roaming-and-Whats-it-all-about/m-p/911304/highlight/true#M100901

---

Not too well, it seems......

http://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Pay-Monthly-and-Pay-Go/International-Roaming-and-Whats-it-all-about/m-p/916468#M101829

[Cleoriff]

---

@MI5 wrote:

---

@Cleoriff wrote:

Hi @Anonymous How did you get one with your phone in Europe?

http://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Pay-Monthly-and-Pay-Go/International-Roaming-and-Whats-it-all-about/m-p/911304/highlight/true#M100901

---

Not too well, it seems......

http://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Pay-Monthly-and-Pay-Go/International-Roaming-and-Whats-it-all-about/m-p/916468#M101829

---

Ah Turkey and Istanbul

[MI5]

Much safer to gain experience with a PAYG Sim though

[Anonymous]

Thanks for asking Cleoriff.   Very well on the whole, except that, as I mentioned on the other thread, when we arrived in Turkey I quite forgot that it is not in "Europe".   As a result I lost all my remaining credit in about 2 nanoseconds trying to send a couple of MMMs.

Still, as MI5 remarked, it was as well to learn that lesson on PAYG.

[Cleoriff]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Thanks for asking Cleoriff.   Very well on the whole, except that, as I mentioned on the other thread, when we arrived in Turkey I quite forgot that it is not in "Europe".   As a result I lost all my remaining credit in about 2 nanoseconds trying to send a couple of MMMs.

Still, as MI5 remarked, it was as well to learn that lesson on PAYG.

---

Very true @Anonymous. We hear some real horror stories of people on contract.. who take less care than you did....Go to Spain...or France next

[jonsie]

Always, always  make sure you change the network selection to manual....

[Anonymous]

Thanks very much MI5.   I will have a close look at that.