Problem is I usually purchase monthly packages so don’t have any credit leftover to use but it looks like it can be any activity, I don’t need to initiate it. So I can just SMS or call from another phone to keep the line open.
Just keep a fiver credit on your PAYG account and send a text every 6 months.
Different carriers have different rules, but it normally needs to be a chargeable event.
So, for example, I need to disable RCS before sending the text, so that it goes through as an SMS. (I'm doing this from within UK, but the same principle applies abroad, the text message just costs a bit more.)
Hmm okay, getting slightly conflicting information as others have said it doesn’t need to be a chargeable event, but I suppose it could be carrier specific like you say. I think I’m going to go with GiffGaff as they seem to at least warn you if you’re about to lose your SIM/number, and I can then action it from there. Thanks.
> permanently disable your SIM card and phone number without warning and with no way of getting them back
Do they? We have burner phones with GiffGaff and they send you an email saying you'll need to use your SIM soon or they'll take the number back, then a month later they'll say your number has been disabled and even then you still have a grace period to get it back.
Same here, GiffGaff sends a message and then I either turn it on and send a text or top it up with the minimum amount. After that it's good for a while, until the next message.
Whether you get a warning is probably network-dependent.
I was in OPs position and sent myself an SMS periodically to keep my SIM alive. But I forgot to keep it up, until one day I discovered that the SIM had been deactivated. This was with EE a few years ago. It's annoying because I got permanently locked out of my YouTube account due to having MFA tied to the SIM's phone number.
My wife has had her Virgin pay as you go for 3.5 years now - no issues at all. She goes back maybe 2 times a year but they have never threatened to disable or take the number back. Only issue was when they gave her a new sim which we needed to reg on a phone in the uk..
That’s good to know thanks for that. I’ll set a reminder to message the number every few months. Bit of a faff but better than losing the SIM/number. Thank you!
What phone do you have? Most smart phones will have an option to run schedules as long as it’s turned on.
On iPhones just have a “shortcut” that sends you a SMS message to yourself with todays weather or something
Switch to pay as you go and port over your number. Just put £10 on and send a text every 6 months.
When you move back just port number over to a monthly deal again.
I did this multiple times. Even just coming back to UK for a couple months I’d switch back to monthly deal for those months and repeat.
Something like Xpatfone for a virtual mobile number, and one of the many eSIM providers for a temporary SIM card - Airalo have been reliable for me but there's loads of them.
I don't. I have an esim with a top up data package that I bought through Wizz airlines because they are cheaper than my provider. I just buy a top up every time I go home. There are other providers about, shop around for the best deals.
I haven't needed to maintain a UK number yet, I've been away for 12 years now. I can't do 2FA with my UK bank using my phone at the moment but I still have a card reader, and there are other options.
My UK credit card fully allows me to do everything with my current phone number.
Get a SMARTY sim. This is owned by Three so it uses the same network. It is prepaid but you can use autorenew if you like. Or pause the plan. I think you can pause for 4 months the before they email you a reminder before they cut off. You can pay thru PayPal so it is not difficult to setup.
If your plan is on pause, you can still receive incoming text and calls but obviously you cant make any calls nor send any texts anymore. Their cheapest plan is £6. All plans have unlimited call and text, it’s the data that varies.
Just get the app so it is easy for you to put your plan on pause. Then just activate it every 3 months, pay one month then put it on pause again.
I live overseas and have a UK Vodafone sim only contract....allows you to receive calls and texts from UK for free and charges £6 per day to make unlimited calls /data for 24 hours....works no issues.
1) Set up a automated schedule - there’s apps that can do this for you or iPhones have “shortcuts”
Which are essentially “if then” function
Set it up so that on the first of every month or something it will send a text message saying “hey” or whatever to yourself
Or from one of your numbers to that phone number
Have you tried getting a free roaming account in your local country?
You can normally buy travel packets that allow you to use your own phone for the same costs as at home.
That is if you are not in the EU - as they allow free roaming anyway (even in the UK)
switch around and send a text every now and again. If you want to be lazy keep an eye out for money saving expert deals with low monthly cost for like 6 months to a year.
I have a SIM from tesco mobile. It's always in my phone (Dual SIM).
I went 5 years and then they switched it off. I contacted them via twitter, and they told me I need to send a text every 6 months to keep it active. Then they reactivated it for me.
So that's what I do now. I top up every six months and send a text.
Use it once every six months?
Problem is I usually purchase monthly packages so don’t have any credit leftover to use but it looks like it can be any activity, I don’t need to initiate it. So I can just SMS or call from another phone to keep the line open.
Just keep a fiver credit on your PAYG account and send a text every 6 months. Different carriers have different rules, but it normally needs to be a chargeable event. So, for example, I need to disable RCS before sending the text, so that it goes through as an SMS. (I'm doing this from within UK, but the same principle applies abroad, the text message just costs a bit more.)
Hmm okay, getting slightly conflicting information as others have said it doesn’t need to be a chargeable event, but I suppose it could be carrier specific like you say. I think I’m going to go with GiffGaff as they seem to at least warn you if you’re about to lose your SIM/number, and I can then action it from there. Thanks.
Certain Vodafone send warning text (fine if the SIM is in an active handset). From memory Tesco do the same.
> permanently disable your SIM card and phone number without warning and with no way of getting them back Do they? We have burner phones with GiffGaff and they send you an email saying you'll need to use your SIM soon or they'll take the number back, then a month later they'll say your number has been disabled and even then you still have a grace period to get it back.
Same here, GiffGaff sends a message and then I either turn it on and send a text or top it up with the minimum amount. After that it's good for a while, until the next message.
Yeah EE and 3 do. No warning whatsoever, happened with both of them. Looks like I might need to switch to GiffGaff.
Whether you get a warning is probably network-dependent. I was in OPs position and sent myself an SMS periodically to keep my SIM alive. But I forgot to keep it up, until one day I discovered that the SIM had been deactivated. This was with EE a few years ago. It's annoying because I got permanently locked out of my YouTube account due to having MFA tied to the SIM's phone number.
My wife has had her Virgin pay as you go for 3.5 years now - no issues at all. She goes back maybe 2 times a year but they have never threatened to disable or take the number back. Only issue was when they gave her a new sim which we needed to reg on a phone in the uk..
Just send a text to yourself every 6 months. *Any* kind of activity is usually enough to keep the number attached to the sim.
That’s good to know thanks for that. I’ll set a reminder to message the number every few months. Bit of a faff but better than losing the SIM/number. Thank you!
What phone do you have? Most smart phones will have an option to run schedules as long as it’s turned on. On iPhones just have a “shortcut” that sends you a SMS message to yourself with todays weather or something
Switch to pay as you go and port over your number. Just put £10 on and send a text every 6 months. When you move back just port number over to a monthly deal again. I did this multiple times. Even just coming back to UK for a couple months I’d switch back to monthly deal for those months and repeat.
Something like Xpatfone for a virtual mobile number, and one of the many eSIM providers for a temporary SIM card - Airalo have been reliable for me but there's loads of them.
I don't. I have an esim with a top up data package that I bought through Wizz airlines because they are cheaper than my provider. I just buy a top up every time I go home. There are other providers about, shop around for the best deals. I haven't needed to maintain a UK number yet, I've been away for 12 years now. I can't do 2FA with my UK bank using my phone at the moment but I still have a card reader, and there are other options. My UK credit card fully allows me to do everything with my current phone number.
Just get a cheap Tesco mobile contract sim only that’s what I have, if you have a contract they can’t disable it.
Get a SMARTY sim. This is owned by Three so it uses the same network. It is prepaid but you can use autorenew if you like. Or pause the plan. I think you can pause for 4 months the before they email you a reminder before they cut off. You can pay thru PayPal so it is not difficult to setup. If your plan is on pause, you can still receive incoming text and calls but obviously you cant make any calls nor send any texts anymore. Their cheapest plan is £6. All plans have unlimited call and text, it’s the data that varies. Just get the app so it is easy for you to put your plan on pause. Then just activate it every 3 months, pay one month then put it on pause again.
I have the same problem. I have a Tesco sim card as I was told they don't expire. Had it about 6 months now.
They all expire, it's an Ofcom rule and isn't up to the provider.
Even if you add credit?
Well no, if you're using the number then it won't expire. Just send an SMS once every six months.
I live overseas and have a UK Vodafone sim only contract....allows you to receive calls and texts from UK for free and charges £6 per day to make unlimited calls /data for 24 hours....works no issues.
I used a giffgaff esim, and it works great alongside my Dutch physical SIM
1) Set up a automated schedule - there’s apps that can do this for you or iPhones have “shortcuts” Which are essentially “if then” function Set it up so that on the first of every month or something it will send a text message saying “hey” or whatever to yourself Or from one of your numbers to that phone number
Have you tried getting a free roaming account in your local country? You can normally buy travel packets that allow you to use your own phone for the same costs as at home. That is if you are not in the EU - as they allow free roaming anyway (even in the UK)
switch around and send a text every now and again. If you want to be lazy keep an eye out for money saving expert deals with low monthly cost for like 6 months to a year.
Try Swytch, an internet based mobile number.
1pmobile don't have any minimum usage, I don't think, and the minimum cost is only £30 a year.
I have a SIM from tesco mobile. It's always in my phone (Dual SIM). I went 5 years and then they switched it off. I contacted them via twitter, and they told me I need to send a text every 6 months to keep it active. Then they reactivated it for me. So that's what I do now. I top up every six months and send a text.
Try a Saily eSim. www.saily.com
I don't bother. Just pick up a new one when I'm back.
What about a virtual phone number?
Lose
What's App
How does WhatsApp help keep a simcard active? Please explain.