UnassignedIP
Pro Member
Hi all,
I am looking for a new PAYG sim to serve a very particular purpose and I could do with some advice.
The SIM in question is for a smartphone for an older relative that is not going to be regularly used, however it's occasionally going to be used for Google Maps and similar so will require a functioning data connection and therefore a SIM card. The person in question already has a non-smartphone with a vodafone SIM for calls and texts only so this would not be used super regularly. but it would also be great if it could support the occasional call.
The phone in question does not support eSIM so therefore it must be a physical SIM and any options that are exclusively eSIM (e.g. red Bull Mobile) are sadly out of the question.
If possible we'd like to avoid the necessity for regular top-ups or monthly data pack purchases as as I said not enough data will be used each month for this to be worth it.
So far I have looked at:
1p: Looks brilliant, runs on EE with attractive 1p per MB rate and extra features like VOLTE and 5G too, but minimum £10 spend every 3 months is not ideal and I have seen stories of a minimum £2.50 spend out of the credit per month too
Three: I used to use a Data reward SIM for exactly this purpose and it was perfect, a free buffer of 200 MB per month and after that was used it it would use the credit up at a reasonable rate when required (1p per MB) but sadly my Data reward SIM stopped being reloaded like most people's did and I got nowhere on Three Live chat with them not seeming to care it was marketed as "for life" when I registered a few years ago.
Talk home: Considered this due to the 1p per MB rate and even ordered a Free SIM from them but gave up before the SIM even arrived when reading about their lack of VOLTE and VOWiFi support from others on this forum and therefore dropped calls (if we call this phone it needs to ring within reasonable time).
Three Current PAYG: 10p per MB is just way too expensive. Same issue with GiffGaff Classic PAYG.
RWG: Looked good at first but no access to some bands by the looks of it, and it looks like not true PAYG so we'd need to re-order each year, doubtful whether VOLTE would work either (have any of you tried?).
Does anyone here have any recommendations for a classic PAYG sim from a UK MNO or MVNO (a UK phone number is essential so roaming SIM's are out of the question) with decent data rates (preferably 1p per MB) that has a lower minimum top-up cadence than 1p but still supports VOLTE and VOWiFi.
We don't need 5G as this isn't a 5G phone.
Thank you in advance for any help.
I am looking for a new PAYG sim to serve a very particular purpose and I could do with some advice.
The SIM in question is for a smartphone for an older relative that is not going to be regularly used, however it's occasionally going to be used for Google Maps and similar so will require a functioning data connection and therefore a SIM card. The person in question already has a non-smartphone with a vodafone SIM for calls and texts only so this would not be used super regularly. but it would also be great if it could support the occasional call.
The phone in question does not support eSIM so therefore it must be a physical SIM and any options that are exclusively eSIM (e.g. red Bull Mobile) are sadly out of the question.
If possible we'd like to avoid the necessity for regular top-ups or monthly data pack purchases as as I said not enough data will be used each month for this to be worth it.
So far I have looked at:
1p: Looks brilliant, runs on EE with attractive 1p per MB rate and extra features like VOLTE and 5G too, but minimum £10 spend every 3 months is not ideal and I have seen stories of a minimum £2.50 spend out of the credit per month too
Three: I used to use a Data reward SIM for exactly this purpose and it was perfect, a free buffer of 200 MB per month and after that was used it it would use the credit up at a reasonable rate when required (1p per MB) but sadly my Data reward SIM stopped being reloaded like most people's did and I got nowhere on Three Live chat with them not seeming to care it was marketed as "for life" when I registered a few years ago.
Talk home: Considered this due to the 1p per MB rate and even ordered a Free SIM from them but gave up before the SIM even arrived when reading about their lack of VOLTE and VOWiFi support from others on this forum and therefore dropped calls (if we call this phone it needs to ring within reasonable time).
Three Current PAYG: 10p per MB is just way too expensive. Same issue with GiffGaff Classic PAYG.
RWG: Looked good at first but no access to some bands by the looks of it, and it looks like not true PAYG so we'd need to re-order each year, doubtful whether VOLTE would work either (have any of you tried?).
Does anyone here have any recommendations for a classic PAYG sim from a UK MNO or MVNO (a UK phone number is essential so roaming SIM's are out of the question) with decent data rates (preferably 1p per MB) that has a lower minimum top-up cadence than 1p but still supports VOLTE and VOWiFi.
We don't need 5G as this isn't a 5G phone.
Thank you in advance for any help.























