If your Pay As You Go SIM card isn’t used for a certain amount of time, your credit can expire and your account can be closed.
Pay As You Go mobile phone tariffs are often ideal for people who only use their phone occasionally. Unlike Pay Monthly contracts, there are no regular monthly charges and you only need to pay for what you actually use.
One thing to investigate closely when choosing a Pay As You Go mobile network is the credit expiry and SIM card cancellation policy. On most mainstream mobile networks, your credit will not expire as long as you make a chargeable activity at least once every six months (e.g. an outgoing phone call, text message or use of mobile internet). However, some smaller mobile networks have a much stricter policy and your credit can expire just 90 days from top-up. Your SIM card could also be cancelled automatically if you haven’t used it for as little as 84 days.
In this article, we’ll review and compare the credit expiry and SIM card cancellation policy of UK Pay As You Go mobile networks.
Contents
Overview of Inactivity Policies
In the following table, we’ve summarised the credit expiry and SIM card cancellation policy of UK Pay As You Go mobile networks. Unless otherwise stated in the table, the times listed refer to an inactivity period (e.g. so your credit will only expire if your SIM card is left unused for more than a certain amount of time).
| Mobile Network | Inactivity Period (Amount of time without chargeable event) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| PAYG Credit Expiry | SIM Card Cancellation | Phone Number Deleted | |
| ASDA Mobile | 270 days | 270 days restricted use after 180 days |
360 days |
| EE | 180 days | 180 days | 180 days |
| giffgaff | 6 months | 6 months | 6 months |
| O2 | 6 months | 6 months | 6 months |
| Tesco Mobile | 6 months | 6 months | 6 months |
| Three | 6 months | 6 months | 6 months |
| Virgin Mobile | 180 days | 180 days | 180 days |
| Vodafone | 270 days | 270 days | 270 days |
| Smaller Pay As You Go Networks: | |||
| 1p Mobile | 120 days from date of last top-up |
120 days from date of last top-up |
120 days from date of last top-up |
| Co-Operative Mobile | 180 days | 180 days | 180 days |
| Delight Mobile | 90 days from date of top-up |
120 days | 120 days |
| iD Mobile | 90 days (also 365 days from top-up) |
90 days | 90 days |
| Lebara Mobile | 90 days from date of top-up |
84 days | 84 days |
| Lycamobile | 90 days from date of top-up |
120 days | 120 days |
| Orange | 6 months | 6 months | 6 months |
| T-Mobile | 180 days | 180 days | 180 days |
| TPO Mobile | 3 months | 3 months | 3 months |
| Vectone Mobile | 90 days from date of top-up |
120 days | 120 days |
| VOXI | 180 days | 180 days | 180 days |
- PAYG Credit Expiry: When your Pay As You Go credit expires, you’ll no longer be able to use it or recover it. On most mainstream mobile networks, your credit will never expire providing your SIM card remains active. However, on some smaller mobile networks, your credit can expire just 90 days after top-up.
- SIM Card Cancellation: When your SIM card is cancelled by the network, you’ll lose coverage on your phone with an error message like “Inactive SIM” or “SIM card registration failed”. Your SIM card will be cancelled automatically if you haven’t used it for a certain amount of time (between 84 days and 270 days depending on the network).
- Phone Number Deleted: In some cases, your phone number will be retained even if your SIM card has already been cancelled. This means you’ll be able to restore service on the phone number and you’ll be able to use a PAC Code to transfer the number to phone another network. If a phone number has been deleted or ‘recycled’ by your mobile network, it’ll no longer be possible to recover it or transfer it to another network.
Recommended Deal For Light Users
At present, ASDA Mobile is our recommend network for light mobile users. They have super-competitive rates and the most customer-friendly inactivity policy (your credit will never expire providing you use your phone at least once every 270 days):
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ASDA Mobile
 ASDA Mobile is currently our recommended network for light mobile users. They have a Pay As You Go SIM card where your credit never expires (you just need to use your phone every 270 days to keep the SIM card active). ASDA has highly competitive Pay As You Go rates of 8p/minute, 4p/text and 5p/MB. They also allow a minimum top-up of only £5. Regular users can save even more with a 30-day bundle. ASDA Mobile has 99% population coverage (they have 2G, 3G and 4G coverage from the EE network). It’s a straightforward process to transfer your current phone number to ASDA Mobile. |
Through the rest of this article, we’ll discuss the inactivity policy of each mobile network in more depth.
Major Pay As You Go Networks
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ASDA MobileOn ASDA Mobile, you should normally try to use your SIM card at least once every 180 days in order to keep it active. Providing you do this, your credit will never expire and your account will always remain open. If there are 180 days of inactivity on your account, outgoing phone calls will be forwarded to ASDA’s automated service (you’ll need to call them on 0800 079 2732 to re-instate a full service for outgoing calls). After 270 days of inactivity on the account, unused credit will be removed and your SIM card will be barred. You’ll still be able to re-activate the SIM by calling ASDA Mobile Customer Services. Finally, after 360 days of inactivity, your SIM card will be permanently suspended and your phone number will be deleted. For more information, see the ASDA Mobile FAQs (go to ‘Handset, Network and Technical Questions’ followed by ‘I only use my phone for emergencies’):
The legal terms relating to this policy can be found in clause 3.1(d) of the ASDA Mobile Terms & Conditions:
Source: ASDA Mobile Terms & Conditions (dated June 2017) |
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EEEE will disconnect Pay As You Go customers if no “connection actions” are taken for 180 days. If this happens, any unused credit will be removed and your EE phone number will also be deleted from the system. You can keep your account active either by topping it up (£5 minimum) or by making a chargeable activity (this includes making a chargeable call, text or data connection). From clause 6.3 of the EE Pay As You Go Terms & Conditions:
If you’re opted in to one of EE’s Pay As You Go packs, you may find that credit is deducted from your account automatically every week or every month. To stop this happening, you can opt-out of the packs by texting STOP PACK to 150. This will allow you to keep the credit on your account for longer (without a pack, your credit will expire only after 180 days of inactivity). Source: EE Pay As You Go Terms & Conditions (version 01B, dated January 2017) |
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giffgaffgiffgaff will disconnect your SIM card if your account has been inactive for a period of six months or more. You’ll lose your unused credit and your giffgaff phone number will also be deleted from the system. There are several ways to keep your giffgaff SIM card active such as making a phone call, sending a text message, accessing the internet or topping up your phone. From clauses 13.3 to 13.4 of the giffgaff Terms & Conditions:
If you’re converting your credit into a goodybag bundle, your bundle allowances will expire one month after the goodybag purchase. For more information, please read our full giffgaff review. Please note: in order to qualify for giffgaff Payback Points, a stricter 3-month policy applies:
Source: giffgaff Terms & Conditions (dated 17th October 2017) |
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O2On O2 Pay As You Go, customers will have their SIM card disconnected after six months of inactivity. You’ll also lose your phone number and any unused credit remaining on your account at the time. From clause 7.1 of the O2 Pay As You Go Terms and Conditions:
Customers buying an O2 Big Bundle will see their bundle allowances expiring after one month. If you don’t want your top-up to be converted automatically into a one-month bundle, you should switch to O2 Classic Pay As You Go. Source: O2 Pay & Go: Terms & Conditions (dated 15th June 2017) |
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Tesco MobileCustomers on Tesco Mobile Pay As You Go will lose their service after six months of inactivity. This is stated in clause 5.4 of the Pay As You Go Terms & Conditions:
Source: Tesco Pay As You Go Terms & Conditions (dated 25th September 2006) |
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ThreeThree will suspend your Pay As You Go account if you don’t top-up or make a chargeable event in a six-month period. According to clause 9.1(h) of the Three Pay As You Go Terms & Conditions:
Source: Three Terms & Conditions |
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Virgin MobileIf you’re on one of Virgin Mobile‘s most recent Pay As You Go tariffs (e.g. the Big Data & Texts or Big Talk tariffs), there’s an inactivity period of 180 days. You’ll need to make a chargeable phone call or text message at least once during this period. According to clauses 3.7 and 7.2(g) of their terms & conditions:
If you’re on an older tariff such as “Pay As You Go Addict” or “Simply 8p”, the inactivity period may be 90 days instead. Please refer to clause 3.8 of the old terms and conditions. Source: Virgin Mobile: Terms & Conditions for ‘Big Data & Texts’ and ‘Big Talk’ (dated July 2012) |
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VodafoneIf you’re a Vodafone Pay As You Go customer, you’ll need to top-up your phone or make a chargeable outbound activity at least once every 6 months. This is described in a Vodafone Support Centre FAQ:
This is also described in the Vodafone Pay As You Go Airtime Conditions (specifically, the sub-heading titled ‘Leaving us/suspending the services’). According to the airtime conditions, you’ll normally be given a warning and a further 90-day grace period, giving a total of 270 days before your account is suspended:
If you’re using one of Vodafone’s Big Value Bundles, your airtime credit will be converted automatically into a bundle each month. If you don’t want your credit to be converted into a time-limited bundle, you should change to another tariff like Pay As You Go 1. Source: Vodafone Pay As You Go Airtime Conditions (dated June 2017) |
Smaller Pay As You Go Networks
On the mainstream mobile networks we’ve already discussed, you’ll normally be able to leave your SIM card unused for up to 6 months or 9 months at a time. Providing you do this, your account will remain open and your Pay As You Go credit will never expire.
On smaller virtual network operators, the inactivity policy is much more varied. On some smaller mobile networks, your SIM card could be cancelled after as little as 84 days of inactivity. Some of the smaller mobile networks will also expire your credit 90 days after the date of the relevant top-up. This is an important thing to watch out for when choosing a smaller network over one of the major players.
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1pMobile1pMobile works a little bit differently to other Pay As You Go mobile networks. Instead of having a normal account inactivity period, 1pMobile instead imposes a strict requirement for you to top-up your phone every 120 days. The minimum top-up is £10 each time on 1pMobile. If you don’t top-up for more than 120 days, your account will be closed and your phone number will lost:
Prior to the 25th April 2017, 1pMobile had a monthly minimum spend requirement. Source: 1pMobile Help Pages |
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Co-Operative MobileCustomers of The Co-Operative Mobile will either need to use their phone for a chargeable call or top-up their account at least once every 180 days. From sections 7.1 and 7.4 of their Pay As You Go Terms & Conditions:
Source: The Co-Operative Mobile Terms & Conditions |
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Delight MobileOn Delight Mobile, your Pay As You Go credit will automatically expire 90 days from the date of the relevant top-up. For instance, if you were to top-up with £10 of credit on April 1st, any leftover credit remaining from that £10 will automatically expire on June 30th. Furthermore, if you don’t use your Delight Mobile SIM card for a period of 120 days, it will be disconnected and your phone number will be lost. For more information, see clause 12(b) of the Delight Mobile terms and conditions:
Source: Delight Mobile Terms & Conditions |
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iD MobileOn iD Mobile, your Pay As You Go account will be closed automatically after 90 days of inactivity. If this happens, you’ll also lose any unused credit on your account. This is stated within the iD Mobile Pay As You Go FAQs:
Additionally, you will also need to top-up your account at least once every 365 days. This is stated in clause 12.4 of the iD Mobile Pay As You Go terms (for customers joining after the 15th June 2017):
If you joined iD Mobile before the 15th June 2017, individual top-ups will have a validity of 365 days (e.g. if you were to top-up by £10 on January 1st, that top-up will only be valid until December 31st). This is stated in clause 8.5(a) of the terms and conditions for customers joining before the 15th June 2017. Source: iD Mobile Pay As You Go FAQ |
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Lebara MobileOn Lebara Mobile, all Pay As You Go credit will expire 90 days from the date of the relevant top-up. For instance, if you were to top-up by £10 on April 1st, any leftover credit remaining from that £10 will expire on June 30th. In addition to their credit expiry policy, Lebara also requires you to use your SIM card at least once every 84 days. If you don’t make a chargeable phone call or text message for 84 days, your account will be closed and your SIM card will be terminated. Your phone number and Pay As You Go credit will both be lost when this happens. For more information, see clause 60 of the Lebara Mobile terms and conditions:
Source: Lebara Mobile Terms & Conditions (dated 27th September 2010) |
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LycamobileOn Lycamobile, all Pay As You Go credit will expires 90 days from the date of your top-up. For example, if you were to top-up by £10 on April 1st, any credit remaining from that £10 will expire automatically on June 30th. Further to this, customers also need to make a chargeable event or need to top-up their phone once every 120 days (a warning will be sent to you after 90 days). If 120 days elapse since the last chargeable event, your account will be closed and you’ll lose any remaining credit. Your phone number will also be reallocated to another customer. Please see clauses 3.3-3.5 and clause 4.6 of the Lycamobile Terms & Conditions:
Source: Lycamobile Terms & Conditions |
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OrangeCustomers on Orange Pay As You Go will have their account terminated if it isn’t used for a period of six months. Your phone number will also be reassigned to another customer. There is some discretion for Orange to re-credit any lost balance but this isn’t guaranteed by the terms & conditions. From clause 3.4 of the Orange Pay As You Go Network Terms:
Source: Orange Pay As You Go Network Terms (dated 15th November 2012) |
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T-MobileCustomers on T-Mobile Pay As You Go are required to make a “connection action” at least once every 180 days. If you don’t use your phone for 180 days, your account will be closed and you’ll also lose any remaining credit as well as your phone number. According to T-Mobile, “connection actions include topping up your account and making a chargeable call.” From clause 6(c) of their Pay As You Go Terms of Service:
Source: T-Mobile Pay As You Go Terms of Service (version 59A, dated November 2010) |
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TPO MobileTPO Mobile (The People’s Operator) will suspend your service after three months of inactivity. Your phone number will also be lost. According to clause 8 of their Pay As You Go Terms & Conditions:
Source: TPO Mobile: Pay As You Go Terms & Conditions (dated October 2016) |
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Vectone MobileOn Vectone Mobile, your Pay As You Go credit will automatically expire 90 days from the date of the relevant top-up. For example, if you were to top-up by £10 on April 1st, any leftover credit remaining from that £10 will automatically expire on June 30th. Furthermore, in order to keep your account active, customers must use their SIM card at least once every 120 days. If more than 120 days have passed since the last chargeable activity, your account will be closed and your phone number will be lost. For more information, see clause 12(a) of the Vectone Mobile terms and conditions:
Source: Vectone Mobile Terms & Conditions |
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VOXIVOXI is Vodafone’s Pay As You Go sub-brand, exclusively for customers who are under 25. Typically, most customers will have a 30-day plan with unused allowances expiring with the plan. However, if you prefer, it’s also possible to use VOXI for calling and texting on a traditional Pay As You Go basis. On VOXI, it’s a requirement to use your SIM card at least once every 180 days. If you don’t, your service will be suspended causing the loss of your phone number and unused credit on your account. From section 5(b) of the VOXI terms and conditions:
Source: VOXI Terms and Conditions (version 1.2, dated 3rd November 2017) |
As always, we strongly recommend you double-check the details listed here against your mobile network’s website. Terms and conditions can change occasionally along with your mobile network’s policy on credit expiry and cancellation.
More Information
For more information, please refer to your mobile network’s website. Currently, our recommended mobile network for light users is ASDA Mobile due to their low rates and their customer-friendly inactivity policy.
If you’ve chosen a mobile network which you’d now like to join, please see our guide to latest free SIM card offers. You can also see our Pay As You Go price comparison tables and our guide to transferring your phone number between mobile networks.
Mrs Eileen Harrop said:
I didn’t know about cancellation of balance and SIM card. Until we went to use phone for taxi I didn’t know. Thought I had used it for texting. I had about £30 in phone. Anything I can do?
Ken replied:
Hi Eileen,
Sorry to hear the your account was closed. The best thing to do would be to contact your mobile network and to see whether they’re able to reinstate the service for you. Apart from that, there’s unfortunately very little you can do 🙁
Ken
Ian said:
Hi Ken
Following my mother’s death I’ve been trying to reclaim the credit on her mobile phone (PAYG) with O2. However, because of inactivity (a number of years due to dementia) I have been informed that the number has been re-allocated and is no longer on the O2 network so they can’t help. Have you any suggestions?
Ken replied:
Hi Ian,
I’m really sorry to hear about this. Unfortunately, the standard process as described in the T&C is that the account will be closed after 6 months of inactivity with any remaining Pay As You Go credit being lost at that point. In this case, I don’t know whether O2 is able to make an exception. It’s certainly worth pursuing this with them through an official complaint but I suspect there’s probably no legal recourse to the unused credit here 🙁
Ken
John said:
I fail to see how any payg beats 1p Mobile.
The minimum spend of £30 per year (£10 top-up every 120 days) would give you 300 minutes of phone time. What else even comes close? I’m a (very) low-volume user and it’s definitely the best choice for me.
Ken replied:
Hi John,
Thanks for your comment. I agree – there’s definitely a segment there that 1pMobile works really well for. For low users, an alternative network is probably better (due to the £30 minimum spend per year you alluded to in your message). For heavy users, it’s possible to get a lot more minutes & data with a bundle e.g. SMARTY is doing unlimited calls for £5/month (£60/year). For customers sitting in between those two segments, 1pMobile offers a good combination of value and flexibility.
Ken
John replied:
Thanks, Ken. Your reply clarifies things for tight-fisted, low-volume users such as myself?
Enjoy the site, by the way. Keep it up!
Stefano replied:
Vodafone Pay As You Go 1 seems to be the best deal for infrequent use.
You only get charged on the days you use it, and it’s a maximum of £1 on those days. It doesn’t expire if you make a call or text at least every 270 days. It’s easy to reach that £1 max at the fairly high PayGo rates of 20p/minute, 20p/text and 20p for every 5MB of data.
If you expect some heavy usage due to traveling you can switch temporarily to a Big Value Bundle.
The lack of any charges or any requirement to top up when you don’t use the account makes it a good account for occasional EU visitors that don’t want to keep getting a new phone number for every trip.
1p Mobile can get very expensive, very fast, if you start using much data since it’s £10/GB.