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):
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.
luisa said:
well i tried to switch my vodafone contract to PAYG today and was threatenedwith deletion of my number if I didnt make a new contract. you indicate above a period of over 8 months before this happens but the vodafone customer services said after two months my number would be deactivated or reassigned.
Ken replied:
Hi Luisa,
Thanks for your comment. Typically, if your mobile contract is ended without your phone number being transferred elsewhere, your number will be deactivated (and may at some point later be reassigned to another customer). As you’ve asked for your phone number to be transferred from PAy Monthly to Pay As You Go, this shouldn’t be the case for your phone number.
With regards to the time periods discussed in this article, this is really how long you can keep your Pay As You Go account unused before Vodafone would consider it to be “inactive” (which would trigger the automatic closure of your account).
Hope this helps,
Ken
Paul Patrick said:
If I only use my mobile for emergencies and am out of work and don’t use it and you turn me of and keep the credit I have on it this is also theft from a customer because they still have the money on sim which I might add belongs to them because they have bought it. technically that sim is theirs and what is on it is theirs and personal and it is stolen from them all numbers and data saved to sim. It never used to work this way you use to top up when you had the money to do so you can’t cancel a sim that someone has paid for it is theirs forever they have paid for it so you can not stop it. If it was me I would be in store demanding my money back for it.
Ken replied:
Hi Paul,
I’m really sorry to hear about the poor experience you’ve had with your mobile network. I fully agree with you, as these credit expiry policies are often not very clear or transparent (they’re hidden away in the terms and conditions that nobody actually reads!). My hope and aim with this blog post is to bring a little more clarity to this area, so customers can vote with their feet (e.g. choosing networks with fairer policies) and can take precautionary measures (e.g. setting up a reminder to make sure they regularly use their handset).
If your account has been disabled by your mobile network for inactivity, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with your mobile network to see if they’re able to restore it or refund your credit.
Ken
Fiona said:
I’ve tried moving my PAYG from an old Orange sim to a new EE sim. I was assured that all I had to do was to put the new card in and it would register, the number would transfer and all of my credit. The new card after about 3 hours came up with SIM card registration failed. Tried putting the old card back in and got the same message. I have now lost my phone number and the credit that was on it.
My question is why when you transfer networks do you always lose your phone number and always lose your credit as mysteriously they are always unable to refund your money. I’ve transferred networks 3 times and it’s happened every time. You would think that mobiles have been around long enough now that they could get the number porting process right.
Ken replied:
Hi Fiona,
Thanks for your comment. I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your phone number & credit when moving from Orange to EE.
Typically, when you move from one phone company to another, it isn’t possible to transfer your Pay As You Go balance. This is because the money has been paid to a different company, and it’s why I typically advise people to use up their credit before changing network.
In your case, it sounds like you were performing a same-network upgrade, without the use of a PAC Code (as Orange and EE are part of the same company). In this case, it should be possible for you to keep your credit and you certainly shouldn’t lose your phone number in the process. I think this is actually a fairly serious failing on EE’s side and I’d strongly recommend you put a formal complaint in writing to them. I’d expect an upgrade to work much more smoothly than this, so definitely don’t settle for the loss of your phone number and credit!
Ken