Mobile phone package for elderly user - SIM only, no contract, Pay As You Go

My elderly mother is with Tesco mobile and has been putting €10 top ups on every couple of months or so, she is not a big user, some data for GPS, whatsapp and not many calls / texts. Happy with pay as you go with the understanding that call costs are higher, but she makes very irregular calls.

She is saying that the deal is being cancelled and she has to go on a monthly topup deal of €15 and that expires every 28 days.

Are there any options on different networks where somebody pays as they go and tops up when they run out, sometimes after a couple of months, SIM only, no contract.

It looks like all the packages are for 28 or 30 days, then all credit expires and you need to top up again.
Are the service providers all changing their stance here on the packages?

Best alternative right now looks like 48, €6.50 for three months, €12.99 thereafter but her prefence would be topping up as needed rather than a fixed amount each month

AndroidMan said:

Best alternative right now looks like 48, €6.50 for three months, €12.99 thereafter but her prefence would be topping up as needed rather than a fixed amount each month

Click to expand...

In case it matters, with 48 if she doesn't buy a membership plan at any stage then she won't be able to make calls, and texts, use data, but she will still be able to receive calls and texts. It's only after 6 months of not buying membership that they suspend the account.

But if she wants to be able to make calls, send texts, use data at all times and doesn't want to pay a fixed amount each month then it sounds like the likes of 48, Gomo etc. that work this way may not be suitable and a pure pay as you go option is more appropriate.

But I think that most providers seem to be moving towards a fixed amount per month these days.

Lyca might be an option (€7.50 p.m. for one of their plans) but I always found their way of doing things so complicated that I couldn't figure it out.

ClubMan said:

In case it matters, with 48 if she doesn't buy a membership plan at any stage then she won't be able to make calls, and texts, use data, but she will still be able to receive calls and texts. It's only after 6 months of not buying membership that they suspend the account.

But if she wants to be able to make calls, send texts, use data at all times and doesn't want to pay a fixed amount each month then it sounds like the likes of 48, Gomo etc. that work this way may not be suitable and a pure pay as you go option is more appropriate.

Click to expand...

Yes.. 48 is understood and if thats what we go with, then I will set the auto top-up.

Its the pure pay as you go options that seem to have disappeared, all thats on offer now it seems are these rolling 28/30 day options.

She currently tops up by €10 every 2/3 months and that suits her.

I am just unable to find any of these options on the likes of Vodafone, Lyca, 48, Tesco etc.

AndroidMan said:

I am just unable to find any of these options on the likes of Vodafone, Lyca, 48, Tesco etc.

Click to expand...

I think that pure pay as you go is disappearing or gone at this stage and most or all providers use a fixed monthly payment approach these days.

Looks like it.. that is a shame and for irregular users, especially the elderly, its not giving them many options now.
I am a happy 48 user so will probably go for that

AndroidMan said:

Looks like it.. that is a shame and for irregular users, especially the elderly, its not giving them many options now.
I am a happy 48 user so will probably go for that

Click to expand...

The €7.50 Lyca package might be an option too?
Although, as ever with Lyca, it's not clear when it might revert to the normal higher price.

AndroidMan said:

It looks like all the packages are for 28 or 30 days, then all credit expires and you need to top up again.
Are the service providers all changing their stance here on the packages?

Click to expand...

Not necessarily. The topup every 28 days / monthly is to buy a specific package / bundle. If you just topup by less than the amount of the package, you'll be charged 'out of plan' rates which seems to be what you're looking for?
Or at least that's my understanding of how Vodafone works. Data charges are very high out of plan though. Minimum topup 5 euro every 6 months.

RedOnion said:

Not necessarily. The topup every 28 days / monthly is to buy a specific package / bundle. If you just topup by less than the amount of the package, you'll be charged 'out of plan' rates which seems to be what you're looking for?
Or at least that's my understanding of how Vodafone works. Data charges are very high out of plan though. Minimum topup 5 euro every 6 months.

Click to expand...

I think it's the same on three. Top up by 20 will automatically triggers the bundle but anything less and the credit remains and out of bundle charges are applied.

Right.. thanks all, I see now!

I'm surprised more of a fuss hasn't been made about this. I thought prepay meant you load up the amount and then spend it at your leisure. Now the mobile networks have changed prepay to something completely different. It seems more like a subscription model to me. And they're all in it together so you can't vote with your feet.

Unless you activate the plan, which needs to be renewed every 28 days, you get hammered by their out of plan rates.

Looks to me like a "we don't want you loading €20 on your phone and taking six months to spend it." I could be wrong as I wasn't a big mobile phone guy and had it just for convenience.

think this is the case. Was getting a SIM for my DD and was drawn to Vodafone as I had an old iPhone which she could use (without getting it unlocked); only real option was the €20 per month; one of the plans was more data-focussed the other was more calls. No rollover if she doesn't use up the €20 worth of credit and has to top up every 28 days. Other providers such as EIR seemed mostly the same.
Its a good bit per month especially for an elderly person that wouldn't have much use for a mobile phone and probably still has a landline.

Is GoMo an option for you?