Long lasting cheap data only SIM for VERY light user?

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Location
London
Having acquired an android tab with a mobile SIM

as here:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/recommend-a-7-inch-android-tab.280441/


I'm now looking for a provider which does one-off data only sim packages with no monthly renewal. Lasting 90 days or ideally a year with no requirement to top up during that time - for that's a disguised sub of course. Ideally the data bought wouldn't be chopped off until used but am pretty sure such things don't exist.

Will be mainly used when cycle touring and various UK wanderings - am a very light mobile data user - don't use social media (and before anyone jumps in about cyclechat I won't be posting to cyclechat over a mobile link - I'll be mobile/seeing stuff)

I use a separate dumb phone for voice/potential emergency calls.

Since I'm such a low user, an uber cheap very low data thingie would be fine for me but they don't seem to really exist - but maybe you folks know better.

In the past the three 1-2-3 set-up would have been fine for casual data but it has been discontinued.

Can see myself having to go with O2 for their apparently good coverage - though even they also seem to have lots of blank spots - Bowland, Yorkshire Dales etc.
 
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Punkawallah

Über Member
I use 1p Mobile on my ‘bike phone’. They require top ups, but these are not too frequent.
 
Good morning

I am with Three for my pay monthly plans but they also offer two one off payment SIMS

£60 for 24GB valid for 24 months
£40 for 12GB valid for 12 months

These are under the Shop -> Mobile Broadband -> Pay as you go section not Shop -> Sim Only -> Pay as you go mobile.

I know that these are high prices but Three are probably more likely to still be in business when you want to use the data than some special deal from a provider that is just a marketing front for a real mobile phone carrier.

[Edit: Finish post]
I would be cautious about thinking about yourself as a low data user so would want to be careful not to get caught into a to good to be true deal that ends up at 5p/MB.:smile: For example https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/the-budget.280806/page-8 is a download of just over 3MB, sure most of this will be cached by the browser and subsequent pages would be a lot less, probably around 100kB or less.

On any site advertising can be a problem as images may change per page display so may never be cached and some adverts can get quite big as can user posted images. Advertisers will try for small files, but user content can easily be a 2MB or more download per image and there can be a lot of images on a page.

As a guide adverts here tend to be between 10kB and 50kB each.

Bye

Ian
 
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Good morning
I got a pay as you go SIM from Asda for a fiver that I use in my burner phone. Just have to use it once every 6 months to keep it active.
I have just looked at ASDA and it seems to be 4p/MB, as you describe your phone as a burner do you use it for data?:smile:

I got caught once on a pay monthly plan where I didn't realise that they were offering data at 5p/MB once you had used up your included allowance, I was expecting to be cut off. I hit their £10 limit for overspend in the time it took me to use the last of the included data and the time it took for a text to arrive saying that I had used all of my allowance.:sad:

Bye

Ian
 
OP
OP
Blue Hills
Location
London
I got a pay as you go SIM from Asda for a fiver that I use in my burner phone. Just have to use it once every 6 months to keep it active.
"burner phone"?
what are you up to?
I use one of those Asda sims in my dumb (non burner) phone - have done for a few years- very good - used to run on EE of course, now Vodafone. I use it for the odd text and voice call - top up a fiver now and again.
 
OP
OP
Blue Hills
Location
London
On the low usage point, as an aside my very basic underpowered smartphone has one of those 3 sims in it which give you 200MB free every month. I very rarely use that up.

But unless I'm mistaken (maybe someone can advise) I don't think you can use those in tabs as I think the sim has to be sat inside something that will take a text to a phone number when you set it up and I can't do any clever switching (even if they would let that pass) as the smartphone and tablet use different sizes of sims.

Happy to hear from anyone who has set up one of those freebies in a tab.
 
I also use the cheapest ASDA sim only thing

Generally it only gets used for Strava - including the beacon thing so my wife knows where I am in case I fall off or get lost or something - which sends a text and uses the 4g for data

I have had it for several months have have not used up the first £10 yet
I do like to have some spare data in case I get lost and need Google Maps to get me home!
 

DRM

Guru
Location
West Yorks
3 have a decent offer for a 12/24 GB sim that lasts 2 years, however the downside is their coverage is abysmal, an EE sim may be better as they do a similar prepay sim but it only lasts 12 months, these tend to be cheaper on Amazon too.
I had one of 3’s sims in a mifi unit, and more often than not it would struggle to have a strong enough signal to have any useful internet connection, most times I ended up using my phone on giffgaff to tether to instead, giffgaff have goody bags but with a good amount of data, but you have to buy one each, month
 
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OP
OP
Blue Hills
Location
London
I also use the cheapest ASDA sim only thing

Generally it only gets used for Strava - including the beacon thing so my wife knows where I am in case I fall off or get lost or something - which sends a text and uses the 4g for data

I have had it for several months have have not used up the first £10 yet
I do like to have some spare data in case I get lost and need Google Maps to get me home!
Thanks - will double triple check their data offering - I do like no-fuss Asda mobile.
On getting home I would use offline OSMand on an android mobile or tab (probably runs on other platforms) and an offline garmin etrex.
 
OP
OP
Blue Hills
Location
London
3 have a decent offer for a 12/24 GB sim that lasts 2 years, however the downside is their coverage is abysmal, an EE sim may be better as they do a similar prepay sim but it only lasts 12 months, these tend to be cheaper on Amazon too.
I had one of 3’s sims in a mifi unit, and more often than not it would struggle to have a strong enough signal to have any useful internet connection, most times I ended up using my phone on giffgaff to tether to instead, giffgaff have goody bags but with a good amount of data, but you have to buy one each, month
yes i have heard bad things about 3's coverage. So not a good idea I think since this thing may often be used in a tent somewhere in the wilds.
O2 I know also gives you access to its otherwise off-limits wifi spots, though many of these seem to be in places I wouldn't want to sit. I think they have halfords signed up though and they might be handy to do a bit of furtive sitting/surfing (do folks still use that word?) with a bike.
 
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