Any harm in leaving T-Mobile UK Sim Cards in phones until I top them up in UK in Aug?

f13dfx

I just received the 2 Pay-As-You-Go T-Mobile UK Sim Cards from eBay. Is there any harm in leaving them in my 2 unlocked phones until I can top them both off in August when we travel to London?

snaimon · **no harm -** 28-04-2008, 00:04

Should be no harm. Just make sure they don't expire before you need them.

Have a nice trip.

Stan

f13dfx · 28-04-2008, 00:28

Hi Stan,

Thanks for the quick reply. When do the cards expire. Would it be 180 days since the day I put them in the phones?

Quote:

Originally Posted by snaimon

Should be no harm. Just make sure they don't expire before you need them.

Have a nice trip.

Stan

PhotoJim · 28-04-2008, 00:35

It seems to be 180 days from the last activity (or activation, I presume). Outbound calls and SMS definitely count. I'm not sure if inbound calls count.

Motel75 · 28-04-2008, 08:32

It's a billable activity every 180 days officially (though it might be longer than this in reality -- Virgin states 180 but is really 365). An incoming call won't work, unless you're roaming.

f13dfx · 29-04-2008, 06:02

By ACTIVATION do you mean when one TOPS-UP for the 1st time?

snaimon · 29-04-2008, 19:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by f13dfx

By ACTIVATION do you mean when one TOPS-UP for the 1st time?

Usually, but not always, the EU cards I have purchased, require that you INITIALIZE or ACTIVATE new SIM cards. Sometimes this is as easy as putting the SIM into a phone and allowing the phone to register on the local network. Sometimes the provided asks you to call a customer service number and follow the procedures there. Both the old SIMYO card and the newer SUNSIM required some special action as I described. I cannot remember how the original RIIING or the UM+ activation occurred.

I had some new German T-Mobile cards and I cannot recall they required any special activation at all. I may be wrong.

I cannot speak for your UK cards. Our British friends will have to chime in.

Perhaps there is no user activation required.

Stan

powerlifter · 30-04-2008, 01:03

As I remember Vodaphone to activate a SMS from Vodaphone had to be sent to the phone.
You have to be in the UK to have the SMS sent. It will not come to you here in the states.
That card you got for top ups that has to be linked to your credit card another thing that has to be done in the UK. T-Mobile may be the same. Call T-mobile CS in the UK to find out or who you bought the sim card from. I hope this helps.

f13dfx · 30-04-2008, 02:25

Thanks for all the replies guys!

I hope I can just top-up with CASH if I want, right?

gmmour · 04-05-2008, 23:44

In Greece, for example, all prepaid cards have to be activated as follows:
Insert the card in the phone and power on.
Call any billable phone number (i.e. no emergency number or free cc number) and wait until you listen a welcome message like "welcome to XX prepaid, your phone is now activated and you can make and receive calls" on your phone, then you can hang up before the call is actually connected. But you have to listen through the whole welcome message. Some opertors also send you a welcome SMS after that, but the SIM is activated right at the moment the welcome message ends.

Before activation, the card is officialy inactive even though the phone registers with the home network, doesn't accept or make calls or SMS and thus does not count towards the expiration date. This first call has to be made in the home network for the welcome message to be played and the card to be activated, i.e. you can't activate abroad on a roaming network...

Many greek carriers instruct their employees on their shops to activate all prepaid SIM cards unless the customers doesn't want it. If you buy the SIM card from a news-stand or a kiosk of course they won't care to activate your card unless you ask them to (and they know how to do it, I witnessed a Pakistani guy and my grandma asking the local kiosk lady to top his phone up).

	(#1)
f13dfx (Offline) Junior Member Amateur Member Posts: 19 Join Date: 09 Apr 2008 Country:	Any harm in leaving T-Mobile UK Sim Cards in phones until I top them up in UK in Aug? - 27-04-2008, 23:27 I just received the 2 Pay-As-You-Go T-Mobile UK Sim Cards from eBay. Is there any harm in leaving them in my 2 unlocked phones until I can top them both off in August when we travel to London?

	(#2)
snaimon (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Specialist Posts: 898 Join Date: 17 Mar 2004 Location: Richmond, VA USA Country:	no harm - 28-04-2008, 00:04 Should be no harm. Just make sure they don't expire before you need them. Have a nice trip. Stan Phones: DASH V3 (3) Service: US T-MO post paid (2) - US T-MO prepaid (2) - UM+ - TravelSIM DE SIMYO - DE SUNSIM T-Mobile DE Calling Cards: Onesuite Enjoyprepaid AT&T MCI Mobivox

	(#4)
PhotoJim (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Expert Posts: 389 Join Date: 10 Dec 2006 Location: Regina, SK, CA Country:	28-04-2008, 00:35 It seems to be 180 days from the last activity (or activation, I presume). Outbound calls and SMS definitely count. I'm not sure if inbound calls count. CA: SaskTel, Wind postpaid; Rogers, Bell postpaid iPad flex plans; US: T-Mobile postpaid data, prepaid voice; PureTalk (AT&T MVNO) prepaid voice/data; AT&T prepaid iPad plan Hardware: Too much but notably iPhone 5, iPad Mini Retina LTE, Moto G LTE (N.A. version), iPhone 4. All unlocked.

	(#5)
Motel75 (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Pioneer Posts: 573 Join Date: 15 Jun 2006 Location: Berlin Country:	28-04-2008, 08:32 It's a billable activity every 180 days officially (though it might be longer than this in reality -- Virgin states 180 but is really 365). An incoming call won't work, unless you're roaming. Current DE: Vodafone, Netzklub; PL: Klucz, Virgin; UK: Giffgaff, Vodafone; US: T-Mobile; CA: 7-Eleven; IT: Vodafone; UA: Kyivstar; FR: Bouygues; GR: Vodafone Former DE: Vodafone, T-Mobile, O2, Blauworld, 01051mobile, Solomo, Lycamobile, Simyo, Congstar, Fonic, Edeka Mobile, Lidl Mobile; PL: Heyah, Era, Virgin, Sami Swoi, Orange, POP, iPlus, Carrefour Mova, Telepin Mobi, Play, Lycamobile, T-Mobile; UK: Vodafone, T-Mobile, Virgin; US: T-Mobile, AT&T, Lycamobile; CZ: Vodafone, Oskar; ES: Lebara; GR: Vodafone, Wind; UA: Vodafone; IL: Orange; TR: Turkcell

	(#6)
f13dfx (Offline) Junior Member Amateur Member Posts: 19 Join Date: 09 Apr 2008 Country:	29-04-2008, 06:02 By ACTIVATION do you mean when one TOPS-UP for the 1st time?

	(#8)
powerlifter (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Fan Posts: 174 Join Date: 06 Jan 2005 Country:	30-04-2008, 01:03 As I remember Vodaphone to activate a SMS from Vodaphone had to be sent to the phone. You have to be in the UK to have the SMS sent. It will not come to you here in the states. That card you got for top ups that has to be linked to your credit card another thing that has to be done in the UK. T-Mobile may be the same. Call T-mobile CS in the UK to find out or who you bought the sim card from. I hope this helps. [size=1]Prepaid cards, Moldova Tempo, Kyrg Republic BiTel, India Hutch, Bulgaria Mtel, Vodafone, UK. Etisalat. UAE. Afghan Wireless, Afghanistan. Three, UK. T-mobile post-paid. Phones Gsm Iphone6+

	(#9)
f13dfx (Offline) Junior Member Amateur Member Posts: 19 Join Date: 09 Apr 2008 Country:	30-04-2008, 02:25 Thanks for all the replies guys! I hope I can just top-up with CASH if I want, right?

	(#10)
gmmour (Offline) Member Advanced Member Posts: 92 Join Date: 03 Oct 2006 Country:	04-05-2008, 23:44 In Greece, for example, all prepaid cards have to be activated as follows: Insert the card in the phone and power on. Call any billable phone number (i.e. no emergency number or free cc number) and wait until you listen a welcome message like "welcome to XX prepaid, your phone is now activated and you can make and receive calls" on your phone, then you can hang up before the call is actually connected. But you have to listen through the whole welcome message. Some opertors also send you a welcome SMS after that, but the SIM is activated right at the moment the welcome message ends. Before activation, the card is officialy inactive even though the phone registers with the home network, doesn't accept or make calls or SMS and thus does not count towards the expiration date. This first call has to be made in the home network for the welcome message to be played and the card to be activated, i.e. you can't activate abroad on a roaming network... Many greek carriers instruct their employees on their shops to activate all prepaid SIM cards unless the customers doesn't want it. If you buy the SIM card from a news-stand or a kiosk of course they won't care to activate your card unless you ask them to (and they know how to do it, I witnessed a Pakistani guy and my grandma asking the local kiosk lady to top his phone up).