Does an active PAYG SIM ever expire?

[Enceladus]

The Vodafone website says this here.

"As we link your mobile number to your SIM card on our network to enable you to use your phone, your SIM card will never expire while you have a connection with us."

I have a Vodafone number that has zero credit and has never had any applied. The number is only used to receive SMS and Whatsapp (over Wi-Fi) and works fine, It has been in use for about 35 weeks.

Recently I read on the forum that there needs to be a chargeable event every 3 months to keep the number active.

Which is it?

What counts as a "connection"?

Thanks,

[BandOfBrothers]

Yes. 

After 180 days of non use. 

6, Suspension, disconnection and ending the agreement.

a. We can suspend (in other words bar), restrict or stop providing the services (all or part of them) in the following circumstances:

3. You choose not to use the service for 180 consecutive days. Using the service means making any chargeable outbound activity such as making an outbound call (excluding calls to 191), sending an SMS, using data or topping up your account.

b. If we suspend the mobile equipment because you have chosen not to use the services (as defined in 6a3 above) for 180 consecutive days we will send you an SMS notifying you that you should top up your account or make a chargeable outbound call (but not calls to 191), send a chargeable SMS or use your data within the next 90 days. 

If you then fail to make any chargeable outbound calls (but not calls to 191), send a chargeable SMS, use your data or top up your account within 90 days from the date of the SMS because you have not kept to this agreement or not used the services for 270 consecutive days, we will disconnect your mobile equipment, and you will lose any credit held on your account.

c. We will try and tell you when we suspend, restrict or end your use, but we do not have to.

From http://www.vodafone.co.uk/cs/groups/configfiles/documents/contentdocuments/pay-as-you-go-terms-and-c...

[Enceladus]

Why does the Vodafone website say different?

"As we link your mobile number to your SIM card on our network to enable you to use your phone, your SIM card will never expire while you have a connection with us."

Is there a way to check the status of the SIM? We are way past 180 days and I don't believe that any such warning SMS has ever been received. 

[kids]

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@Enceladus wrote:

Why does the Vodafone website say different?

"As we link your mobile number to your SIM card on our network to enable you to use your phone, your SIM card will never expire while you have a connection with us."

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I assume that "connection" means that you connect to the network, I.e use the service

[drey_p]

The SIM card itself will never expire as long as you have a connection with Vodafone.  A connection would be something like a Pay Monthly contract or a PAYG number that you are keeping connected.  If you aren't topping up or making chargeable calls you risk disconnection and once disconnected, the SIM card will expire. 

[63johnw]

Hi. I read that as the sim card will not expire, not the number, I thnk you are looking at the sim and number as the same thing where I look at them as two items. If you dont make the required chargeable event the number will be disconnected/removed.

[BandOfBrothers]

Once Vodafone decree that the Payg sim hasn't been used as per the criteria I mentioned in the first reply to you @Enceladus then they would suspend service and quarantine the mobile number. This could then be recycled again at a later date if it's put back in the number pool. 

There is a very small chance if a person catches the suspension quick enough that they can return the number to them. 

[kids]

It would appear that if @Enceladus has not used the sim for any chargeable activity and the sim is still active then the 180 days criteria is not drawn in the sand.

[Annie_N]

Why 180 days? The Ts&Cs that @BandOfBrothers quotes add up to 270 days. 7x35=245, so @Enceladus still has a little while longer, but really needs to get a move on and make a chargeable action to preserve the number.

I've complained about the "As we link your mobile number to your SIM card on our network to enable you to use your phone, your SIM card will never expire while you have a connection with us." advice, which makes little sense as far as PAYG is concerned, but is probably a reasonable statement for PayM contract customers. However, it still appears without qualification on the website Sigh...

[drey_p]

Hi there

A chargeable event is something like making a call or sending a text.  If you don't do this you risk losing your number. And yes, it does happen, there have been reports on here of people not being aware of having to do this and they've lost their number.

My advice to anyone using PAYG is to ensure that you make calls or send texts at least once a month. That way you can make sure you keep the number active.