Can I switch my payg data sim between phones, or will I need to activate or something each time?

[dannydannydanny]

I bought a PAYG unlimited data sim for use on holiday. I have an unlocked phone I can use it in, but it already has a sim in with my work number on it which during the day I will need to keep alive. When I need to use the new PAYG sim for data in the evenings, (when I wont need to be answering my normal phone number), can I just take out my normal sim and put in my PAYG sim and it just work?

Will I be able to put in my normal sim (a monthly contracted vodafone sim), the next morning and it just work or would I need to reactivate that (very awkward as its a work number and I guess may need the accountant who manages the Vodafone contract to make calls to Vodafone).

I mean are the sims tied to the handsets at all or can I just switch them back and forth without any risk of either 'deactivating' (I'm making things up here out of paranoia!) so that I can receive calls during the day and work using the infinite data in the evenings. (you may get the impression my definition of 'holiday' is a bit rubbish, and it is...!)

I anyone is absolutely certain it'll be fine, that would be great to know, if not, please say as perhaps I should order a data dongle/router/thing and avoid any risk of Vodafone's systems thinking I'm up to no good and cutting me off right when I'm trying to work.

[AnnS]

Hi @dannydannydanny 

Although you should be able to use the data SIM in a phone, the problem will be the APN settings, you will need to change the settings to prepaid pp.vodafone.co.uk, user name wap. and change back again to pay monthly settings when using the pay monthly SIM. Text WEB to 40127 to download the prepaid settings.  Also see device guides here: Device Guides 

[dannydannydanny]

Thanks! Very helpful. I guess I better buy a 4G router. Left it a bit late, desperately trawling web but so many out there have reviews from people with Vodafone sims who could get them working because of things like the space to type in the apn name wasn't long enough! Agrhhh. Need to order something right now to get it here for Thursday or it'll have been a waste of money. I'm an idiot for not having anticipated this.

If anyone had any recommendations of 4G routers, I'd jump at them straight away. Just needs to be something common enough to get it delivered tomorrow!

Thanks again for your reply - really helped.

[dannydannydanny]

Looks like I messed up when I bought the SIM, I just presumed I'd be fine to swap the sims about and use my phone, but if I need a router, i could have got one at the same time as the SIM, but now if I order one you have to get them with a SIM deal, which I don't need!

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile-broadband/pay-monthly-contracts/mobile-wifi/vodafone/r219-mobile-w...

That router, the 'R219' gets good reviews, and as its vodafone presumably no worries setting it up, but no way to buy it on its own, it always comes with either a contract or a minimum of another £15 PAYG SIM. I'm clearly not good at buying SIMS, I don't think I could have got this more wrong!

[BandOfBrothers]

As I mentioned in my reply in your other thread @dannydannydanny  I use a Hybrid Dual Sim phone that accepts different network sim cards with no issue with Apn settings as the phone is designed to do this.

Just an idea