cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
1

Ask

2

Reply

3

Solution

Pay as you go phone for elderly relative - bundle or free sim?

KatyR
2: Seeker
2: Seeker

I wanted to buy a pay as you go phone for an elderly relative who is going in to hospital for an operation so that he can keep in touch with family during his stay.  He wants a phone where he just pays for what he uses and doesn't need to do a top up every month.  

 

I have bought a Doro phone in store and was told I needed to purchase a big value bundle with the phone and that when that expires he can switch to just paying for the calls he makes.  Since getting home, I am concerned about what will happen if my relative is still in hospital when the bundle expires. How complicated will it be for him to switch to just paying for the calls he makes?  Due to covid restrictions he will not be allowed visitors to help him.

 

Looking on the website it appears that there is an alternative to a big value bundle - a free sim on payg1.  I'm wondering if this would have been have a better option?

 

Do I need a new sim to switch to this? ( I have not activated the sim provided by the shop yet).  Does anyone have any advice on the best way to avoid problems with my relative using the phone while he is still in hospital.

 

Many thanks

2 REPLIES 2

BandOfBrothers
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

Payg1 would have been I agree a better option for their needs.

 

In regards to the BVB if a person does not have enough credit available on their account it'll automatically change to pay the basic prices for Payg.

 

I'd suggest to follow your feeling to change to Payg1.

 

You won't need a new sim card and you'll just need to swap the tariff.

 

Live Chat or 191 can do this or look on the Vodafone Help Support pages for alternative ways 

 

 

Current Phone  >

Samsung Galaxy s²³ Ultra 512gb Phantom Black.

 

 

Thank you for your advice and I am now definitely clear that PAYG1 will suit my relative's needs better 😀

 

I thought I would pop back in to the Vodafone shop today so they could help me with the switching process (being not very tech savvy).  They told me that I would lose the £10 I had paid for the BVB if I switched to PAYG1, and as a shop they are unable to sell me a phone with a PAYG1 sim so they were right not to tell me about the PAYG1 option yesterday.   They refunded me for the whole thing.

 

I have just reordered the phone online with PAYG1.  Fingers crossed there are no issues when it arrives - as it seems odd that the shop cannot do this, but you can do it online 🤔