OT. Sim for 93 year old with sporadic use

[Hugh - Was Invisible]

Hi All. Off topic but there is so much knowledge here ....

93 year old Mum goes in to hospital on Sunday. Sim free mobile (Doro 332) is on its way.

Mum will only want a sim for calls. Will have moderate use whilst in hospital for a few days and then be used only for emergencies.

I am having a lot of difficulty finding out how long credit and sim lasts if unused.

Anyone got any recommendations please?

Hospital has reception problems with t-mobile and orange but 02 and Vodafone based networks are OK

TIA for any replies.

[Terry Fields]

My MiL wanted a mobile phone for emergencies, and she's 85. I went with a free SIM from 3 - apparently any credit never expires (it certainly hasn't on our 3 dongle, anyway, which is used sporadically).

HTH

Terry Fields

[Dave Liquorice]

It *might* be worth seeing what the hospital bedside phone/TV system has to offer. Noticed in the Cumberland Royal Infirmary the other day that they now include free 01, 02, 03 calls when you buy a package of phone/TV. The poster didn't say how much those packages where though...

[ARWadsworth]

The poster didn't say how much those packages where

Unless things have changed in the last few years then a mobile phone would be the cheaper option.

[fred]

In article , Hugh - Was Invisible writes

Asda mobile, vodafone based 10ppm flat at all times, non expiring credit but recommended to make a call (even just to connect to her own landline for 30s) once every 3mths or so to keep the sim alive. Sim is 50p in store.

Top up can be by nominated credit card but voice prompts can be difficult for hard of hearing elderly.

[Andrew May]

Surprised no-one has recommended GiffGaff yet. 10p/minute or you can buy a 1 month Goddybag.

Giff Gaff minutes don't expire and if she is only calling you it might be worth getting a cheap phone to put your own Giff Gaff SIM into in order to get free calls (for 3 months from top up).

Plenty of people will offer you a link to get £5 free credit on your first top-up.

One word of warning about 3. It is outside of their terms of use to use the SIM in a 2G phone which I think the Doro would appear to be. 3 is a

3G only network.

Andrew

[JoeJoe]

Worth checking reception as although offering good deals, 3 have serious reception issues is more rural areas.

ASDA mobile don't expire also, and are pretty cheap.

[Davey]

It may not be the best value, but it is very simple. I got a 'phone from Carphone Warehouse, that cost me =C2=A312 to buy. I pay =C2=A35 per mo= nth, for 100 minutes, which I rarely use, as it is for emergencies. But once the DD is set up, I never have to do anything. The supplier is Talkmobile.

--=20 Davey.

[Paul D Smith]

With most systems it seems to be sensible to make a single chargeable call each month to avoid the SIM being disconnected. I have a few PAYG mobiles (for various uses) and the 1st of the month is "call home and hang-up" day. The useless call is cheap and ensures that my mobiles keep going.

BTW, make sure that the new mobile is storing contacts to memory and not SIM; that way if you DO need to replace the SIM, the numbers are still there.

Paul DS.

[Huge]

And in the case of Vodafone, them stealing your credit.

[funkyoldcortina]

In the 5 rural areas I frequent, 3 have the best reception. In most of these rural areas there's no 3G signal at all from Vodafone or O2, and in one of them there's no signal of any kind from O2.

[Dave Liquorice]

system

I think things have changed, at least at the CI. When I was in there a couple of years back there where no free phone calls just expensive ones and the TV wasn't cheap either.

suspect the companies running the service have had to respond to the hospitals relaxing the blanket ban on mobile phones. 6 days for =A315 isn't bad with free 01, 02, 03 calls. Though I note they do say "BT Landlines" after the 01, 02, 03 list...

[dent]

Some hospitals ban mobiles from certain wards or parts of the hospital.

dan.

[Steve Firth]

YMYA

[Steve Firth]

I'd second recommendations for 3 - but add the caveat that their customer support is the worst in the world. As long as you don't need help they are good. Also their website was designed by crack-smoking monkeys.

The Doro is an excellent choice BTW. I bought one for the mother of a friend it has been a literal life saver on multiple occasions. They are so good - ie simple that I thought of having one myself.

[Steve Firth]

Not in my experience. Better than Orange, Vodafone and O2. I get 3G on 3 where the others don't even get a 2g signal.

[Andrew May]

Except that it is a 2G phone. You are not allowed to put a 3 SIM into it.

[Hugh - Was Invisible]

Last time Mum was in hospital I seem to recall that the cost of calling = in =

to them was close to =A31 per minute.

[Hugh - Was Invisible]

They do tolerate mobiles where Mum is going.

[Dave N]

Hugh - Was Invisible wrote, on 12/12/2011 09:17: [...]

I would recommend a Tesco PAYG mobile SIM card. It is one of the cheapest services around. It uses the O2 network which, AIUI, is in the

900MHz frequency range and has better availability inside buildings as distinct from the 1800MHz frequency range. The 'phone credit does not have an expiry time and can be topped-up either online or via the helpline, using a credit or debit card. I *think* you can also buy credit vouchers from Tesco.