T Modile Is Useless

[Palustris]

After days of trying and getting nowhere with a simple(Hah!) attempt to top up my phone I am considering seriously changing to another company. So, in very very simple terms, how do I go about say changing to O2 (or any other company).
The phone is a simple Nokia with a Sim card. It lives in the Car as an emergency device and I call up on it every now and then to keep the card active. I do not need a contract type supply, just £10 on the card.
Thanks

[bookbinder]

Put another company's Sim card in it.

[Mamyalynne]

I've been pay as you go with T Mobile for years but for some time now I have topped up as an EE customer as they merged or took over them (one or the other). Have had no trouble topping up.

[Palustris]

Mamalynne. Have you tried Topping up today? My son in law failed as well as me.

[Palustris]

Bookbinder. More details please.

[Mamyalynne]

I haven't so if something has changed recently I am unaware of it - I rarely use my mobile and checked the balance yesterday and there's enough on there for a year at least.

[bookbinder]

Sim cards can be bought at supermarkets. Buy a card of your choice and follow the instructions in your Nokia booklet for removing the existing card and inserting the new card.

[Mamyalynne]

Palustris, is your phone still active? If so dial 150 and follow the instructions and you should be able to top up that way.

[Buenchico]

If your phone was purchased specifically packaged as a T-Mobile phone, it's probably locked to the T-Mobile network and can't be used on any other phone network [except EE - see below] unless you pay to get it unlocked. (Most mobile phone shops and market stalls can do the job for you).

If your phone was purchased as SIM-free, you can switch to a different network simply by removing the T-mobile SIM and replacing it one from, say, GiffGaff: https://www.giffgaff.com/free-sim-cards
By default, that will give you a new phone number but you can retain your old number by following the instructions provided online by your new provider:
https://www.giffgaff.com/help/articles/how-do-i-keep-my-current-mobile-number-when-i-join-giffgaff

As T-Mobile is now part of EE though, you might find it simplest to switch to EE (which will be possible even if your phone is locked to T-Mobile):
https://ee.co.uk/help/help-new/getting-started-and-upgrading/joining-or-transferring-to-ee/how-do-i-move-to-ee-from-legacy-brands
(Scroll down to 'How do I move my legacy pay as you go account to EE?').
You'll then be able to top up your phone by any of these means:
https://ee.co.uk/help/help-new/billing-usage-and-top-up/topping-up-and-balance/how-can-i-top-up-my-phone

[Palustris]

Thank you. The phone was bought Sim free and we (well Son in law) put in the Sim card from the previous simple phone. So I should be able to just buy and put in a card from any company?
Never actually use the thing except to keep the card active. I hate telephones of any kind.

[bookbinder]

If you don't want to replace the Sim card yourself, you could go to a mobile phone provider and ask the staff to do it for you. I had a similar problem with my Nokia Sim card provider, and I went to a Vodafone shop. I bought a new mobile (Ayasha, £11.00) at the shop, the staff inserted a Vodafone card, and now my new phone is performing well.

[Palustris]

I am very grateful for the help given. Now if my agoraphobia would allow me to go into a shop, all would be well. Big embarrassed grin.

[bookbinder]

Find a willing slave, Palustris, and wave your cheque book at them! You don't have to go to a mobile phone shop yourself. Best of luck!

[Mamyalynne]

No need to be embarrassed, if your phone is not giving you the option to top up using it then you'll have to do things online.

[aelmpvw]

i top up my ee mobile online

[Buenchico]

>>> So I should be able to just buy and put in a card from any company?

Yes. Most providers offer SIM cards free of charge online. When you purchase on in a store there's often just a nominal charge (such as 50p or £1) if you buy a card without any credit on it but the card might come free if you purchase credit at the same time.

I'd normally suggest Asda, as their 'non-bundle' PAYG rates are among the cheapest but they're currently changing networks, so they're not providing an new SIM cards at the moment.

Many other providers either no longer offer 'non-bundle' PAYG rates or they seem to make it hard to access them. (For most people 'bundles' of call time, texts and data are by far the cheapest way of doing things but 'bundles' expire after 30 days, so they're not so good for 'emergency only' phones). Your best ('non-bundle') options though are summarised here:
https://kenstechtips.com/index.php/best-payg-sim-for-low-usage

[Palustris]

Again I am most grateful. That link is just right for information.

[Palustris]

Thanks again to Buenchico/ Now transferred to Pay as you go on Giff gaff. Saved a lot of bother.