Pre-loaded Data Only Sim for UK and EU - 12 months?

[Vanman]

Hi - I usually have an Internet with legs type Three SIM in a router, it supplements the EE on my phone if EE reception is occasionally poor. Last year I used an O2 SIM in the EU and it worked very well, however I am struggling to find a new deal/replacement Option, they all seem to be one month only which doesn't help.

It needs to be for 6 - 12 months, data only - preloaded (NOT PAYG or Monthly fee) and preferrably under £75. The data allowance doesn't have to be mega as it's a fallback rather than the main event. O2 would be nice but anything other than EE considered.

Thanks!

 

[Tezza50]

Something like this ?

Three Data Only SIM Card 12GB

FeaturesPre-loaded with 12GB Data & Ready to UseGo Roam: Use Your Data in 71 Destinantions WorldwideData lasts up to 12 months from first connectionSIM fits any unlocked 3G or 4G mobile broadband device, including tablets Trio SIM has all SIM types on one cardManufacture's 1 year guaranteeG

holidayesim.com

 

[welshcake lady]

ID mobile, uses 3 network but a lot cheaper, ie. 30gb per month with no cap, approx £8

 

[Tezza50]

ID mobile, uses 3 network but a lot cheaper, ie. 30gb per month with no cap, approx £8

vanman is looking for a preloaded sim for fallback , not a monthly deal , tho that’s a keen price if you want a monthly contract

 

[welshcake lady]

It is on a 1 month contract, can be stopped anytime !

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[Vanman]

Something like this ?

Three Data Only SIM Card 12GB

FeaturesPre-loaded with 12GB Data & Ready to UseGo Roam: Use Your Data in 71 Destinantions WorldwideData lasts up to 12 months from first connectionSIM fits any unlocked 3G or 4G mobile broadband device, including tablets Trio SIM has all SIM types on one cardManufacture's 1 year guaranteeG

holidayesim.com

Thanks - didn't look in great detail at that one as there are better on Amazon. It does say Pay As You Go on it, even though the rest of the text suggests otherwise

 

[Vanman]

It is on a 1 month contract, can be stopped anytime !

Thanks, but if I leave it in my wifi untouched for a year, ready for emergencies, it will cost me 12x£8 = £96 and there are usually issues around monthly payments, UK vs EU use, credit checks and all other kinds of T&C that I don't really want to be part of. I just want to buy one without any contract.

 

[Gellyneck]

Vanman
There is an EE pre-loaded data sim that's 120Gb / 12 months for around £60 in Argos.
We've used them for a few years but can't remember if UK only.
Might be worth checking?

 

[Tezza50]

Hi , 3 pre loaded data sims if you search well can be great value , the one posted was just to show that 3 do these , I’m sure I got a 24 month one last time for about £30 to put in car connect system

 

[Diabalo]

I bought one of these back in August, it lasts 24 months

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Mobile-Pay-Broadband-data/dp/B0D1KWQ7BK/?tag=mhf04-21

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[Vanman]

Vanman
There is an EE pre-loaded data sim that's 120Gb / 12 months for around £60 in Argos.
We've used them for a few years but can't remember if UK only.
Might be worth checking?

Thanks, but I have an EE contract on my phone so I need something different as a backup. Ideally I'd have liked O2 but that is looking unlikely.

 

[Just us on Tour]

I have just purchased a three sim which gives 25GB of data only per month until Feb 27. It’s pre loaded and cost £50 off Amazon.

 

[Vanman]

I have just purchased a three sim which gives 25GB of data only per month until Feb 27. It’s pre loaded and cost £50 off Amazon.

Hi - the "per month" bit confuses me, do you have a link to that please?

 

[starquake]

Look up scancom 3 sim (and o2 and voda, and ee) sims on amazon, you'll find many that offer 25, 80, 200Gb each month for 24/36 month periods for around £50 -80one off payment.

Link to one of them here, valid until Jan 2027 for £80 single payment https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-80GB-Data-SIM-Business-Grade/dp/B0CXTPQVHW/?tag=mhf04-21

They do not roam, but you can buy a similar sim in france at a supermarket for their networks.
Useful as backup sims (we use one as primary in motorhome (unlimited) and one in the house (80Gb) as a backup for if the Fibre fails, which happens around here.

 

[Gellyneck]

Thanks, but I have an EE contract on my phone so I need something different as a backup. Ideally I'd have liked O2 but that is looking unlikely.

I've got an O2 Classic PAYG sim as the "second sim" in my phone.

Had it for years and got it directly from O2 however they discontinued a few years back. Having said that you can still get them on ebay (eg https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15534826...pid=5339023013&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1) and seem to operate on the same principle. You purchase, put it into your phone, call a specific number and put a minimum credit on it.

Might not be for you as your looking for data only and not PAYG but thought I'd mention. Maybe they do something similar to what you're looking for?

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[BrochMike]

I have just purchased a three sim which gives 25GB of data only per month until Feb 27. It’s pre loaded and cost £50 off Amazon.

Business use, UK data only.
No roaming.

 

[BrochMike]

I bought one of these back in August, it lasts 24 months

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Mobile-Pay-Broadband-data/dp/B0D1KWQ7BK/?tag=mhf04-21

£24 for 12mth/12Gb (all usable as roaming) sounds like a good backup option.
I wonder if there's any small print?

PS. ignoring the fact Three coverage is pants in UK!

 

[Vanman]

Look up scancom 3 sim (and o2 and voda, and ee) sims on amazon, you'll find many that offer 25, 80, 200Gb each month for 24/36 month periods for around £50 -80one off payment.

Link to one of them here, valid until Jan 2027 for £80 single payment https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-80GB-Data-SIM-Business-Grade/dp/B0CXTPQVHW/?tag=mhf04-21

They do not roam, but you can buy a similar sim in france at a supermarket for their networks.
Useful as backup sims (we use one as primary in motorhome (unlimited) and one in the house (80Gb) as a backup for if the Fibre fails, which happens around here.

Thanks, roaming is essential. I have trouble with UK supermarkets - French ones doubly so ... trying to buy a SIM there would probably result in me accidentally enlisting in the French Foreign Legion

 

[Dorwyn]

I've got an O2 Classic PAYG sim as the "second sim" in my phone.

Had it for years and got it directly from O2 however they discontinued a few years back. Having said that you can still get them on ebay (eg https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15534826...pid=5339023013&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1) and seem to operate on the same principle. You purchase, put it into your phone, call a specific number and put a minimum credit on it.

Might not be for you as your looking for data only and not PAYG but thought I'd mention. Maybe they do something similar to what you're looking for?

I bought one of these, and found it was only valid until November 2023, so wouldn't work when I finally tried to log in. I assumed they had withdrawn the service.

 

[Bolti]

I bought one of these, and found it was only valid until November 2023, so wouldn't work when I finally tried to log in. I assumed they had withdrawn the service.

The sims have an expiry date if not activated.

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk

and here sims for only 20p

Pardon our interruption...

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[Vanman]

The sims have an expiry date if not activated.

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk

and here sims for only 20p

Pardon our interruption...

So, if I'm reading those correctly you have to top up £10/month so that's £120 per year?

 

[Dorwyn]

So, if I'm reading those correctly you have to top up £10/month so that's £120 per year?

That's how I read it.

 

[Gellyneck]

So, if I'm reading those correctly you have to top up £10/month so that's £120 per year?

That's how I read it.

If it's a pukka O2 Classic PAYG you put a minimum of £10 credit on when you activate it and as long as you make one chargeable call / text every 90 days that's it. You lose the credit if you don't. Think it's about 20 / 25p per text.

Obviously, you need to top-up when your initial £10 gets low and it's a minimum of another £10.

I've had mine for years and only topped up once (well O2 did as they screwed up a couple of years ago!) and still have around £7 on it as it's only used as an emergency sim if we're in the back of beyond with no signal on 3 (my main sim) or Mrs G's EE sim (her main one). She has Vodafone PAYG as her back-up so we've got coverage on all 4 networks. The kids know to try our main sims first and then the back-ups. If we need to get them and have only coverage on O2 I'll "waste" 20p texting them and they'll call back on that sim.

 

[Vanman]

If it's a pukka O2 Classic PAYG you put a minimum of £10 credit on when you activate it and as long as you make one chargeable call / text every 90 days that's it. You lose the credit if you don't. Think it's about 20 / 25p per text.

Obviously, you need to top-up when your initial £10 gets low and it's a minimum of another £10.

I've had mine for years and only topped up once (well O2 did as they screwed up a couple of years ago!) and still have around £7 on it as it's only used as an emergency sim if we're in the back of beyond with no signal on 3 (my main sim) or Mrs G's EE sim (her main one). She has Vodafone PAYG as her back-up so we've got coverage on all 4 networks. The kids know to try our main sims first and then the back-ups. If we need to get them and have only coverage on O2 I'll "waste" 20p texting them and they'll call back on that sim.

Thanks again, but as I've said, it needs to sit in a Wi-fi router that doesn't make calls or texts. It's no use to me if it expires or needs top ups or needs regular maintenance!

 

[Vanman]

I bought one of these back in August, it lasts 24 months

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Mobile-Pay-Broadband-data/dp/B0D1KWQ7BK/?tag=mhf04-21

Thanks, I bought another one of these and fired it up no problems but there are two pieces of small print that I had never noticed before, only 12GB of the 24GB are available for use outside the UK - not a problem as I will use both and you need to use it within every 180 days to stop it dying, again not a great problem as I'll probably use it most trips if only to compare reception vs EE