Is there a true PAYG left? (and is it normal for 02 to kill a payg without warning?)

[Werewolf]

Hi

Younger brother is more than a little annoyed with O2, he's been on their classic PAYG for years because he doesn't actually use his phone much*, and they appear to have killed his sim without warning** (he last made a paid text about a month ago, IIRC the T&C were once every 6 months?), which has locked him out of his ability to use his cards online as he now isn't getting texts.
What's especially annoying him is that it seems that they've killed it outside of what their T&C said they would do.

Looking around it seems that there is no such thing as a "PAYG" just "pay us every month and lose any leftover credit" plans or 12+ monthly contracts..

So is there such a thing as a proper, classic PAYG deal left that anyone knows of, or a really cheap sim only deal - he really objects to paying a giver a month or more when he's literally only using the phone to receive sms messages and emergency calls.

I'm also going to have to do the same thing for my dad's emergency mobile, as O2 have done the same to that (it'll make 999 calls obviously, but that's not much use if he needs to call a family member).


*It hasn't helped that hasn't needed his phone for anything other than authentication for things like his bank and whatsapp, so it's rare for him to actually use it as a phone (although he did text me a couple of months back)..

**No text message or email saying "hey you need to top up or make a call or we're cutting you off!".

 

[Werewolf]

cheers guys, it seems he may have managed to get the sim card reactivated with his old number on his third attempt at calling (why is it every telecoms company seems to have phone lines that are barely 1930's quality?*), he's going to see if the old PAYG tariff applies and if it does he'll make sure to sent a text or something every month with a reminder from his echo/calendar
If it doesn't allow him to use his old tariff he's going to try and port to something like giff gaff or EE.

I think what really annoyed him was the fact they did it without any warning, and it's the number the likes of his GP and bank have as his primary.
He has actually just ordered a new phone which is what caused him to notice this (as he didn't get the "is this you" sms from the bank), which will hopefully encourage him to use it a bit more whilst out of the house (I suspect the only reason I don't run into the same problem with my phone is because I have whatsapp running all the time, I barely make calls or texts on it).


*I was stood behind him as he called, and the line quality was like using voice comms back in the 90's whilst play CS, but worse (the first two calls dropped out at their end before he managed to do much more than say a couple of words).

 

[Werewolf]

An update, the sim is working again with his old number.

I think he's about to put some more money on it, check the tariff and move it over to a new phone tonight (I ended up ordering him a pixel 7 as he was looking at a 6 or 7 and because his sim wasn't working he couldn't verify with the bank).