Previously a happy user of Three's now defunct 123 tariff, spending perhaps £10 a year on top-ups, and now faced with a 300% increase to move to 1pmobile (the cheapest tariff I could find to replace Three), I wanted to look at whether it was possible to actually get minimal mobile service for absolutely nada. Zilch.
Firstly, start with a Three Mobile SIM providing 200MB of data for free (you need to use at least a bit of it each month to keep the sim active. Note that the "register" method mentioned on the page linked to doesn't actually work, but some googling should point you in the right direction for registering the SIM - I had to replace "three.co.uk" in the APN settings with "3Internet" to get up and running)
Now that gives you a small amount of usable data and app to app calls using, say Whatsapp or Signal - but what about app to landline/mobile calls?
You *could* use the Amazon Alexa app, which allows you to make free calls to landlines, however I don't recommend this, as the Android Alexa app tends to end calls as soon as your screen goes off and is generally a bit flakey.
Instead, I recommend using Viber. Viber is, as far as I know, unique in that you can pay for Viber Out (app to mobile/landline) credit using Google Play Credit; the "free" trick is you can earn Google Play Credit for free using the Google Rewards app.
As an example, I earn, on average, £30 of Google Rewards Credit per year (the trick is leave Google Maps Timeline location tracking on - basically the Rewards app will quiz you about if you made purchases at pretty much every shop you walk past, giving you between 6p to 30p per question). My daily stroll now deliberately takes in the high street...
Spent on Viber out, that buys about 125 minutes of landline talk time per month, which (at 14MB of data per hour) uses about 25 MB of your 200MB monthly allowance (assuming you don't just use public wifi for your calls. If you're at home anyway on your own wifi, I recommend using a dedicated Alexa device to make calls to landlines - I bought an Echo Dot on ebay - for free, of course, using a fivers worth of Nectar points earnt through Nectar Canvas - for precisely this purpose).
Viber credit never expires, but it is "frozen" if unused in 6 months, but you just need to log in to the Viber website to unfreeze it.
(Note you can also use Google Play Credit to pay for Google One subscriptions, which I also recommend, rather than frittering it away on apps. As well as the storage, I got 3 months free of Google Premium and Stadia)
Both Viber and Alexa will appear as if the call is coming from your own mobile number, btw, so people can return calls as normal.
Finally - SMS; there's a number of "text for free" websites if you need to send the occasional individual SMS (while using whatsapp or whatever for actual conversations) though be aware that they generally unleash a flood of marketing messages. If you're more tech savvy, you can get some free developer SMS credit with one of the many SMS API providers and send free texts using a simple API REST client.
This is not for everyone, but if you barely use any mobile minutes, rarely if ever use SMS and barely any data (or, like me, live in a city swimming in free wifi and 99% of the time use whatsapp etc) and begrudge even just £30 a year (1pmobile again) on mobile service that you will use a third of at best, or you just enjoy sticking it to the man with "extreme couponing" - this is how you can make it all entirely free.
Firstly, start with a Three Mobile SIM providing 200MB of data for free (you need to use at least a bit of it each month to keep the sim active. Note that the "register" method mentioned on the page linked to doesn't actually work, but some googling should point you in the right direction for registering the SIM - I had to replace "three.co.uk" in the APN settings with "3Internet" to get up and running)
Now that gives you a small amount of usable data and app to app calls using, say Whatsapp or Signal - but what about app to landline/mobile calls?
You *could* use the Amazon Alexa app, which allows you to make free calls to landlines, however I don't recommend this, as the Android Alexa app tends to end calls as soon as your screen goes off and is generally a bit flakey.
Instead, I recommend using Viber. Viber is, as far as I know, unique in that you can pay for Viber Out (app to mobile/landline) credit using Google Play Credit; the "free" trick is you can earn Google Play Credit for free using the Google Rewards app.
As an example, I earn, on average, £30 of Google Rewards Credit per year (the trick is leave Google Maps Timeline location tracking on - basically the Rewards app will quiz you about if you made purchases at pretty much every shop you walk past, giving you between 6p to 30p per question). My daily stroll now deliberately takes in the high street...
Spent on Viber out, that buys about 125 minutes of landline talk time per month, which (at 14MB of data per hour) uses about 25 MB of your 200MB monthly allowance (assuming you don't just use public wifi for your calls. If you're at home anyway on your own wifi, I recommend using a dedicated Alexa device to make calls to landlines - I bought an Echo Dot on ebay - for free, of course, using a fivers worth of Nectar points earnt through Nectar Canvas - for precisely this purpose).
Viber credit never expires, but it is "frozen" if unused in 6 months, but you just need to log in to the Viber website to unfreeze it.
(Note you can also use Google Play Credit to pay for Google One subscriptions, which I also recommend, rather than frittering it away on apps. As well as the storage, I got 3 months free of Google Premium and Stadia)
Both Viber and Alexa will appear as if the call is coming from your own mobile number, btw, so people can return calls as normal.
Finally - SMS; there's a number of "text for free" websites if you need to send the occasional individual SMS (while using whatsapp or whatever for actual conversations) though be aware that they generally unleash a flood of marketing messages. If you're more tech savvy, you can get some free developer SMS credit with one of the many SMS API providers and send free texts using a simple API REST client.
This is not for everyone, but if you barely use any mobile minutes, rarely if ever use SMS and barely any data (or, like me, live in a city swimming in free wifi and 99% of the time use whatsapp etc) and begrudge even just £30 a year (1pmobile again) on mobile service that you will use a third of at best, or you just enjoy sticking it to the man with "extreme couponing" - this is how you can make it all entirely free.
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sorted byIt’s £8 paid monthly. Less £60 cashback by redemption (I have successfully claimed the first payment of £15) Less £25 cashback via TCB (Affordable Mobiles) This is now payable on my account.
£8 x 12 = £96 - £60 - £25 = £11 (92p per month)
Its just a case of looking out for the good deals.
Changed for everyone on the 16th Feb.
three.co.uk/pay…ine
Your mum should have received a text message from Three.
You can dial 444 on a three phone. After hearing your balance & some promo blurb you’ll be told your tariff has changed. You can also press 5 when you get to the options for further details about your tariff. (edited)
I've got the there free sim and I've never had any issues with it
If you get the SIM working by using the 3internet APN value, your device should then automatically open a webpage up which allows you to register the SIM and create an account (though you shouldn't even need to create an account) without buying any data. See the YouTube vid i linked to for more info - that's what I used and I'm online with that free 200mb right now to post this (and I haven't purchased anything).
If only all post are like this
when did teh 123 tarif end? i had my mum on that but now will need to move to 1p or Lebara.
her £10 credit would last 6 months, sometimes more!
just seen this on 1p site, bummer.
Requirements To keep your account and SIM active, just make at least one £10 top-up every 120 days. (edited)
Mine ended on 16th Feb.
im guessing it would be the same for everyone seen as its PAYG.
1p looks like the best alternative at the moment. may just go for the £30 option which will cover the minimun top up for the year.
I know it's very likely to have ended but I haven't received anything saying it has, anybody know how I can check which tariff I'm on now please?
Is it even a real company? RWG have the worst trustpilot reviews I've *ever* seen.
Looks like a affiliate marketer for Now Mobile (already a fairly shadey outfit) playing fast and loose with what the actual rates are to me...
Yeah - 1p mobile is effectively a rolling fixed £2.50 monthly tariff in all but name. The industry seems to be slowly phasing out PAYG in favour of sub £5 rolling sim only tariffs paid in advance with monthly "boosters" and "auto top ups" and just trying different ways of packaging them. (edited)
Yeh completely agree. The Three 123 was fantastic for light use.
That's a great deal... If it pans out. Cash back is something if a lottery in my experience! I'd consider it a nice cherry on top of it comes through, but I don't think I'd calculate my outlay on it, and you have to keep checking it's come through, chase it up etc. I'm not sure it's any less hassle than what I outline above!
Well I've ordered a sim to investigate - let's see what happens
No you don't. (unless it changed this month) I get 200mb each month from each card, I have never topped up any of them - ever.
500MB UK/EU Data
100 UK/EU minutes,
100 texts
£1 per month
Ideal for low users.
(cmlink.com/uk/…ans for anyone else not familiar with China Mobile)
That's a great deal, I'd never heard of them operating in the UK before (they don't come up on comparison sites) so thanks - that's a fantastic contribution.
I'm assuming the carrier is Three (Hutchinson) since it has the same roaming countries as Three.
Do you know if you can transfer a number to them (and how)? And indeed get a PAC code (eg by texting 65075) from them to get it back?
Uses EE in the UK (edited)
If you are trying to get the 200mb free per month you are doing it wrong.
I did a new card a couple of weeks ago. Hubby has been asking me to test his home made 'wine' tonight so my memory is not at it's best but you can do it for free. At this moment I can't remember EXCACLY how - I can't remember my name to be honest.