Every prepaid SIM card customer wants or at least wishes to have a SIM card with lifetime validity. Your hectic schedule or tight hand on your finances makes you crave a plan that doesn’t require a periodic recharge, at least for incoming calls. When you miss the deadline to recharge your plan, it may result in missing some important calls. Also, it’s a hassle to call the carrier or visit the nearest outlet. We already discussed how long a SIM remains valid and studied leading SIM cards for long validity. However, the question is whether any service provider offers lifetime validity?
Can I Use a SIM Card Forever?
The short answer is no, not every country lets users use SIM cards forever. Only a few do, but this truly depends on the time you check. Since mobile network providers are for-profit companies, this option depends on people’s interest. Carriers adjust their offers and quickly discontinue plans that don’t meet the projected number of subscriptions. Their goal is to assign unused phone numbers to new subscribers, too. Thus, it’s difficult and time-consuming to provide an answer for every country. We will use India and the United Arab Emirates, the two countries best known for this benefit, for demonstration.
Which Lifetime Validity SIM Card Plans are Available in India?
There was a time in the mid-2000s when every network operator in India started providing lifetime validity plans. Though it used this name, it didn’t mean the SIM card would go on forever but for a good number of 25 to 30 years. Yes, you heard that right! Thirty years of incoming calls without conditions. But recently, the telecom companies in the country nullified those active lifetime validity plans, which may have been unethical.
Instead, these companies launched long-term validity plans in their place. These plans allow you to have validity which could last for 3 months, 6 months, and even a year. However, you need to remember that the month of a telecom company is not 30 or 31 days, but only 28 days. Therefore, if you opt for a 3 months plan you won’t get a validity of 90 but 84 days (28×3).
Is There a Service Provider That Offers Validity for a Lifetime in India?
Yes, but Airtel is the only service provider that lets users sign up for a lifetime validity plan on their SIM card. There are currently two plans, both providing gratis incoming calls:
- The first plan costs Rs 100 and lets users get Talktime of Rs 81.75, outgoing call validity of 28 days, incoming validity of calls for a lifetime, and no data balance.
- The second plan is Rs 500 in which you acquire Talktime worth Rs 420.73, outgoing calls validity of 28 days, free incoming calls with lifetime validity, and zero data balance.
The lifetime validity here literally means the validity will last while Airtel has the license to offer telecom services.
Examples of India’s Plans that Remain Valid Long-Term
All the three major telecom players in India, i.e., Jio, Airtel, and Vi offer long-term validity plans. These plans can be categorized into 3 sections – 56 days, 84 days, and 365 days validity. Since we’re sure you’re not interested in the first two, we’ll showcase plans with 365 days validity:
- Airtel offers a plan worth Rs 1,799 offering 24 GB of data in total. Its Rs 2,999 plan offers 2 GB of data daily. Both plans also offer 100 SMS per day and unlimited calling minutes.
- Vodafone Idea has a plan worth Rs 1,799 which offers 24 GB of data in total. There is another plan worth Rs 2,899 offering 1.5 GB of data/day. Both supply 100 SMS/day and limitless calling minutes.
- Jio offers a plan at Rs 1,559 giving 24 GB of total data and also offers 3,600 SMSes in total. There is also a Rs 2,879 plan with 2 GB of data daily. This plan also includes unlimited calling minutes and 100 SMS/day.
Which UAE Carriers Offers SIM Cards Valid for My Lifespan?
There are two mobile network providers in the United Arab Emirates that deliver lifetime plans:
Du Lifetime Plan
Starting with January 19, 2010, Du lets any pay-as-you-go SIM card user sign up for a special plan by dialing 135 and picking option 5. After a one-time fee of AED 20, users must consume a minimum of AED 10 from their balance per year in whichever way they deem appropriate. Though not without strings attached, the offer is more than generous.
Etisalat Lifetime Offer
Etisalat delivers a lifetime validity to any Wasel prepaid SIM user since August 2011. There are minor strings attached here as well. For example, you need to make one charged call or send an SMS at least once every three months. If you don’t, the carrier will deduct 10 AED every three months to keep the SIM alive. They only shut the SIM off if there’s no activity for a year, and you run out of balance.
Notable Perk of a Lifetime SIM
Prepaid connections have a lot of benefits. But there is one drawback: you must recharge them frequently or else you lose that phone number. Having a lifetime or long-term validity plan ensures that you don’t need, for example, a monthly recharge. Moreover, you usually lock a fixed (or slightly varying) price instead of being prone to pricing changes to plans and packages every few weeks or months.