topic Top up not working in Pay as you go

Top up not working

JayCoH — Thu, 09 May 2024 07:46:38 GMT

So, it's been a while since I used or topped up my phone and I noticed today I no can no longer receive texts or calls on it. Last time this happened I was able to simply top up on the website and get it working again.
I just tried that, the money went through onto the account and I got a text from 150 saying it had been topped up, but it's still not working.
I tried calling 150 from my phone, to speak to support, and it's saying I can't make that call until I top up first. I don't have another phone to contact them from and I can't seem to find any way to contact them online.
Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks

Re: Top up not working

Leanne_T — Thu, 09 May 2024 10:42:00 GMT

Hi there @JayCoH

Thanks for coming to the community.

To remove the account from hibernation you would need to call us from any other phone, or you can visit an EE Store and they can help you get this sorted.

Please see our Contact EE page for contact details.

Leanne.

Re: Top up not working

Jay8010 — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:43:15 GMT

Well this is just dumb! I only use the EE number as a back up. I topped up £30 in June, it took £15 a few days later, then another £15 in July. Now you wont let me top up again. I would understand if it was 6 months with no use or something but I have been using my phone even over the last few days!

I really can't be f*ck*d with phoning you up and probably waiting on hold for hours on end. I'll just be putting a new sim in the phone to act as a spare.

Warmest regards

Re: Top up not working

Peter_W — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 14:16:43 GMT

@Jay8010 If this was topped up in June and July, then it would seem odd for the account to enter hibernation.

We could possibly speculate on when this happened based on when you last made a call or sent a text, but ultimately the best way to get a definite answer is going to be giving us a call.

I'm confident our team will be able to help clear things up for you, and provided you've not passed an additional 90 days from the initial suspension, we can get this reinstated with potentially any lost credit.

Peter

Re: Top up not working

Yahyanikbakht21 — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 09:45:35 GMT

Hi,

I haven’t used or topped up my EE phone for a while, and now I can’t receive any calls or texts. I tried topping up, but I can’t send a text to 150 because I have no credit. I also can’t call 150, as it says I need to top up first.

I don’t have another phone to contact support, and I can’t find any way to reach EE online.

Could you please help me?

Thanks.

Re: Top up not working

Ritu_D — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 10:22:29 GMT

Good morning @Yahyanikbakht21

Welcome to the community.

You have mentioned that you haven't used or topped up your phone in a while, do you recall when you last used it?

Pay as you go sim cards will go into hibernation if they are not used in 180 days, you have 90 days to Contact Us after this point to get your number back.

Thanks

Ritu

Re: Top up not working

Jay8010 — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 10:46:45 GMT

The solution for me was to simply get another sim card with a different supplier.

My EE sim was only ever meant to be a backup for data, when my wifi wasn't working but in reality, I rarely had a strong enough signal to be able to rely on it and the stupidity I encountered, as you are, when topping up made it a no brainer - I switched to another network that is both cheaper, and has a far more reliable network.

Hope that helps. J