topic Re: Will my PAYG SIM be deactivated if I'm not in the UK but top up regularly? in Pay as you go

Will my PAYG SIM be deactivated if I'm not in the UK but top up regularly?

Alex_St57 — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:44:02 GMT

Hi,

I have EE Pay As You Go SIM cards that I'm not able to use in the UK for an extended period (around 4 months) — I won't be making calls, sending texts, or using data on them.

However, I will be topping them up remotely (online) with around £8 every 2 months.

My question: does topping up count as a "chargeable action" that resets the 179-day inactivity/hibernation timer, even if I'm not otherwise using the SIM at all (no calls, texts, or data)?

I want to make sure the SIMs won't go into hibernation or be deactivated as long as I keep topping them up on this schedule.

Thanks in advance for any clarification.

Re: Will my PAYG SIM be deactivated if I'm not in the UK but top up regularly?

XRaySpeX — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 10:56:52 GMT

@Alex_St57 : PAYG SIMs don't go into hibernation until after 179 days (~6 months) of non-chargeable activity.

Topping-up during this period does count as a "chargeable action" & resets the period of inactivity back to 0, even if you do nowt else.

Re: Will my PAYG SIM be deactivated if I'm not in the UK but top up regularly?

Peter_W — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:24:08 GMT

Welcome to the Community, @Alex_St57

As @XRaySpeX has mentioned here, it's only after 179 days of inactivity that your SIM will be placed into hibernation.

Even from then, you have a 3 month grace period to request the suspension be lifted, and it's only if you don't respond by the end of this window will the account be permanently cancelled.

We have a full breakdown of how this works here:

Understanding Pay As You Go Hibernation

Peter

Re: Will my PAYG SIM be deactivated if I'm not in the UK but top up regularly?

Alex_St57 — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:58:29 GMT

Hi Peter,

Thank you so much for the clear explanation — really helpful!

I actually called EE Customer Support beforehand and was told that topping up does NOT count as a chargeable action, which left me quite confused. Your post clarifies things a lot, since it explicitly lists topping up as a chargeable activity (as long as it's done before the 179-day mark).

Thanks again!