Prepaid SIM card expired - what to do?

If you have a prepaid SIM card in your smartphone and suddenly can no longer use it, it may be that it has expired. When it can happen that a SIM card is deactivated and how you then best proceed, we explain here.

How long is a prepaid SIM card valid

Since every prepaid SIM card with associated phone number is associated with costs for a mobile phone company, it may happen that it is deactivated if you have not used the SIM card for a longer period of time or have not charged it within a certain period of time. For most providers, such as O2 and E-Plus, this period is six months, while the period for users of a prepaid card from Vodafone or Telekom is twelve months. The situation is different for the mobile provider Aldi Talk, where the duration of the activity window depends on the amount of the recharge and varies between four and 24 months.

Prepaid: These steps are necessary when your SIM card expires

If the prepaid SIM card of your smartphone is about to expire, you will usually be informed of this in writing one month in advance, for example by SMS or by mail.

1. Depending on your provider, it is then necessary to make a recharge or make a call within a month to extend the activity window.
2. If you have missed the one-month deadline, your SIM card will be blocked, but you usually still have three months to reactivate it free of charge before your phone number is reassigned.
3. Even if your SIM card has been permanently deactivated, this does not mean that the remaining credit on the card will expire. To get it paid out, please contact your mobile operator.