Prepaid Sim Activation Vs Expiry

[UncleDarth]

Recently purchased a Prepaid Sim which says I have to ACTIVATE it by May 2019, but it has an EXPIRY of October 2020.
Does this mean if I activate it before May, but don't use the recharge value, I can use it at any time until October 2020?
We are heading off around Australia and want to have prepaid cards to use as Hotspots while we travel...so I wanted to purchase enough cards to get us through the trip.
Can I buy them now (with an activation date of May 2019) and still use them in December?

[Smiley3 · Accepted solution]

Hi UncleDarth,

The activation date of May 2019 on the Pre-Paid Sim you purchased would be referring to the Telstra Pre-Paid Max plan.

The Max plan has Bonus Data with the first 5 recharge's if you Activate the Sim, choose the Max Plan and recharge the Sim by 13th May 2019 with the 4 remaining recharge's put on by 31st October 2019.

https://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/prepaid-mobiles/offers-and-rates

Therefore, technically you'll have to Activate the Sim you purchased by the Expiry date on the Sim card...which you say is in October 2020.

If you only want to start using them in December 2019 then you can Activate them in December.

You don't need to purchase multiple Sim cards to use as a hotspot while travelling. It will be a hassle to keep Activating new Sim cards as they can take up to 48 hours to Activate. 

You can always put another recharge $ value onto the Sim you Activated.

Below is a link on how to Recharge a Pre-Paid service that has been Activated. You can purchase a Telstra Pre-Paid voucher from a Telstra store, Supermarket, Newsagency or Post Office....or you can recharge with a Credit Card. 

https://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/prepaid-mobiles/prepaid-recharge