Looking for the cheapest way to get a mobile number

Hopefully this is the most appropriate section to post this in, please feel free to move it if there is a better place for it.

As subject I'm looking for the cheapest way to get a mobile number. Thought some of the knowledgeable folk round here could suggest some options 😊

Have no interest in calls or data, it's just for receiving texts from silly companies who assume that everyone has a mobile and won't let you use their websites without supplying them with one.
Already both credit card companies I use have gone back to posting me their statements and now after retrieving my latest bank statement I have seen that they intend to stop doing E-mail security codes and going over to SMS security codes only.

Not into the whole world of mobile stuff, as I don't have one, but have found this after a bit of searching https://www.spusu.co.uk/spusu1special
Never heard of them but £34.80 a year is not too bad I suppose, but are there any cheaper ways of getting a number to do what I need?
Have access to some handsets so just need a sim or is there a cheaper way of getting sms messages without doing the whole sim and handset thing? Something like a virtual number and getting the sms as an E-mail?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

You just need to receive texts? If so and you have a handset then just get a pay as you go SIM. Most of them you just need to make a quick phone call every now and then to keep them alive (you would need to check the Ts&Cs but it is possible that a freephone call would be enough to keep the SIM alive costing you nothing). A few quid of credit will keep you going for ages.

EDIT : for example GiffGaff - you can find Ts&Cs here which state

13.5. Your SIM Card will be disconnected unless, at least once every six months, your Account is used to:

a) make at least one call, SMS or MMS to another number (not including calls to emergency services or Member Services or 0800 numbers or texts/calls to free rated numbers);
b) make at least one connection to the Internet;
c) make at least one airtime credit or Plan purchase

So, make one paid call every 6 months and you can receive texts and calls to your hearts content.

Edited by ian72 (Mon 09-Sep-24 16:54:32)

I was on that tariff for about 2 years. Never had a problem. The other way would be to get a 1 year deal with 1P Mobile - so both EE and you can either get PAYG which is 1p/1p/1p but the credit has to be renewed every 120 days or get their £40 1 year PAYG. It used to be £30 and yet they claim no prices rises.. [censored] to that.

Anyway both will give you what you need and IMHO the 1p mobile offering is better unless you need an e-sim in which case Spusu is better

In reply to a post by ian72:

EDIT : for example GiffGaff - you can find Ts&Cs here which state

13.5. Your SIM Card will be disconnected unless, at least once every six months, your Account is used to:

a) make at least one call, SMS or MMS to another number (not including calls to emergency services or Member Services or 0800 numbers or texts/calls to free rated numbers);
b) make at least one connection to the Internet;
c) make at least one airtime credit or Plan purchase

So, make one paid call every 6 months and you can receive texts and calls to your hearts content.

Is that a) and b) and c) or is it a) or b) or c)? It's not clear even on Giffgaff's site.

I've had an O2 PAYG SIM for several years, which I use in a "dumb phone" every now and again for emergency use when I go on a cruise (the dumb phone makes it impossible to use extremely expensive data rates by accident).

I put £20 of credit on it around four years ago, send a single text message from it every six months (done by a diary reminder) and it's still working fine. Cost me a less than a pound a year.

A&A will give you a mobile number for £1.20 per month -- seems easier to pay around £15 per year rather than playing games with second phones and PAYG SIM cards and hoping that you don't lose your number.

Edited by behuk (Mon 09-Sep-24 20:51:55)

Second phones? The OP doesn't have a "first" phone.

I believe it is just any one of the 3 - but I haven't been on a GiffGaff tariff for years - but pretty much all of the operators have similar Payg options.

Lebara via moneysavingexpert maybe the way forward, pay about 1 per month for six or 7 months, either than port out and back in again, or just drop and get a new number

Fine, a phone that is only used for occasionally receiving SMS