Free pay-as-you-go handset?

couchpotato_2

I know that nowadays there are all sorts of deals by which you can get a free mobile phone included. Usually this involves signing up to a contract with inclusive minutes and text messages, paying the line rental bills and then posting your paid bills to the retailer in order to receive your cashback. However, I also remember seeing in an advert deals for pay-as-you-go customers, where buying a certain amount of airtime in one go (say, £50) earns the customer a free phone. I have been looking online to find such offers but so far have only managed to find the contract phone type ones for 12 months free line rental/cashback. I use my phone so rarely that the large amount of inclusive free minutes/texts on a contract phone is just not worth the hassle of posting bills to retailers, and my address is likely to change in the new year which means that I would lose my entitlement to cashback. So, can anyone recommend a good deal for pay-as-you-go?

davery83

Personally I find the phone I want then find the cheapest contract on any network. I then put my PAYG sim in the phone and continue using that just paying the contract bill.
This year, for instance, I am paying £5 a month for a Nokia 6280 meaning £60 a year, rather than the hundreds of quid they'd be on PAYG. You have to pay out in the first place (£21 a month in this instance) but I am happy when I get a cheque for £60 quid every few months.

Happy_shopper

Virgin Mobile's online shop (https://www.virginmobile.com) have some PAYGo phones that work out pretty cheap (not free unfortunately), by the time you take in to account the inclusive airtime...and if you want to knock another £10 off the price, you could send off for the free Virgin sim that's on the sim card thread (TODAY ONLY) and then you don't have to pay £10 for their welcome pack (you could send off for one for a friend too and then you've got cheap calls / texts to them). Also, I vaguely remember there was a way to get 20% off online...perhaps ask around on the vouchers / codes board.

davery83

Happy_shopper wrote:

Virgin Mobile's online shop (https://www.virginmobile.com) have some PAYGo phones that work out pretty cheap (not free unfortunately), by the time you take in to account the inclusive airtime...and if you want to knock another £10 off the price, you could send off for the free Virgin sim that's on the sim card thread (TODAY ONLY) and then you don't have to pay £10 for their welcome pack (you could send off for one for a friend too and then you've got cheap calls / texts to them). Also, I vaguely remember there was a way to get 20% off online...perhaps ask around on the vouchers / codes board.

Virgin mobile is 10% cashback through quidco, forgot to mention that before with the carphone warehouse/e2save you get £36.50 or £37.00 for a contract so works out around £20 for a decent phone following the method mentioned before.

pig_let_cool

hey try the orange refurb on ebay for really cheap phones !! you can get some really good deals on there!

pig_let_cool

heres the link btw for the refurb shop.
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/the-orange-store

good luck!
xx

billsavings

Three have an offer here phone and £10credit for £19.99p.

http://threestore.three.co.uk/payg/default.aspx#

tatts_2

saw in superdrug today.......... didnt look at them in detail mind!) a PAYG handset, costs just £5 when you buy £10 airtime, cant remember what the phone was actually like, but looked okay , its on 3g network , like someone else said, if you wanted to change the network you could get the phone unlocked and put in your choice of sim card ( plenty avialable fre eon the internet!) costs around £10 to get your phone unlocked in a shop.. varies on types of phones though... but usually no more than £20/25! ( can be done free on the web if you want to take a risk!)

echinacea_2

I went to Carphonewarehouse in Coventry last weekend and got myself a free nokia 1110 when I bought £50 mobileworld credit (PAYG). They confirmed that the credit will never expired if you make a phone call every 3 months. Their tariff was quite good as well for PAYG - 15p anytime any network, 7p for text and 15p for sending text to international number. Works well for me!

mchu6am4

Staples have a Nokia 1110 (or it could be 1112) for £20 on Virgin in store (with sim card - don't know what credit is on sim.)

Slartibardfast_2

Argos have reduced the price on the ZTE F866 on Three network. The current deal means you pay £29.99 and get £30 call credit so the phone is effectively free.

The sim has been "glued" in, but can be removed with care.