Best mobile phone for emergency use?

ionh

As the last person on earth who, until now, has resolutely refused to have anything to do with mobile phones (landlines are already worse than bad enough when it comes to intrusion in my life, thanks very much), i've finally come to the conclusion that it's probably not such a bad idea to keep one in the glove compartment just for outgoing emergency calls.

So i'm looking for something cheap to start with, and cheap to run if the useage is minimal.

As a complete tyro to this stuff, i'd supposed that Mr Google, or Mr MSE, would have straightforward recommendations for what i'd expected to be a "frequently asked question", but i'm blowed if i can find any advice that's (i) pragmatic and detailed, but (ii) comprehensible to someone who really doesn't know their SIM from their elbow (although i'm reason tech-savvy in general...just phone phobic).

Anyone help (or point me to where the FAQ is already answered)?

Thanks
ionh

purple45

Hi, you sound like me! I relented and got a really basic Nokia in the end because of the dangerous road I travel on all the time and the breakdowns! I've now had a couple of different ones. The charge lasts for ages and they stand up to some battering and they just do the basics. I got mine on Orange pay as you go so stuck a tenner on that lasts me months. I bought it from an internet site but I can't remember which one...but I only paid a penny for the actual phone but had to pay the £10 top up at the same time and then wait a day or two for it all to be up and running. Maybe another MSE can point you to the website, it might have been carphone warehouse. I have ended up picking up a couple of phones for various people in this way. Another thing I'd recommend is finding out what network all your friends use and if they have any problems with it in your area maybe.

purple45

http://www.onestopphoneshop.co.uk/mobile-phone/payg/nokia/Nokia-1800.html?tariffcode=EOJT

Found it, not at a penny right now but if you are in no hurry something would turn up. This is the phone I got, its the same price range at onestopphonehop or carphonewarehouse. Its not perfect, but it does the job. The other suggestions I would have would be to ask around as people often have old phones they don't use any more just because of updating, they often seem to turn up on freecycle as well. You could always get hold of one for nothing in that way so that you can get up and running and see how you get on with it.

grumbler

£9.50 sim-free at CPW or £2.90+£10 PAYG (unlocked) at OSPS.

ionh

Thanks for the fast & helpful replies, but i fear that you've misunderestimated my ignorance....so, as i read it, the suggestions above are for dirt-cheap phones. Great! But what do i do with it once i;ve got it? IS "pay as you go" really what it says? If I buy, say, a £10 credit, does it last forever if i don't make any calls? Can i really get by without any sort of recurrent contract?

[Sorry if there are "obvious" answers - family & friends all seem to be phone junkies more interested in how many hours of "free" calls they can get on a monthly contract...]

grumbler

For just occasional short calls the price is irrelevant. Most sims remain active as long as you make/send at least one chargeable call/texts every 180 days. It may be a shorter period at some networks; just check the T&C.
Free Sim with minimum top-up that lasts...
Which PAYG lasts longest unused?

ionh

Brilliant, thanks!

purple45

With the ones I have, I have bought the £10 credit at the same time as the cheap phone so it all arrives together. I set the phone up, it sometimes takes a day or two for the credit to be added once you've followed the instructions. After that I only really send 1 or 2 texts a week and the credit goes on and on. I tend to just remember to check it before I'm going on holiday or something just to make sure I've got enough.

Something else I wanted to add is that one of my cheap phones has been an LG rather than Nokia and that is a good one too.

[Deleted User]

Saw Samsung 1080i in Tesco yesterday - £9.97 with a free SIM on one of several networks. As the phone is for emergency use only, tariff charges are probably less important than the time the phone will hold the charge - remember to charge it regularly so it's available when you need it.