Smartphone for a long weekend

dibuzz

Does she really need a phone for a school trip?
Surely the teachers will have one in case of emergency?

robbies_gal

if theyre not her close friends then why is she bothered what they think-get her to tell them that at least she wont be going home with a hummungous phone bill and a grounding from her parents

alisont

I know when some of our students go on a residential there is a mobile that staff hold that parents have the number of to ring students on. Parents are also advised phones go at students/their own risk. We don't encourage smart phones - too high a risk.

I've got an iPhone 4 myself and am seriously thinking I won't take it to Berlin when I go I'm July - I kept my old htc wildfire which is unlocked and if I'm gng out at night or away and don't want to risk the iPhone I take that one - got it on a tmobile payg sim only but I've also got an 02 sim (got for the priority gig pre sales) and swap it round as needed. 02 seem to have a £1.99 a day deal for use abroad, or I may take the iPhone as Vodafone do the £3 a day Euro traveller deal. I can use my iPod touch for the Internet as we are getting an apartment with wifi hopefully.

With the teens I work with a lot have blackberrys or samsungs but a lot also have the old nokias. It's really sad how some students bully or make comments about what phones others have:(

Hope the trips really good!

zagfles

Is she really more likely to lose the phone in Paris than when out and about anywhere here? Can't really see the point in having a super-dooper phone and not taking it anywhere in case you lose it!

What kind of accomodation is it - if it's dorms I can understand the concern as it's easy to steal stuff, but if they're sharing hotels rooms 2-3 kids per room with people they know I wouldn't be concerned. My son went on a trip recently with his £200 smartphone, we just told him if he loses it he'll have to save up his pocket money for a year to get another one!

Also you could look into insurance - should be cheaper than a £50 phone - your house insurance may already cover it, some do.

robbies_gal

as i said above i wouldnt rely on insurance theres been alot of thread recently with people claiming for their kids phones only to discover their not covererd for anyone under 18

zagfles

gabbyevs wrote: »

as i said above i wouldnt rely on insurance theres been alot of thread recently with people claiming for their kids phones only to discover their not covererd for anyone under 18

Some will, some won't, that's why I said to look into it. The school's trip insurance may even cover it (though may have a low limit).

I'm thinking of getting the Nationwide FlexPlus account, mainly for the travel insurance plus breakdown cover, but that also includes phone insurance and does cover children.

tyllwyd

zagfles wrote: »

Is she really more likely to lose the phone in Paris than when out and about anywhere here? Can't really see the point in having a super-dooper phone and not taking it anywhere in case you lose it! ...

Yes, you have a point with that - I keep changing my mind back and forth! What worries me is that she is not very street-smart, so she could easily get pickpocketed in a big city.

We have thought about insurance, but it seems so unlikely to pay out we've resigned ourselves to self-insuring.

tyllwyd

Just to update - I spent a week or more looking at used phones on ebay, but it seems that even the cheapest and scruffiest smartphones go for over £40 (including p&p). That seems a lot of money when I was looking at phones that would cost less than £100 new, considering the risk that you would buy a duff one, or the battery would be no good.

So, I've decided to go with the phone that was mentioned further up the thread, the Alcatel OT-903, which I've bought for £39.99 plus top up. It seems to have decent reviews, and at least if it is brand new I can be reasonably sure it will work reliably. After the trip we can sell it or, probably, we'll keep it as a back up phone for the family or other trips out.

Thanks to everyone who replied, and to those who are thinking "I told you so, you should have bought the cheap phone in the first place", all I can say is you are probably right!!