Cheapest way to run a basic talk and text phone

Comstock

Ian011 wrote: »

The other is to go with an inclusive deal that covers all of your usage. You might get away with a £5 deal most months. Be aware that if you exceed the allowance the call rates can be extortionate, wiping out any savings you made.

.

Yes, that is what puts me off most £5 SIM deals (and EE's £1/week deal). If I ever have an emergency or other event that causes me to go over my allowance, I'm going to get stung for 30ppm or more at just the time I need it least.....

I was looking at ASDA's £5 a month deal, because they only charge a relatively modest 8ppm if you go over?

Supatramp

mobilejunkie wrote: »

1) Sainsbury's PAYG sim free bundle for 30 days from (free) actuivation... order by 2nd May. Cost - free.

2) Cashback contract; basic Nokia phone, 250 minutes, tons of texts plus 500mb (even though you don't need them). 24 month contract, cost after cashback 99p per month.

I can't seem to find your 2nd deal on the Sainsburys site, it could perfect for a friend

mobilejunkie

It's not on their site. It's a cashback deal through CPW subsidiaries and you have to understand how cashback deals work. Look on E2save, mobiles.co and Onestopphoneshop.

Kernel_Sanders

Comstock wrote: »

Yes, that is what puts me off most £5 SIM deals (and EE's £1/week deal). If I ever have an emergency or other event that causes me to go over my allowance, I'm going to get stung for 30ppm or more at just the time I need it least.....

I was looking at ASDA's £5 a month deal, because they only charge a relatively modest 8ppm if you go over?

But why do that when you only need pay 3p/min 2p/text if you go over? Both 3 and Delight offer this, and I'd have thought Delight's £1 deal would be suitable with your usage:

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

33 UK mins, 33MB data and 33 texts, plus unlimited same network mins. Even without the latter that beats one EE £1 bundle for data, beats the other for texts and beats both for minutes. Oh, and it doesn't all expire after 7 days.

You're not limited to one a month, so why not just get another as the minutes expire? You'll have benefited from texts and data for free.

Comstock

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

But why do that when you only need pay 3p/min 2p/text if you go over? Both 3 and Delight offer this, and I'd have thought Delight's £1 deal would be suitable with your usage:.

I'm slightly sceptical of Delight Mobile. I might be totally wrong, but if they are the same group as Vectone I'm right to be nervous. I might try them as a spare sim or something, but I'm loathe to use them as my main network.

I've explained above why I don't want Three. They only work with 3G phones and I don't want a smartphone. Yes there are some non smartphone 3G phones but not many, and they don't make them anymore.

Anyway an Asda SIM was only 50p and you get 10 minutes with that, so I can check coverage before I commit fully. Even then, £5 is hardly a massive commitment.

System

Unlikely, as their sims don't use T-Mobile's or Orange's network code (234-30 / 234-33) If memory serves they use 234-01.

You'll also be 'roaming' all the time.

I would suggest Tesco lite or Mobile by Sainsburys if 3G/4G isn't wanted as they use O2 / Vodafone rather EE with Asda.

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

Will a Delight SIM work in an old phone locked to Tmobile or Orange?

What do you mean by 'see any data connection'?

redux

There's no rule against using two brands, and you're pretty likely to have a spare phone or two.

You might have a cheap bundle on one, and 3p a minute on extra calls if needed.

Comstock

redux wrote: »

There's no rule against using two brands, and you're pretty likely to have a spare phone or two.

You might have a cheap bundle on one, and 3p a minute on extra calls if needed.

That actually isn;t a bad idea, although I find it confuses people if you call them from a number other than your own.

I might dip my toes in the Delight pool at some stage, or more likely Three (because I think it makes sense to have your spare phone on another network)

mobilejunkie

I have 9 contracts across 4 networks; I've been doing that for years and it has a number of advantages - calling someone from a different number being one of them, although not as large as many others.

System

But then you are a 'mobilejunkie' :rotfl:

mobilejunkie wrote: »

I have 9 contracts across 4 networks; I've been doing that for years and it has a number of advantages - calling someone from a different number being one of them, although not as large as many others.