Cheapest phone for pay as you go/text only deals?

cashmonger

If I got a new cheap phone I would have to unlcok it as well woudn't I to take advantage of the lesser known budget sims ie giff gaff?

I'm currently on giff gaff which was the best a few years ago but they've slowly been raising their prices for goodybags.

I am only interested in texting. Whatever works out best. I will have random spurts where I text loads and sometimes a month when I don't text at all. But I usually end up just getting the giff gaff goodybag that gives unlimited texts cos I never know when a texting spurt will come and recenty I tried just a pay as you go 300 texts and went into one of my spurts and used those up within a few days and was jammed into the goodybag till i ran down the talktime.

So wondering if anything else would suit my needs better or if the giffgaff goodybag still works out the best.

As for phone I really don't care about the features or what it looks like so long as it's relatively small in my pocket.

I hate this stupid materialist culture how ppl make fun of you for not having a 'cool' phone of all things.

Atasas

http://www.tello.co.uk

grumbler

https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Free_SIM/Order - if your phone has 3g.
http://www.delightmobile.co.uk/pay-as-you-go/rates/uk-rates.aspx - if it doesn't.

cashmonger

Hmm unlimited texts (£7.50 per month with giff gaff) would still work out better than those though wouldnt it if I had one of my texting rashes? I never knew how many I used but when I used those 300 within a matter of two days or so I got an idea. That was exceptional but it does happen quite often but I never know when (all dependent on when I will meet a girl I get on with which who can say )

tyllwyd

You've mentioned getting a phone unlocked to use a budget Sim - that wouldn't be necessary if you bought the phone Sim free, so it's all going to depend on what phone you want and what deals are around. Any phone is going to be able to text and there are plenty of smaller cheap phones, so that's not going to narrow it down much.

cashmonger

I'm not sure how to choose. Since it's so long since I bought one. Where should I go? I mean it is a bit harder to buy online than most things isn't it. Kind of like buying clothes. I want to feel the size, trying it on for size first etc. I suppose I could get an idea using a measuring tape. The general dimensions are all the is pertinent really.

wow! Argos has some baaaargains at £4.99 a phone! . Nokia 130 which I think I saw in tescos yesterday for £14.99 and some alcatel phone. Oh I see you have to buy ten quid toptup so works out the same.

cashmonger

tyllwyd wrote: »

You've mentioned getting a phone unlocked to use a budget Sim - that wouldn't be necessary if you bought the phone Sim free, so it's all going to depend on what phone you want and what deals are around. Any phone is going to be able to text and there are plenty of smaller cheap phones, so that's not going to narrow it down much.

So I just look for phones that are sim free and they are unlocked by default?

Well having a look it is like a tenner more for sim free so again it ends up the same as paying to unlock.

grumbler

All phones sold by CPW (and mobiles.co.uk, e2save, onestopphoneshop) are not locked - both PAYG and sim-free, and PAYG are likely to be cheaper, even with the compulsory top-up:
http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/pay-as-you-go/deal-finder
http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/handset-only/deal-finder?intcmp=SIMFREE_Viewall_211113

If you have an active PAYG sim-card you may qualify for a cheaper PAYG upgrade deals: http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/pay-as-you-go/deal-finder?PPAYUPG

Beware that the cheapest phones are likely not to have 3g capability.

mobilejunkie

You could get a contract which would give you plenty of texts, 250 mins and 500mb with a Nokia 130 for £7.50 a month on a cashback deal where provided you know what you're doing the whole lot would cost nothing. It would suit your needs and even if you failed to get the cashback you wouldn't be worse off than on PAYG. The phone is unlocked as well.

slink85

post office mobile

£5 will give you 3000 texts, 250 minutes and 500mb of data.

http://mobile.postoffice.co.uk/call-rates/bundles/

cashmonger

Sounds good but I don't like the automatic rollover thing cos I don't use it all the time.

What would work best for me is the most amount of texts I can get for the cheapest amount which don;t expire. Though it seems the only offers are pay for a month.

But the post office one is still better deal than giff gaff I guess. I suppose if I didn't have the call credit then it wouldn't automatically take the money?