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Buying first smartphone
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It means the phone comes without a SIM and contract and you are able to put any SIM of your choice into itThings that are differerent: draw & drawer, brought & bought, loose & lose, dose & does, payed & paid0
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oldernonethewiser wrote: »It means the phone comes without a SIM and contract and you are able to put any SIM of your choice into it
Thanks. You know, I have been looking at websites and adverts thinking that "SIM-free" meant smartphones which did not accept a SIM card and you had to have a contract or something else with O2 or Vodaphone etc. The complete opposite of the correct definition!0 -
By way of further explanation in case it's of any help, if you look on mobile providers' websites you'll see the phrase "SIM Only" which means, as the name suggests, you get the SIM only, not a phone and this is what you need to go in your SIM-Free phone from Argos of wherever.
Within the SIM-only SIMs you can get pay monthly ones or pay as you go ones.
Within the pay monthly ones you can get ones which require you to commit to a year or two or ones that only require you to commit to a month. The ones that require commitment are a bit cheaper each month.
Pay as you go is not all that suitable for a smartphone in my view as the price of data is quite high. Your phone will tend to use data in the background and that will eat into your balance. Once you have a smartphone you'll find you use it more and more so you'll use more data.
I'd suggest you find a SIM-only deal which gives at least 1gb of data and only commits you to one month. That way, you'll be able to change easily if you find you need more data and you should be able to find something suitable for about £6 or £8 per month.
If the number on your old SIM is important to you it's really easy to transfer it to any new SIM you may get and only takes a day or so0 -
Sim free easy if you are going to buy the phone .
Network contract for the phone = Phone + network costs .
My now old Smartphone £400 + network use about £20 per years . Big big saving for me as a light user .0 -
Pay as you go is not all that suitable for a smartphone in my view as the price of data is quite high. Your phone will tend to use data in the background and that will eat into your balance. Once you have a smartphone you'll find you use it more and more so you'll use more data.
I'd suggest you find a SIM-only deal which gives at least 1gb of data and only commits you to one month. That way, you'll be able to change easily if you find you need more data and you should be able to find something suitable for about £6 or £8 per month.
I disagree, given that the OP is talking about typically topping up £10 per year. He should be fine on the o2 tariff where data is 1p per MB. I'd describe myself as a regular but moderate user of data and I'm averaging a £5 per month spend on that tariff. I know someone who's usage sounds comparable to that of the OP and they are unlikely to exceed £20 per year spend. I think OP should try pay and go first and consider SIM only if their spend justifies it.
Other points in favour (based on my experience) are Rewards (10% back on top ups), Priority (e.g. free coffee at Caffe Nero every week, 2 for £10 at Pizza Express), regular offers of free credit for topping up (e.g. £15 that lasts for a fortnight) and occasional free data allowances (e.g. 1GB that lasts for 10 days).
As the OP is already on o2 and has £15 of credit left it's an absolute no-brainer for them to stick with that initially and see how it goes.0 -
The big difference going from a standard mobile to a smartphone is how often you need to charge it. Get used to charging a smartphone daily or every couple of days at best.
The other big change is that you can obviously do so much more with your smartphone even if you are just a light user with regards texts and calls. Check football scores, look up bus/train times & buy your journey tickets, listen to music, photos, contactless payments, online banking, browsing the internet, playing games (everything from solitaire to call of duty), reading books, watch/stream video, etc, etc.
As mentioned the Moto G phones are a good balance between price and being decent quality, I also agree that if you are careful setting it up so that all your apps update only when connected to wi-fi, you can keep mobile data on for when you need it outside, and still be ok to use a smartphone on a PAYG like the O2 Classic. If you find yourself topping up £5 per month, then consider getting a sim only contract to give yourself more freedom to use the phone.0 -
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Which right phone is that, one of the newer phones with a huge screen & battery?0
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I spend about £30 a year on my PAYG smartphone and use it quite a lot for browsing the internet - but am careful to use it on the unlimited wi-fi at home or visiting family. Mobile data is switched off except for emergencies.0
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