Trying to get a mobile with rubbish credit

emmaf01

Hi
My nearly 4 years old Samsung s8 phone is in dire need of replacing.
It's been a tough few years though.  I've had major surgeries, I've become physically disabled with an untreatable and I've been told its life limiting.
It's been pretty rough, between the DWP,  pushing for carers, trying to keep two autistic kids as calm and secure as possible.
But I  am struggling with a definite change in circumstances.  And my credit rating has suffered too.
That's ok most of the time, but I've now hit a major roadblock. 
Five years ago when I wanted a new phone I just looked about and picked a deal i liked.
This time it's a real struggle to get any pay monthly handset deal. At all. I've been looking for a refurbished hand set but even then i am pretty sure the credit checkers would laugh me out of the house.
So if anyone has any ideas that would be great.
We've lost so much, without a reasonably working mobile I can't manage. I have missed 2 vitally important phone calls this week. I need my life line, especially as I've been basically imprisoned in my bedroom since March!
I'm not after an iPhone or anything new and flash. Though I would like a nice camera as I love taking photos for the kids memory books.

yksi

Honestly? Spend £100 and buy a refurbished smart phone outright. You can get an as-new s7 for that and they are perfectly serviceable, they definitely take calls reliably and take good photographs. I'm still using a 4yo s7 and never have issues answering calls. For that money you can include a good case to protect it too.

I'm really sorry for your disabilities and health situation, but poor credit will mean not only that you can't afford a new, flashy phone, but also that you might not be able to get a post-pay plan or phone-included plan at all. 

emmaf01

I'm not expecting to get anything flash! And I only said about my health to explain a change from getting a new phone without thinking, to becoming panicked that I wont be able to get one at all! It's been a really steep learning curve for me.
Are there reputable online places people can recommend for refurbished handsets? I am not mobile right now and my GP has warned me to stay at home unless it's an absolute emergency.
I still have a sim and plan from Virgin Mobile, about £8 a month.

sdduk

I have a samsung galaxy s6 edge and had it for just over 4yrs and last week i got another one off of O2 because i have a cracked screen on my old one so now have 2 of them the refub is really good condition and works great battery is not to bad. i just turn a few setting down to make the battery last a couple of days...don't play games or watch youtube.
Camera is quite good well i think so.
So maybe get a Samsung Galaxy 6 from O2 for £59...They do come locked to O2 but all you do is go on the O2 website serch for unlock phone and then fill the form in and they will unlock for Free..anyway have a look at the cheap refurbs on the link.
Good luck with finding a phone.
 https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/phones?contractType=payasyougo#sort=content.sorting.lowestOneoffCost&page=1&condition=likenew

liggerz87

Have a look ata moro g7 powee goid battery on it decent camera you could try sim only on a network pay for 3 months then upgrade it could upgrade your virgin sim maybe also all o2 phones are now unlocked i think from 2017 

Neil49

Take a look at the electronics section of Hotukdeals for handsets to buy outright. Many end of range phones get sold at discount prices and this is a good place to find them. 

Xiaomi are a good bet as they produce good phones but don't charge silly prices for them. I don't know what your budget is but there are plenty of phones listed. 

yksi

The good thing is that most refurbished phones have come from people who just wanted a newer model for no reason at all except for looks or to show off... so you can get a bargain. Let them be the ones who wasted their money, not you

in_the_Cotswolds

Maybe CEX?

tehone

Why would the OP get a second hand Samsung S6 or S7 , when they already have an S8?
My first bit of advice would be (save/backup all your important info  - contacts, messages, photos), and then see if a full reset of the phone makes a difference, only reinstall the apps you genuinely use, and see if that makes enough of a difference to you for the moment.

Otherwise you can get Honor (Huawei's cheaper brand), Xiaomi, etc smartphones new for not that much, just keep an eye on Amazon for a good deal

sdduk

tehone said:

Why would the OP get a second hand Samsung S6 or S7 , when they already have an S8?
My first bit of advice would be (save/backup all your important info  - contacts, messages, photos), and then see if a full reset of the phone makes a difference, only reinstall the apps you genuinely use, and see if that makes enough of a difference to you for the moment.

Otherwise you can get Honor (Huawei's cheaper brand), Xiaomi, etc smartphones new for not that much, just keep an eye on Amazon for a good deal

Because she doesn't have much money and can't get one on contract and if you read what she said she has missed important  calls.
Also the S6 is better than most cheap chinese phones, Go and compare its got a octa core processor and 3g of ram and the Camera is still good plus nfc on the S6.
I admit the S8 is better phone but when you are in a tight squeeze you try to get any reasonable phone until you can afford a better one.

bob99999

Agree S6 would be a good choice, in fact I'm after one for a family member.
Unfortunately out of stock on O2. Wondering where else could get one for same price?