True PAYG, no "monthly plan"?

victor2

Frozen_up_north said:

....

As others mentioned, a rarely used mobile is probably going to have a poor condition battery and as I found may not even work due to either a faulty phone or SIM.

Easiest, and cheapest, plan these days is to be a "helpless stranded pensioner" and wait for someone helpful with a mobile phone to pass by. All they need to have is a bit of paper (or even a smart little laminated card) with important numbers on it...

PHK

Frozen_up_north said:

I find this whole “race to find the cheapest possible deal” bizarre.

An elderly relative recently was bought a basic Doro flip phone by his wife, it cost only £20 less than a much easier to use “smart phone”.

As often as not it has a flat battery, he goes off driving alone without the phone and can never remember how to use the phone either. The latest saga is that it wasn’t receiving incoming calls or texts… no idea why.

In perhaps many cases it’s nothing to do with money, it’s the elderly remaining in the last century and not wanting to engage with modern technology. In this particular case, he has a very costly landline and doesn’t think twice about the cost of using it, as opposed to having unlimited “free” calls for a very modest sum per month with a non contract SIM, that has monthly auto top-up.

As others mentioned, a rarely used mobile is probably going to have a poor condition battery and as I found may not even work due to either a faulty phone or SIM.

I agree with you completely, as Martin Lewis often says you need to look at the total cost of ownership. That includes time spent faffing around looking for the cheapest pence per minute, when you can have unlimited calls and texts for £4 a month. (0.5% of the basic state pension, 0.25% of minimum wage) All the time paying over the odds for a landline.

Being a bit older, several of my friends had doro phones and none of them found them easy to use. They might have big buttons but the menu system is difficult to use and one didn’t have the steadiness of hand to press a button, but did manage to tap a smartphone screen especially with a big launcher or the simplified iPhone mode. There’s a reason doro are moving to smartphones. 

KxMx

I don't understand why so many cling to PAYG, when low priced monthly rolling contracts are available.
No worrying about running out of credit, forgetting to keep the number active by making a call etc 🤷🏼‍♀️

danco

For me, I decided to have two phones, one of which stays at home as a backup for financial dealings if anything happened to my main phone. So I have a monthly rolling contract on my main phone (just got an iPhone 17) and am keeping the iPhone 14 as spare. So even a monthly contract on that doesn't seem worthwhile. At present I don't even have a SOIM in the old phone, and am not sure I need one, but a £10 Giffgaff might be worth it.

KxMx

I too keep my previous handset as an emergency spare phone. It's on Tesco Mobile PAYG so been mulling over my options. About £11 credit I think.

Looking for a lower priced rolling SIM than my main handset (Lebara/Vodafone £5), and needs to be a different network.

Otherwise I might just stay with Tesco on the new PAYG tariff. 

MACKEM99

If your mum has trouble recalling the 180 day rule, or whatever the timescale is, just call her few days before and get her to give you a quick call?

prowla

Frozen_up_north said:

I find this whole “race to find the cheapest possible deal” bizarre.

An elderly relative recently was bought a basic Doro flip phone by his wife, it cost only £20 less than a much easier to use “smart phone”.

As often as not it has a flat battery, he goes off driving alone without the phone and can never remember how to use the phone either. The latest saga is that it wasn’t receiving incoming calls or texts… no idea why.

In perhaps many cases it’s nothing to do with money, it’s the elderly remaining in the last century and not wanting to engage with modern technology. In this particular case, he has a very costly landline and doesn’t think twice about the cost of using it, as opposed to having unlimited “free” calls for a very modest sum per month with a non contract SIM, that has monthly auto top-up.

As others mentioned, a rarely used mobile is probably going to have a poor condition battery and as I found may not even work due to either a faulty phone or SIM.

PHK said:

Frozen_up_north said:

I find this whole “race to find the cheapest possible deal” bizarre.

An elderly relative recently was bought a basic Doro flip phone by his wife, it cost only £20 less than a much easier to use “smart phone”.

As often as not it has a flat battery, he goes off driving alone without the phone and can never remember how to use the phone either. The latest saga is that it wasn’t receiving incoming calls or texts… no idea why.

In perhaps many cases it’s nothing to do with money, it’s the elderly remaining in the last century and not wanting to engage with modern technology. In this particular case, he has a very costly landline and doesn’t think twice about the cost of using it, as opposed to having unlimited “free” calls for a very modest sum per month with a non contract SIM, that has monthly auto top-up.

As others mentioned, a rarely used mobile is probably going to have a poor condition battery and as I found may not even work due to either a faulty phone or SIM.

I agree with you completely, as Martin Lewis often says you need to look at the total cost of ownership. That includes time spent faffing around looking for the cheapest pence per minute, when you can have unlimited calls and texts for £4 a month. (0.5% of the basic state pension, 0.25% of minimum wage) All the time paying over the odds for a landline.

Being a bit older, several of my friends had doro phones and none of them found them easy to use. They might have big buttons but the menu system is difficult to use and one didn’t have the steadiness of hand to press a button, but did manage to tap a smartphone screen especially with a big launcher or the simplified iPhone mode. There’s a reason doro are moving to smartphones. 

I have my main phone on a contract, but like to keep on or two older ones as spares, with a PAYG SIM.

Call that bizarre if you will.