Best deal for calls and texts only

double_dutchy

Hello everybody,

My Dad is 86 and needs a cheap mobile phone and a good deal for calls only. I'm thinking of buying him a cheap "brick" phone from amazon and I've seen a deal from Asda that gives unlimited calls and texts for £4 per month.

Does anybody have better recommendations for:

1:) A cheap mobile phone in the range £0 - $50 . No internet access required - just calls really (although a camera might be good)

2:) A cheap deal that doesn't include data. Dad's looking at pay as you go...or topping up but I think it might be easier to have a small monthly DD payment which allows him to make calls any time for a monthly amount as per the Asda deal

Thanks - any and all insights welcome, thank you

PHK

With regard to 1) , with 3G being switched off and the process of moving people away from 2G having started, then you'll need a phone that allows calls over 4G (or 5G) many of the very cheap phones on Amazon are 3G or 2G only. But you should be able to get a decent Nokia/HMD phone that works for £50. 

Neil_Jones

Be hard pushed to find anything that doesn't include data now.

It doesn't have to be used just because you get it on the tariff.

movedto03

Make sure to avoid calling any numbers starting 05, 076, 084, 087, 09, or 118. Otherwise bill can get expensive, quickly. Stick with UK landline, 03, UK mobile, and 080 numbers (and the common 1xx or 116xxx numbers).

flaneurs_lobster

Argos have the Nokia 105 4G for £9.99. Sold as a Vodafone device and £10 of Voda airtime must be bought at same time.

Not allowed to be locked so you could sell/give away/discard the Voda airtime card and have a 4G phone for £20.

With typical Argos precision, blurb says the phone is supplied with a charger and it is not supplied with a charger.

goodread

The Nokia phone has a keypad lock on it that you can't disable, as far as I can tell anyway, and takes two key presses to get past. It's really annoying, probably not a deal breaker for most but might be for an elderly user. 

Frozen_up_north

Asda Mobile was awarded the Which? Great Value endorsement. If you are happy with the coverage (uses Vodafone network) and can find at least a 4G low cost mobile, it looks like good value.

Don't forget to set a spend cap on the account, by default it looks like there is a £30 cap, but more realistically set perhaps £5 or £10. It avoids nasty bills from accidental calls to expensive numbers.

While your dad may not be venturing abroad, it is nice to see that at least Europe plus Guernsey, Isle of Man and  Jersey are included in their free roaming. We have relatives who travel to Spain regularly and they are in their 90s.

muffinhead

Spusu, who run on the EE network, have a rolling monthly plan which includes unlimited UK calls, unlimited UK texts, 500 EU minutes, 1GB data and EU roaming for £2.90:

https://www.spusu.co.uk/spusu1special

You can cancel any time and set a spending cap if necessary.

double_dutchy

Thanks for all your replies - sorry been too busy today to respond today - I'll review and get back asap, thanks

Murmansk

flaneurs_lobster said:

Argos have the Nokia 105 4G for £9.99. Sold as a Vodafone device and £10 of Voda airtime must be bought at same time.

Not allowed to be locked so you could sell/give away/discard the Voda airtime card and have a 4G phone for £20.

With typical Argos precision, blurb says the phone is supplied with a charger and it is not supplied with a charger.

I just bought one of those Nokia phones, it's clearly linked with Vodafone in some way but I didn't have to buy a Vodafone topup too and it is unlocked as I tried another SIM in it. It's 4G and came with a charger that's micro USB and very compact with a sliding earth pin, so very compact.

flaneurs_lobster

Murmansk said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

Argos have the Nokia 105 4G for £9.99. Sold as a Vodafone device and £10 of Voda airtime must be bought at same time.

Not allowed to be locked so you could sell/give away/discard the Voda airtime card and have a 4G phone for £20.

With typical Argos precision, blurb says the phone is supplied with a charger and it is not supplied with a charger.

I just bought one of those Nokia phones, it's clearly linked with Vodafone in some way but I didn't have to buy a Vodafone topup too and it is unlocked as I tried another SIM in it. It's 4G and came with a charger that's micro USB and very compact with a sliding earth pin, so very compact.

Bought at Argos? For £9.99?