Donate to Remove ads

Got a credit card? use our Credit Card & Finance Calculators

Thanks to johnstevens77,Bhoddhisatva,scotia,Anonymous,Cornytiv34, for Donating to support the site

Pay-as-you-go smartphones

Seek assistance with all types of tech. - computer, phone, TV, heating controls etc.
Jonetc15
Lemon Slice
Posts: 464
Joined: November 4th, 2016, 3:27 pm
Has thanked: 275 times
Been thanked: 44 times

Pay-as-you-go smartphones

#160639

Postby Jonetc15 » August 19th, 2018, 8:15 pm

I want to buy a pay-as-you-go smartphone. It will not be for regular use but mainly to make sure that I can send emails and use Skype if (as happened recently) my BT hub isn’t working properly – i.e. using mobile broadband. It would also be for occasional use when out and about without depending on Wi-Fi. But with family abroad it would essentially be a back-up facility.

I have seen a Vodafone Smart N9 Lite £69 handset, but I’ll happily pay much more. Please may I have some comments/suggestions. It would also help to know what anti-virus etc software is suitable.

TIA

Jon
P.S. I am so unfamiliar with this kind of technology that I hope that my question makes sense…

tea42
Lemon Slice
Posts: 440
Joined: March 9th, 2017, 8:28 am
Has thanked: 77 times
Been thanked: 169 times

Re: Pay-as-you-go smartphones

#160645

Postby tea42 » August 19th, 2018, 8:52 pm

Something like one of the cheap 4G phones from Motorola and a Three 321 simm that never runs out of credit if you dont use it frequently.

taylor20
Lemon Pip
Posts: 66
Joined: November 4th, 2016, 11:59 am
Has thanked: 10 times
Been thanked: 22 times

Re: Pay-as-you-go smartphones

#160682

Postby taylor20 » August 20th, 2018, 7:43 am

I recently bought my first smart phone, a Motorola (Lenovo) G5, I'm generally very pleased with it, however compared to a feature phone it is very large, so you may want to take that into account (I bought online for £89, but probably worth going to an actual shop to get a feel for them).

I'm assuming the Vodafone Smart N9 is locked to Vodafone which may be an issue, I'm currently using up my credit with Virgin (as their call rates are a complete rip off, 10p text, 30p min, etc. compared to O2 or Three). I'm going for O2 as our 3G/4G coverage is patchy and mainly use the phone for text/calls and offline sat nav. (and will use more than once every 6 months - as per T&Cs).

Jonetc15
Lemon Slice
Posts: 464
Joined: November 4th, 2016, 3:27 pm
Has thanked: 275 times
Been thanked: 44 times

Re: Pay-as-you-go smartphones

#160893

Postby Jonetc15 » August 20th, 2018, 10:26 pm

I must apologise for not thanking you for your replies more promptly, but they are much appreciated.

tea42 wrote:Something like one of the cheap 4G phones from Motorola and a Three 321 simm that never runs out of credit if you dont use it frequently.


I'll follow these up, tea42, especially as the Motorola brand is recommended by taylor20. The Three 321 is new to me.

taylor20 wrote:I recently bought my first smart phone, a Motorola (Lenovo) G5, I'm generally very pleased with it, however compared to a feature phone it is very large, so you may want to take that into account (I bought online for £89, but probably worth going to an actual shop to get a feel for them).

I'm assuming the Vodafone Smart N9 is locked to Vodafone which may be an issue, I'm currently using up my credit with Virgin (as their call rates are a complete rip off, 10p text, 30p min, etc. compared to O2 or Three). I'm going for O2 as our 3G/4G coverage is patchy and mainly use the phone for text/calls and offline sat nav. (and will use more than once every 6 months - as per T&Cs).


Thanks for the very clear recommendation, taylor20. I only came across Vodafone because I wandered into one of their shops. The size of the Motorola doesn't matter. In fact, for my limited objectives (Skype, email and internet generally) large could be good. We have an O2 shop in ur town, so I'll try them too.

One question - I'll be really grateful if you or anyone else can comment on appropriate anti-virus software.

Thanks again - ATB

Jon

tea42
Lemon Slice
Posts: 440
Joined: March 9th, 2017, 8:28 am
Has thanked: 77 times
Been thanked: 169 times

Re: Pay-as-you-go smartphones

#160916

Postby tea42 » August 20th, 2018, 11:45 pm

Three 321 payg tarrif. 3p a minute, 2p a text and 1p a Mb. Cheap as chips and NEVER NEVER runs out with credit getting cancelled. This is very important if you use this phone infrequently because Vodafone etc will cancell your credit and steal your number if you dont use the phone. With an Add On from Three you get UK rates phoning in dozens of countries in USA, Oz and most European countries. I do not understand why anyone buys contracts any more? My present phone is a Moto G5s - £178 on Amazon, perfectly adequate.

Anti virus - free AVG.

Alaric
Lemon Half
Posts: 6033
Joined: November 5th, 2016, 9:05 am
Has thanked: 20 times
Been thanked: 1399 times

Re: Pay-as-you-go smartphones

#160918

Postby Alaric » August 20th, 2018, 11:56 pm

tea42 wrote: I do not understand why anyone buys contracts any more?


£ 5 a month for 2G plus of data and infinite numbers, compared to my usage, of texts and calls from iD seemed like a bargain. They did catch me out with a gotcha, that calls to Isle of Man (and Channel Island) landlines are charged in addition. The phone, a Nokia 3 was £ 99 unlocked.

It's a contract of sorts, although monthly cancellable, so I get advertising offering upgrades.

A phone for £ 100 over 18 months is a bit over £ 6 a month. So what can you get for £ 11.50 a month?

BobbyD
Lemon Half
Posts: 7814
Joined: January 22nd, 2017, 2:29 pm
Has thanked: 665 times
Been thanked: 1289 times

Re: Pay-as-you-go smartphones

#160928

Postby BobbyD » August 21st, 2018, 2:13 am

tea42 wrote: I do not understand why anyone buys contracts any more? M


Because their usage differs to yours... You can get 18GB data, unlimited texts and calls for £10.50 a month...

Slarti
Lemon Quarter
Posts: 2941
Joined: November 4th, 2016, 3:46 pm
Has thanked: 640 times
Been thanked: 496 times

Re: Pay-as-you-go smartphones

#160971

Postby Slarti » August 21st, 2018, 10:41 am

Jonetc15 wrote:One question - I'll be really grateful if you or anyone else can comment on appropriate anti-virus software.


Some people say that it is not required, but being somewhat paranoid I decided I wanted something.

I am using Lookout, free version, https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... om.lookout which seems to be a good thing and get good reviews, though I can't remember where.

It doesn't seem to interfere much, other than an occasional check of all items on the phone.

Slarti

Infrasonic
Lemon Quarter
Posts: 4479
Joined: November 4th, 2016, 2:25 pm
Has thanked: 644 times
Been thanked: 1260 times

Re: Pay-as-you-go smartphones

#161027

Postby Infrasonic » August 21st, 2018, 1:26 pm

^^ If you've got a low powered phone install the AV , do a check and then uninstall.
If it's from the Play Store then it will be in My Apps and Games/Library anyway so easy to reinstall as needed and basic settings should be preserved. I've done this with practically all my rarely used apps, reduced storage, CPU overhead and battery drain a fair bit.

GeoffF100
Lemon Quarter
Posts: 4720
Joined: November 14th, 2016, 7:33 pm
Has thanked: 178 times
Been thanked: 1363 times

Re: Pay-as-you-go smartphones

#161095

Postby GeoffF100 » August 21st, 2018, 7:37 pm

I agree with the 3 Mobile 123 tariff. For a phone, Android One looks the best choice. That way you get bog standard Android, with regular updates from Android. How about:

https://www.carphonewarehouse.com/nokia ... ealType=pm

At £199, it looks like a decent phone. Much better than the old one I am using.


Return to “Technology - Computers, TV, Phones etc.”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests