Help needed on Mobile Phones

[Vacumatic]

This is a bit embarassing. 10 years ago I had a company that dealt with Middle East customers and my life was tied to a Blackberry phone and doing emails at 2am and constant calls. I vowed that as soon as a I could I ditch mobile phone life for good. I have an old Samsung S3 which is not switched on that much and when it is it tends to be used for calls or texts, there is no music on there and about ten pictures. No data use at all.

My PAYG sim from ASDA has a £10 top up in credit every 4 months and I am fine with that. However, ASDA have jumped ship to Vodaphone and they now talk in bundles with unlimited minutes and texts for £5, this is a current situation and i don't know if they are talking about £5 a month or £5 until the data is used. they talk in terms of bundles. If the £5 sim bundle is based on data and not call useage then this looks a great deal for me.

Does anyone know much about this please, I am sailing in unchartered waters for me.

 

[jphelan81]

This is a bit embarassing. 10 years ago I had a company that dealt with Middle East customers and my life was tied to a Blackberry phone and doing emails at 2am and constant calls. I vowed that as soon as a I could I ditch mobile phone life for good. I have an old Samsung S3 which is not switched on that much and when it is it tends to be used for calls or texts, there is no music on there and about ten pictures. No data use at all.

My PAYG sim from ASDA has a £10 top up in credit every 4 months and I am fine with that. However, ASDA have jumped ship to Vodaphone and they now talk in bundles with unlimited minutes and texts for £5, this is a current situation and i don't know if they are talking about £5 a month or £5 until the data is used. they talk in terms of bundles. If the £5 sim bundle is based on data and not call useage then this looks a great deal for me.

Does anyone know much about this please, I am sailing in unchartered waters for me.

Anything that mentions bundles means it will expire in 30 days whether or not you’ve used the credit or not. Quite often there is also just a top up only option, where you have just cash credit in the phone, that doesn’t expire but charges you much more to make a call, send a text or go on the internet. If you used to top up £10 every 4 months then you are a very low user and would now be depending double what you was before.

 

[Cheesepiece]

Asda Mobile Pay as you Go rates are still displayed. If it works for you still then keep doing what you are doing and stick with PAYG.

Asda mobile SIM Bundle Deals (From £5 a month)

There are SIM Bundles to get excited about with Asda. Grab a great value monthly deal from £5. No credit checks or commitments. Powered by Vodafone

mobile.asda.com

 

[Vacumatic]

Anything that mentions bundles means it will expire in 30 days whether or not you’ve used the credit or not. Quite often there is also just a top up only option, where you have just cash credit in the phone, that doesn’t expire but charges you much more to make a call, send a text or go on the internet. If you used to top up £10 every 4 months then you are a very low user and would now be depending double what you was before.

Thank you, I wondered if there was a time limitation, they say no limits on calls or texts but don't mention anything about a time limit.

I appreciate the time you have taken to give me advice.

 

[jphelan81]

Thank you, I wondered if there was a time limitation, they say no limits on calls or texts but don't mention anything about a time limit.

I appreciate the time you have taken to give me advice.

If your phone is unlocked, this network sim is great for low users. Worth checking out the site, it used the EE network so good network coverage.

UKs cheapest PAYG mobile tariff

1pMobile offers great value with 1p a minute, 1p a text and 1p a MB. Excellent coverage, free SIM and you can keep your existing number.

www.1pmobile.com

 

[Vacumatic]

If your phone is unlocked, this network sim is great for low users. Worth checking out the site, it used the EE network so good network coverage.

UKs cheapest PAYG mobile tariff

1pMobile offers great value with 1p a minute, 1p a text and 1p a MB. Excellent coverage, free SIM and you can keep your existing number.

www.1pmobile.com

Thank you, I will look into this from EE.

 

[Nishy]

I pay £8/month with EE unlimited calls and data, sim only. Can't complain but have been with them for over 10 years.

 

[Morpheus]

A VOXI Sim is another good shout as well if you have the need for data too.

 

[Vacumatic]

Thank you.

What I have decided to do is to scrap my old Samsung phone, the battery doesn't last a single day even when it is not in use. I am going to buy a new phone with a PAYG sim, perhaps from Tesco. The credit lasts for 270 days which should be ok.

I am not sure that I want a smart phone, I have a separate camera and don't use many, if any, of the features in a smart phone but would still like a quality phone with a qwerty keyboard.

Thanks for all your comments, they are appreciated.

 

[N0ggie]

I was recently looking for a 'dumb' phone & the Cat B35 rugged phone looks quite good if you wanted just a durable, dumb phone.
Quote > 'Packed with all your 4G essentials, the Cat B35 is rugged, tough, and tested in extreme conditions. Waterproof to 1.2m for up to 35 minutes, drop tested up to 1.8m (6 foot) onto concrete, dust proof and resistant to extreme temperatures.'
Shop around for the best handset only price though.

Cat® B35 Mobile Phone | Cat phones United Kingdom

www.catphones.com

 

[Vacumatic]

Thanks for the tip N0ggie, I will take a look.

 

[Missoni]

Maybe worth checking out what is big in Japan...simple, rugged, flip phones still secure a significant market share in Japan...the Kyocera is typical of the type of mobile that has remained popular...

https://kyoceramobile.com/duraxe-epic/

 

[Chris]

I was recently looking for a 'dumb' phone & the Cat B35 rugged phone looks quite good if you wanted just a durable, dumb phone.
Quote > 'Packed with all your 4G essentials, the Cat B35 is rugged, tough, and tested in extreme conditions. Waterproof to 1.2m for up to 35 minutes, drop tested up to 1.8m (6 foot) onto concrete, dust proof and resistant to extreme temperatures.'
Shop around for the best handset only price though.

Cat® B35 Mobile Phone | Cat phones United Kingdom

www.catphones.com

They do one with a built-in thermal camera too. I don't actually need that but it’s all kinds of cool.

 

[Vacumatic]

I was passing a mobile phone repair shop yesterday and called in, he refurbishes old phones, I couldn't resist an as new Nokia 3210 (with snake) which I originally bought when they were new. This was £10 with a new battery, the shop owner said that he sells more of this model than modern day smart phones.

 

[HereticHermit]

I was passing a mobile phone repair shop yesterday and called in, he refurbishes old phones, I couldn't resist an as new Nokia 3210 (with snake) which I originally bought when they were new. This was £10 with a new battery, the shop owner said that he sells more of this model than modern day smart phones.

6610 or 6610i is another one to look at too. Lighter and bit shorter than 3210. Recently gave new version of 3310 to my Father and he finds the new compact version very handy.