Mobile phones - advice required please
 

I've just resigned from my job.

Taking March off, but I need a mobile phone for personal use.

Once I'm back in gainful employment, I'll get a business phone that will handle most of my personal calls.

So, I need a phone that'll get a bit of use this month, but not much thereafter.

I assume I'm better off with a pay as you go jobbie, and not buying into a 12 month contract. (as calls will be infrequent) I also assume that with a contract I get the phone free, but with PAYG you have to pay for the phone?

I know it'll depend upon real useage etc, but any ballpark advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
Tim

I have a pay as you go o2 sim if you can find a phone.

Have you got any old phones? O2 are always doing offers on their website for FREE Pay As You Go SIM cards, so you could just sling that in an old phone to get you by. Or buy a cheap phone off ebay?

If you can get an Orange sim, I have an old orange flip phone (Samsung A300 or something) that I wasn't able to unlock - it's yours FOC.

I'm trying to find old phones in the house - I know they are somewhere!!!

But would they work with new sim cards, will the old sim cards work?

I'm off to the carphone warehouse to be sold to!!!!

Thanks
Tim

Most phones can be locked to a particular network, to protect their revenues. Obviously when you sign up for a 12-month contract and get the phone free, they are giving you a £400-odd phone in the hope you'll stay with them. By locking the phone to their network, it makes it harder for people to network hop every 12 months for a free new phone and all the jazzy deals you get.

However, O2 and Vodafone hardly ever lock their phones, so you can stick your new Orange sim card in your expensive (but free) phone you got from O2.

Orange and T-Mobile are a bit more clever and lock their phones, but as always you can get round this and get them unlocked (usually just by entering codes) so they will work with any SIM card.

The networks are getting wise to this now, and are pushing for 18 month contracts to try and recoup the lost amount of the phone for new subscribers.

I always find that my batteries start to get really bad after a year, so you need to change phones anyway!

It's always worth trying any SIM card you have in an old phone, just in case. Most Nokia phones can be unlocked FOC if you search on the web for the free unlock programs. I've unlocked a load of phones over the last few years, so let me know if you need any help.

Thanks Antony

At the moment Im offering a Samsung D600 firmware flashing service FOC as I have the cable and software but seems a shame only to use it once.

Vodafone do lock their phones these days - I know form bitter experience. O2 don't though and you can pick up some bargains on O2 through Carphone Warehouse.....much as I dislike them.

If you want pay as you go try Tescos.

Seriously - my youngest is on their system which piggy backs off someone else's network but it is one of the cheapest PAYG around.