Advice Wanted : Mobile Phones

[lathany]

I'm thinking of getting myself a mobile phone for when I go back to work (so that I too can announce "I'm on the train!") However, I know next to nothing about how to choose one (I've never bought one before).

My criteria are:

Use : To ring out in emergencies and semi-emergencies. I'm not interested in deals that provide chat time, I have a land line for that (it'll normally be switched off).

Features : Just the whole "phone" thing. I don't care about cameras, ring tones, text messages, games, etc (although, I'm mostly interested in the cheapest option so if it's cheaper to get a phone with them, that's fine). I also want something that would fit in my bag, but frankly anything smaller than a brick works (also I find the really small phones annoying).

Main want : Something cheap.

Any and all advice appreciated!

Comments

[cuthbertcross.livejournal.com]

Pay as you go phones start from about 40 pounds; look at Argos or woolworths for the easiest ones, check which tarrif you are going to be cheapest with (if you have a BT line then O2 is probably best). Buy the cheapest handset you can get; Nokia is most likely for other people to have a spare charger about if you lose/forget yours, Siemens handsets tend to cost a little more but are hardier (esp in the screen department) and sometimes have atune composer- yay!

If like me and dr_bob you're a relatively light user, PAYG is by far the cheapest and best (I used to spend 15 A month on contract as a frequent user; now it's more like 15 a quarter, and dr_bob is even less. It's very very easy to top up PAYG; simply go to your own bank's ATMs and you can top up at the cashpoint (including LINK machines if you have a LINK compatible bank card). You can also top up by debit/credit card by phone (bit of a faff) or get an electronic topup card which you hand in at participating supermarkets/convenience shops/post offices and then they add topups on for you instantly; which depends on your provider.

Good luck and if you have a composer on your phone and want a customised ringtone let me know!

[lathany.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'll definitely go for PAYG. The question will be whether I nab jezzidue's phone or not.

[jezzidue.livejournal.com]

Sure you can - I'll bring it up to Oxford on Saturday ... passing it on to someone reliable if I don't see you at the party ...

[lathany.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (We won't be at the party - no babysitting, try someone Tao to pass on please).

Incidentally - what's your email address? I quite evidently have the wrong one!