recommendation for very low cost PAYG - emergency only

Where I am, my company phone has a very bad signal so often I can't be
gotten hold of by family. I want to get a second phone that I can use just
for people to call in, so basically looking for some sort of PAYG deal where
I don't need to spend a certain amount of money on topups per month etc.
Anyone have any pointers? Prefarably with a low cost handset, but i'm sure I
can find one elsewhere if that's asking too much!

Thanks

In message <48353783$0$2494$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk>, JamesB
<jame@nospam.spam.spam> writes
>Where I am, my company phone has a very bad signal so often I can't be
>gotten hold of by family. I want to get a second phone that I can use
>just for people to call in, so basically looking for some sort of PAYG
>deal where I don't need to spend a certain amount of money on topups
>per month etc.
>Anyone have any pointers? Prefarably with a low cost handset, but i'm
>sure I can find one elsewhere if that's asking too much!
>
>Thanks
Most providers only ask that you make one outgoing call every 3 months
or so to keep the number 'alive'. That being so, and as the cost of
making calls is not an issue for you, just pick the one with the best
coverage where you need it.

I have a caravan on a remote farm in Devon, only Vodafone reaches it but
my work O2 phone is OK as soon as I leave the valley. I had an ancient
Nokia 6210, so I put a Voda payg sim in and about £20 top up. I make
one short call on every visit, so my credit goes down by about £0.30 a
month and I then have an incoming phone and a few quid to use if I ever
really need to (i.e its raining too hard to walk up the hill to get an
O2 signal).

I doubt I am Vodafones best customer, though they do make a profit from
anyone who calls me as they charge the originating network. If you have
BT at home, put your new mobile number on your 'friends and family' list
so at least you get a bit of a discount.

Lots of people do cheap PAYG phones - Voda website has them from £18.

--
Richard C

On Thu, 22 May 2008 10:07:55 +0100, "JamesB" <jame@nospam.spam.spam>
wrote:

>Where I am, my company phone has a very bad signal so often I can't be
>gotten hold of by family. I want to get a second phone that I can use just
>for people to call in, so basically looking for some sort of PAYG deal where
>I don't need to spend a certain amount of money on topups per month etc.
>Anyone have any pointers? Prefarably with a low cost handset, but i'm sure I
>can find one elsewhere if that's asking too much!

<http://www.virginmobile.com/vm/viewProduct.do?productId=78D2BC85-57E4-4812-8968-C4741BB42B60>

or

http://tinyurl.com/25s28a
http://preview.tinyurl.com/25s28a

--
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(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking most articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.
See http://improve-usenet.org

"JamesB" <jame@nospam.spam.spam> wrote in message
news:48353783$0$2494$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk...
> Where I am, my company phone has a very bad signal so often I can't be
> gotten hold of by family.
>
Well to start with what network is your company phone on,
so we can discount that network?
>
> I want to get a second phone that I can use just for people to call in, so
> basically looking for some sort of PAYG deal where I don't need to spend a
> certain amount of money on topups per month etc.
> Anyone have any pointers? Prefarably with a low cost handset, but i'm sure
> I can find one elsewhere if that's asking too much!
> Thanks
Steve Terry

"JamesB" <jame@nospam.spam.spam> wrote in message
news:48353783$0$2494$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk...
> Where I am, my company phone has a very bad signal so often I can't be
> gotten hold of by family. I want to get a second phone that I can use just
> for people to call in, so basically looking for some sort of PAYG deal
> where I don't need to spend a certain amount of money on topups per month
> etc.
> Anyone have any pointers? Prefarably with a low cost handset, but i'm sure
> I can find one elsewhere if that's asking too much!
>
> Thanks
Virgin. 1 call every 6 months, lowest cost of all PAYG.

"Rob" <rob1@nonet.net> wrote in message
news:g14hfd$r4$1@news.albasani.net...
>
> "JamesB" <jame@nospam.spam.spam> wrote in message
> news:48353783$0$2494$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk...
>> Where I am, my company phone has a very bad signal so often I can't be
>> gotten hold of by family. I want to get a second phone that I can use
>> just for people to call in, so basically looking for some sort of PAYG
>> deal where I don't need to spend a certain amount of money on topups per
>> month etc.
>> Anyone have any pointers? Prefarably with a low cost handset, but i'm
>> sure I can find one elsewhere if that's asking too much!
>>
>> Thanks
> Virgin. 1 call every 6 months, lowest cost of all PAYG.
>

Thanks for all the pointers - I went for a cheapy Virgin one in the end -
the signal where I live is fine and the wife is now happy..

(I'm on Vodafone with work btw - should have mentioned that in the original
post!)

In news:g14hfd$r4$1@news.albasani.net,
Rob <rob1@nonet.net> typed, for some strange, unexplained reason:
: "JamesB" <jame@nospam.spam.spam> wrote in message
: news:48353783$0$2494$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk...
: > Where I am, my company phone has a very bad signal so often I can't
: > be gotten hold of by family. I want to get a second phone that I
: > can use just for people to call in, so basically looking for some
: > sort of PAYG deal where I don't need to spend a certain amount of
: > money on topups per month etc.
: > Anyone have any pointers? Prefarably with a low cost handset, but
: > i'm sure I can find one elsewhere if that's asking too much!
: >
: > Thanks
: Virgin. 1 call every 6 months, lowest cost of all PAYG.

They sting you for cross network calls though so only cheapest if all your
friends are on it as well. Overriding advantage is free voicemail
retrieval, so IMHO Tesco is the best value for occasional use if you don't
expect many incoming calls.

Ivor

"JamesB" <jame@nospam.spam.spam> wrote in message
news:48353783$0$2494$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk...
> Where I am, my company phone has a very bad signal so often I can't be
> gotten hold of by family. I want to get a second phone that I can use just
> for people to call in, so basically looking for some sort of PAYG deal
> where I don't need to spend a certain amount of money on topups per month
> etc.
> Anyone have any pointers? Prefarably with a low cost handset, but i'm sure
> I can find one elsewhere if that's asking too much!
> Thanks
Woolworths have Nokia 1208 on Orange PAYT for £19.99
with 10quid of credit included.

or Carphonewarehouse Nokia 2310
http://shop.carphonewarehouse.com/pa...okia/2310-red/

18.95 on virgin
Good chance it'll be unlocked GSM stock and you'll be able to put any 2G sim
in it

Steve Terry

Ivor Jones <ivor@thisaddressis.invalid> wrote:
> They sting you for cross network calls though so only cheapest if all your
> friends are on it as well. Overriding advantage is free voicemail
> retrieval, so IMHO Tesco is the best value for occasional use if you don't
> expect many incoming calls.

There's a new Virgin tariff (which of course existing customers aren't put
on by default, and doesn't apply if you pay by DD) where x-net calls are
15p/min. I haven't studied it enough to work out what the catch is.

Theo

"Theo Markettos" <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote in message
news:ARd*HvMds@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk...
> Ivor Jones <ivor@thisaddressis.invalid> wrote:
>> They sting you for cross network calls though so only cheapest if all
>> your
>> friends are on it as well. Overriding advantage is free voicemail
>> retrieval, so IMHO Tesco is the best value for occasional use if you
>> don't
>> expect many incoming calls.
>
> There's a new Virgin tariff (which of course existing customers aren't put
> on by default, and doesn't apply if you pay by DD) where x-net calls are
> 15p/min. I haven't studied it enough to work out what the catch is.
> Theo
>
3 PAYG default is flat 12p per min, and you can add "Stretch" bolt ons

Steve Terry