Best value smart phone pay as you go sim card?

[Guest pelmetman]

Since Sue put my mobile in the washing machine it appears to have stopped working :-S...........

 

Explained my plight to the BIL who's given me his old Samsung smart phone B-).......

 

Tried my 3 sim card and the phone won't work? :-S..............so assume smart phones have smart sims? :-S......

 

Hence my question, as I'll be dumping my 3 contract when we sell up anyway ;-)........

 

PS.........anyone know how to turn it on? :-S..............as he showed me after a bottle of wine and a few glasses of Pomig........now I can't remember *-).........

[flicka]

Hi Dave

I haven't got a Samsung so can't advise you, but you may find this link helps

 

http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/main/supportMain.do?supportIaCode=10001

[Guest pelmetman]

flicka - 2013-08-23 10:48 PM

 

Hi Dave

I haven't got a Samsung so can't advise you, but you may find this link helps

 

http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/main/supportMain.do?supportIaCode=10001

 

Thanks John ;-).............I can turn it on now :D.........

[Robinhood]

....if it doesn't work with your existing Sim, the 'phone may be locked to the network it was bought on.

 

It's usually possible to get them unlocked, and if any associated contract is now up, or in some cases it is still being paid, the network operator will often do it for free (I've had O2 smartphones unlocked in this manner).

 

As for a Sim for the UK, I find GiffGaff suits me. The paygo call charges are very cheap compared to the main UK operators (GiffGaff uses the O2 network), but you can also anticipate increased usage and buy (again, good value) monthly bundles (goodybags), including mobile data use if required.

 

What this means is that I can effectively divest myself of any cost when we are abroad, simply leaving it on paygo and without use, whilst, if we are away in the UK, buying a monthly bundle which includes data, and using that as required.

 

The basic £10 monthly goodybag includes lots of 500 mins of calls and unlimited texts, and 1GB of data, and also allows "tethering" so a laptop can be used if required. Interestingly, GiffGaff is the only mobile operator I've come across that gives free calls to 0800 etc. numbers.

[Guest pelmetman]

Just been to Car Phone Wharehouse and bought O2 PAYG with £10 of credit, and the phone appears to work OK Robin..............so I guess its not locked.........I take it Giff Gaff is only suitable for the UK? :-S

 

I went for the O2 as Sue's seem to work fine abroad, where my 3 phone would not pick up a signal *-)

 

Hoping to change my dongle to PAYG next :D

[Robinhood]

...it may have been locked to O2, of course. ;-)

 

....giffgaff works fine abroad (usual caveats on tariffs apply). In fact, it should work everywhere that O2 does.

 

AIUI, 3 Sims can be dependent on the availability of a 3G signal (still not universal) which may account for the lack of signal abroad).

 

 

[Guest pelmetman]

My BIL was with Orange........dunno if they're part of O2? :-S

[Robinhood]

Orange are part of Everything Everywhere.

 

(.....no, really.......... ;-) )