Mobile phones and Bus Apps

[Spoddendale]

I was wondering if someone might be able to enlighten me on this general topic as I am not a mobile phone expert in any way whatsoever. I don’t really like them or use them very much. I often go out and forget to take the phone with me much to my wife’s annoyance.
 
Such is my low level of usage that I last topped up with £20 sometime last summer and I still have over £10 credit. I own my current Windows based phone (a Nokia 635) as I don’t want or need to be committed under a costly contract. I have never needed to keep pace with new technology and replace a phone on a regular basis.

However, I am now considering updating my phone and I wonder if there is someone on our forum with a bit of knowledge and experience on such matters who can offer me some guidance on what type of phone might be the best for a casual user like me that is inexpensive and, most importantly, has the capability of accessing the likes of the National Express coach tracker and AA traffic reports etc.

Also what might be the most economic service provider’s package for casual access to the NX and AA type sites. I would prefer to stay as a ‘pay as you go’ user unless of course that method might ultimately work out more expensive than an economical contract.

Can anyone help?
Thanks
David

[alan]

Good questions! I too fall into this category of user & would be grateful for any advice please.

[Spoddendale]

I'm glad I'm not the only one Alan! Let's hope someone can help.

David

[centralsimon]

After getting annoyed with the reliability of modern phone battery life, with both Apple and LG not lasting as long as their respective contracts, have for a couple of years now bought an unlocked Android phone from Amazon for around £100.

I have happily bought a Chinese make called Cubot from Amazon and have not regretted it. Only issue being the GPS is a little inaccurate and the camera could be better. But technically it runs all android apps available. There are some superb bargains about, albeit with possible Uk support issues. Google “Best Buy Chinese phones”. The quality is getting much better.

For a little more you could look at the Motorola range. A G7 play is around £130 from Amazon.

Samsung also do a range of sub £150 phones if you want to stick to a more reliable phone brand.  A J5 has a price of about £140.

As all these phones are bought without a contract and are unlocked, you simply insert you old sim card and off you go. Although modern phones may take a different sized SIM card if your current one isn’t compatible it’s very easy to get a new one from your current provider free of charge.

[Steves]

The cheapest pay as you go tariff that I could find was 3 mobile and O2.

The downside of 3 is that coverage is patchy.  The sim is free so worth a try to see if it meets your needs.

If your usage gets up to around £6 a month, a contract would be a better bet. Look at Giffgaff, PlusNet (especially if you have their broadband) and 3 mobile.  Giffgaff do monthly contracts - you renew each month and can change it each month of choose not to renew for a time and use pay as you go.

Using mobile internet and email will increase your costs.  The cheapest is 3 and O2 at 1p per MB , Giffgaff is 5p and Tesco 10p.

Go for an Android phone. I loved my Windows phone but there is no support for them anymore. iPhones are too expensive and tie you in to Apple.  Google try to tie you in with Android but there are good Microsoft apps as well.

[barryb]

I moved onto a low end Huawei phone after very many years of expensive Samsung ones.

It's absolutely fine (and the way life is these days I'd assume that, at some point, a security breach will make everything I do on my phone effectively public no matter what phone I use.)

[dennisdart]

I too have just purchased a 2018 Huawei phone from Tesco, cost less than £100.

For my limited use Tesco mobile covers my needs, and when you top up they double it.