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I want to use an old phone for work related stuff as no bugger is having my personal number, apart from the most excellent customers.
I don't intend to call anyone - I'll use work land-line for that.
It'll never leave my desk so will be on work wi-fi.
It's purely to accept messages, Whatsapps, Messenger etc as people increasingly want to send artwork via these apps (as an email is so outdated and hard work for some! 😀).
All the 'no-strings' SIMs seem to be £10/month - which to me is a contract by another name.
I just want to add a tenner every now and then when needed (which will be hardly ever).
I think all those type of sims have gone now. Happy to be corrected as I'd like one too but you'll be limited to monthly rolling contracts. Its not quite a proper contract as you can cancel at the end of the month. I think £5/month is the cheapest but there are some introductory offers to bring it down a bit.
Do you actually need a phone at all? You can get messenger online and I believe you can get a virtual number for whatsapp
Every network I can think of still has a pay as you go plan.
1p mobile is £10 per 60 days or can do £48 per year.
Got one for my lad from Tesco recently. You get more data if you top up every month but you don't have to.
Yup, pretty much every network still does these type of PAYG sim-only things and the 'contract' aspect i.e. £X per month for X number of minutes is generally always optional. However, these 'goody bags', 'bolt ons' etc are actually the best way to run a PAYG sim because you will get many more minutes and data for your cash. You are not tied to anything and can cancel or restart at any time.
Example - I have a dual SIM phone with my main Spanish number (as I live in Spain) which is tied to a contract, but I also have a GiffGaff (UK) PAYG sim card which I top up now and then to keep the number, When I go back to the UK for work or to visit family I add a £10 one month goody bag which gets me minutes and data to use while I am there. Once I'm back in Spain I just cancel the goody bag.
For what the OP wants though you can just get a GiffGaff sim, chuck on a tenner, and then it will accept incoming calls and messages with no issues.
It's a good idea, but watch for minimum use requirements. I used to run an old nokia non-smart phone as a ride phone for emergency use only. But vodafone eventually terminated the payg sim as I wasn't using it. Well I was getting some calls in, and texts in but wasn't phoning out so the tenner on it was lasting indefinitely. Vodafone didn't like it so cut it off, despite my argument about it being a safety critical thing that I had paid for by putting £10 on it.
Daft question. If it will be WiFi only does it actually need a sim?
Avoid Lyca. The only time in 20 years or so my credit card was compromised was after signing up with them. Not alone.
I am £9 a month with Tesco. Could go cheaper but any issues I can walk into my local store who also did the changeover for me from my last sim.
Daft question. If it will be WiFi only does it actually need a sim?
I'd need a number for replying to normal text messages and Whatsapp is associated with a phone number.
I'll have a look in Tesco as I'm going there on my way home.
Thanks all!
Three still do PAYG, but it's no longer 3-2-1, now 35-15-10 possibly, even though I have one I've not kept up with price hikes in recent years... It's mainly there to receive calls and texts, I have a ~£35 prepaid data sim in the other port, usually used for "live tracking" when riding (24GB total which expires after 24 months once activated).
Get a monthly contract from Lebara. £1 a month for 7 months. After that, end it and sign up for a new one, laundering your number. You can PAC it out and in, but that will involve going to a non-Lebara number as an intermediate step. I currently pay £1 a month for 50gb & unlimited calls and texts. Madness.
There's a £2/month plan from RWG https://www.rwgmobile.wales/webshop/pay-monthly/teaser-bundle-100-mins-100-sms-750mb-data-%C2%A32-month/. They're a little crap - you can't check credit online but instead have to send a text like pre-smartphone days - but have been find for my children's non-smart phones.
a) If it'll never leave your desk then why do you need a mobile phone number?
b) If it'll never leave your desk then why do you need messaging apps other than email? Email is older than I am, people have had plenty of time to work it out.
c) If it's required for work then (unless you're self-employed) work should be providing it.
a) See my answer above!
b) Those young types don’t really do email!
c) Self(ish) employed.
😀
a) See my answer above!
That explains why you need a landline number, not a mobile number (and Wi-Fi calling exists).
You need a phone number for WhatsApp, but every other messenger app I can think of off the top of my head has a desktop client (as does WA, but you still need a number).
b) Those young types don’t really do email!
Sucks to be them, do business with grown-ups.
c) Self(ish) employed.
Fair.
All the 'no-strings' SIMs seem to be £10/month - which to me is a contract by another name.
The entry-level Smarty is half that, runs month-to-month, and comes with a referral code which I can't post here because it's against STW rules so it's unfortunate that DMs don't exist or you could ask me directly.
1p mobile is the other really cheap one, but I've never used them.
Sucks to be them, do business with grown-ups
…bit hard to tell a customer to sod off when they are stood in front of you.* The world is moving on from email! And Whatsapp is the most common that I see people use.
(*Printshop environment and loads of artwork is created on phones now so messaging apps are becoming the norm for sending images for leaflets etc.)
My Giffgaff is £6 per month for all calls and 2Gb data.
You can do PAYG on a Giffgaff SIM. You need to make one call or text every 2 or 3 months (25p per minute or 10p text). One of my kids uses their phone like this.
If you get someone on Giffgaff to order a SIM for you you both get £5 extra credit when you apply the £10 minimum starting credit.
The world is moving on from email!
You'd think the world would move on from phone numbers before it moved on from email.
We have a couple at work Tesco Lite (you buy a Tesco PAYG sim then move it onto Lite after 30 days) must be at over 10 years never topped up but receives a few calls each week, similarly had a Vodaphone sim for maybe a couple of years since credit ran out and it went to receiving calls only (fine) last year they threatened to disconnect but still haven't not a big deal if it does phone is just used to take pics for eBay doesn't really need active sim but still receiving calls.
All the 'no-strings' SIMs seem to be £10/month - which to me is a contract by another name.
Yeah I found the same recently as I wanted a separate "burner" that I wouldn´t cry about losing for when out riding or other situations, and I just didn´t fancy swapping the sim every ride for which an old style PAYG sim makes sense, like the olden days where I could bung a tenner on every 3 months and only ever use it to coordinate meeting mates at the pub via text.
Since my adventures with new phones last month I´m now on Smarty, and scored 200GB, unlimited texts and minutes (that I seldom use) for a shade over a tenner each month. I´ve swapped the sim to my burner a couple of times, but I do hate doing that, and a fiver a month would still mean sixty quid a year, for something I really don´t intend to actually use, that is kind of offensive...
You can apparently set up WhatsApp using your landline number? https://obrienmedia.co.uk/help/how-to-use-whatsapp-using-your-business-landline-number
It's purely to accept messages, Whatsapps, Messenger etc as people increasingly want to send artwork via these apps (as an email is so outdated and hard work for some! 😀
Probably a file size thing if you're dealing with artwork - phones still have email functionality so its not the reason they're not sending emails - its more that email is a very old protocol and was never really intended for file transfer so isn't really suitable tool for sending large files. Even if you use services like gmail that have a larger (but still pretty modest) sending limit thats no help if the receiving inbox still has a standard 20mb limit- the file will still bounce. By comparison WhatsApp can transfer files up to 2GB.
Another reason for business use - is you actually know immediately if a WhatsApp has sent and been received successfully. With email you don't - bounced emails can sometimes take a week or so to be notified to you and in some instances you're not notified at all and even successful sent emails can just wind up in a junk folder. So if you're in a position where deadlines are important (which I imagine they are for print customers) then email probably feels pretty vague compared to many of the alternatives.
Since my adventures with new phones last month I´m now on Smarty, and scored 200GB, unlimited texts and minutes (that I seldom use) for a shade over a tenner each month. I´ve swapped the sim to my burner a couple of times, but I do hate doing that,
Do you need 200GB of data on your main phone? I'm on a 60GB plan and my actual usage hasn't gone over 2GB in months.
You could get 2x 5GB SIMs for what you're paying now and use Smarty's referral scheme to get a £20 gift card on both cards. They might pull their face if they're both in the same name, but if one is linked to a business account...? 🤷♂️
All the 'no-strings' SIMs seem to be £10/month - which to me is a contract by another name.
I've been investigating coverage. Currently on Smarty (i.e. Three and soon to be Vodafone too), so got an O2 and EE PAYG. They're still available, just not obvious on their websites.
The SIMs are free, and I stuck a fiver on each to test.
Do you need 200GB of data on your main phone?
Nope, not at all, but it was a tenner for 14 months and I thought I´d gorge myself on mobiledata a bit, it will drop down to just 100GB after that and TBH I´ll probably swap to their 50GB option once the silly 200GB deal runs out. But it does currently mean whenever I´m away with the family or work, mobile data use is not a worry, and if we´re staying somewhere with poor wifi or data stealing access points that want all you details, I can just plonk down my phone, set it as a hotspot and the kids can go bonkers. I just take the burner along to listen to podcasts...
My youngest is getting 50GB a month for £7 over the same period...
To be clear I was being utterly diddled by Vodafone, who were charging me way more for way less data, a lack of inertia and prevarication just stopped me from sorting it previously. I just need to migrate the rest of the family now...
Having had another look last night the absolute cheapest sim only, monthly deal I found was 1GB and £2.90 from ´spusu´(?) via a link form money supermarket, Asda do a voice and text only offer for £4 PCM... but both are still a monthly outgoing though where a true PAYG sim would be preferable.
...so got an O2 and EE PAYG. They're still available, just not obvious on their websites.
The SIMs are free, and I stuck a fiver on each to test.
I just had another poke and found the EE "Free Calls and Text" sim on their website, so I´m going to order one and see how long a fiver lasts on it too...
https://ee.co.uk/mobile/free-sim
When I lost my phone, I bought a temporary SIM from Tesco Express for £10 so I could contact people and receive calls.
Have never topped it up, it nags me every month, but it's still in my old phone, can receive messages, calls etc.
It's on O2
Called ‘traditional PAYG’
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mobiles/best-pay-as-you-go-sim-cards/#occasional
welsh provider RWG seems good https://www.rwgmobile.wales/rates-plans-eng-per/
I tether my work phone (old drawer phone that’ll still run current iOS) to my personal phone if I need it to work out and about. Not sure the SIM even works.
I’ll just keep it simple and setup call forwarding from my normal phone, so people only need to call the number they know and I don’t have to complicate things too much.
I might see what data options there are, but there isn’t really a forwarding option for WhatsApp that I’m aware of, that’s the only real thing data would be useful for on my burner…
it does currently mean whenever I´m away with the family or work, mobile data use is not a worry,
At what point might it become a worry?
Google Maps / Android Auto / whatever the Apple equivalent is uses little data. Casual mobile browsing isn't heavy use (looking at my home router stats, the biggest data hoover outside of actual downloads is Facebook. Xbox updates batter my home connection but you're unlikely to be downloading a 50GB patch in a tent on a Greek island.
Many (most / all PAYG?) providers give you access to historical usage data, I can go back months on Smarty. If you're using 2GB/month then it doesn't matter whether you're on a 3GB/month package or a 3TB/month package. For a one-off "away with the family" situation, many providers have add-on offers which run for a month or so.
Take a look at what you're actually using and make an informed decision. You're trying to avoid throwing money at a problem whilst simultaneously coming up with the solution of throwing money at the problem.
Personally I think having a personal landline and a personal mobile and a business mobile is utter madness, but our usage cases may differ. Wi-Fi calling exists for a start, so that's the landline gone unless you require it for ADSL provisioning.
Many thanks for your concern, But I am comfortable with my data profligacy for now, and I´m well aware I can dial it down (or up) at any point over the next year or so (it´s still a rolling monthly job).
To be clear I´m paying £10.80 (not the full whack £17, or even their current special offer of £12) which isn´t a wild amount, 80p more than their 40GB tier, which would be about appropriate, but for that 80p I´m getting a 160GB "buffer"... Smarty´s offers chop and change quite a bit it seems, when compared to what you could get for a couple of quid more that basic £6/5GB deal is kind of a bit meh, If I´d used that last month I´d have had to get a top up to cover my usage and it would have actually cost me marginally more.