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sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 5:32 am Post subject: Mobile phone contracts

I'm very clueless about phones. I have a perfectly good one that I need to cancel the monthly contract on and swap to a PAYG, but I'm not really sure what I have to do. Something about buying a sim card from somewhere and working out whether something needs unlocking and its all very confusing.

Added to that, looked at a price comparison thing online and the cheapest PAYG option semed to be Tesco, and for some strange reason I think I'd rather use someone else

So, can anyone take pity on me and do me a ultra simple step by step list of what I need to do in what order to sort myself out so I can keep this phone but swap to a real no frills package (if I make one short call a week thats it usually) . Its with BTmobile at the moment, who don't seem to do a PAYG option when I last looked at their paperwork, and the phone is a sony ericson

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28111
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 5:34 am Post subject:
Your not alone in being clueless on this one and why not? if you don't change your phone more than once every several years then why should you know all the zillions of options?

jax

Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Posts: 98
Location: norfolk

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 5:39 am Post subject:
check your contract, sally. my son had to give three months notice to quit with vodafone.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 6:55 am Post subject:

AFAIK:
1.Make sure that all your phone-numbers are in the phone's memory/written down *not* on your SIM card.
2.Cancel your contract with BT.
3. Buy a SIM card for your network of choice (about £20 IIRC).
4. Replace old card with new card.
5. Put some credit on it.

If you're a bit out in the sticks it's worth checking the networks' coverage of your area.
Doing all the above means your phone number changing. I think it may be possible to get round this but I don't know how personally.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 7:05 am Post subject:
Cheer Sean. Someone told me I would need to get the phone 'unlocked' when I do the changeover but I don't really know what that means or how I do it

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 7:06 am Post subject:
mrutty seems to know about this stuff. You could try PMing him.

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 7:56 am Post subject:

Depending on the make and age of the phone you can get unlock codes off the internet free. Once the phone is unlocked it will take any sim card virtually unless you want a super high spec fantastic one with stripes. You can buy a sim card for a tenner from most general outlets. What is your usage like and do you call people or text them? Your usage will determine what network and tariff is the most economical for you to choose.

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 8:21 am Post subject:
carphone warehouse are very very helpful and unbiased as they're not tied to one particular provider. Might be worth poping in to your local one as they might be able to do this for you.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 8:46 am Post subject:
Might be the least painful option. Typiclly I make either one call or text a week unless I'm away on business, then I may make 4 or 5 over a couple of days, so its really low usage by any standards. the supermarkets all do value sims for about £3, but if there is a 'greener' option out ther I'd rather do that Are there such things as environment friendly phone tariffs??

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 9:01 am Post subject:
I don't think so. But by keeping a functional old phone rather than replacing it every year with a new model, and should you need to get a new phone by sending it off to be reused in third world countries you are doing your "bit". How many old phones are sitting in peoples houses simply because a newer better model has come out?

sunpuppy

Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 169
Location: Exeter, Devon

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 9:05 am Post subject:
With some (usually older) phones, you don't have to unlock it at all, just put your new PAYG sim card in it.

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 9:07 am Post subject:

Bernie66 wrote:

I don't think so. But by keeping a functional old phone rather than replacing it every year with a new model, and should you need to get a new phone by sending it off to be reused in third world countries you are doing your "bit". How many old phones are sitting in peoples houses simply because a newer better model has come out?

our school is collecting them now as they get paid for returning them.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 9:07 am Post subject:
maybe el-cheapo supermarket option willbe the best bet then. Will pick one up and give it a go

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Thu May 11, 06 9:09 am Post subject:

Mrs Fiddlesticks wrote:

Bernie66 wrote:

our school is collecting them now as they get paid for returning them.

Our school collects them on a yearly basis. Scary when you think how many they get!

mrutty

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1578

Posted: Fri May 12, 06 8:28 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

mrutty seems to know about this stuff. You could try PMing him.

Might have worked for the largest Telco in the world

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