Pay as you go mobile phone deals

Guide to pay as you go phones

While a lot of people prefer the contract option, thousands of us still prefer to opt for pay-as-you-go mobiles. But with such a wealth of choice, where are you going to start? Luckily you’re in the right place; Mobile Genie can guide you all the way through the buying process right here, while giving you a huge choice of handsets, networks and retailers.

Below we’ll take you right through the buying process for PAYG mobile phones, from feature explanations to the kinds of extras you can expect. Also, we’ll look at some of the small print issues you really can’t risk ignoring.

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Is a pay as you go phone right for me?

Before we get started, we should make sure you’re in the right place. As we mentioned above, PAYG phones aren’t for everyone.

So what do we mean by PAYG mobile phones? Quite simply, pay as you go does what it says on the tin – you buy the amount of calls, texts and data you want and then use them. When they’re gone, you pay for some more credit.

Topping up your credit will be done in a number of ways, depending on which network you choose, but they’re always straight forward enough: you can usually do it online, direct from your phone, at cash machines, via a top-up card (bought in stores), even automatically.

The other option to consider is the contract. If you go for this option (see the tab at the top of this page to see our contract phones) you’re likely to get a new handset upfront, either cheap or completely free. You’ll also have a set monthly fee that will see your cost per text/minute/MB being a little cheaper than on a pay as you go phone. The flip side is that you’ll be tied into a long contract, probably 12 or 18 months, which seriously curtails your freedom to either grab a new handset when you want one, or switch networks.

It’s still easy enough to find cheap PAYG mobile phones – more of which later! You just need to have a little cash upfront to pay for the handset, while you’ll have to accept that you’ll likely pay a little extra per text, call or MB of data usage.

The big advantage is that you only pay for what you need, when you need it – while you can easily get a PAYG SIM for another company and switch networks whenever you fee like it. This means you should always be able to get the best deals. Equally, you get a new handset as often – or as little – as you want or need. If you’re not into phones, what’s the point of an annual upgrade you have no interest in?

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Types of pay as you go mobile phones

There’s actually no difference in terms of handsets you can choose when it comes to PAYG – all mobiles are compatible with both PAYG and contract SIM cards. So what should you be looking out for?

• Smartphone or feature phone: A feature phone is one that you can’t customise much – think your traditional mobile, although some feature phones now have a touchscreen and apps like smartphones. The difference is that you can’t usually change much – in terms of features, what you get out of the box is what you’re going to be stuck with. Smartphones have an ‘operating system’, much like a PC or laptop, so you can download all manner of apps, games and the like to enhance your phone. This means smartphones are almost always more expensive and feature rich – but do you need all that?
• Operating system: If you go for a smartphone, this is likely to be Android, BlackBerry, Apple or Windows. Each has its benefits, so if you haven’t bought a smartphone before we’d suggest popping into a store and having a play with each one to see which you’re comfortable with – then come back here and get your cheap pay as you go phones online!
• Manufacturer: Much like with operating systems, people tend to have their favourites so it’s difficult toadvise you here. The likes of Apple, Motorola, Nokia and BlackBerry only make handsets with one operating system, while the likes of Samsung, HTC and Sony Ericsson will make a big variety of handsets. Your best bet is to narrow down your choice by price, jot down some names you like and then read some reviews – both professional and user – before making your final choice.

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Mobile phone features

When you’re looking through the list of PAYG phones you’ll see a whole host of features you can shorten your list by including. But what does it all mean? Here are a few of the most common examples:

• Touchscreen and QWERTY: The days of the 12-button mobile with a small screen are largely behind us – the majority of new, popular mobile handsets now have a touchscreen. QWERTY refers to the full layout you get on a standard keyboard. BlackBerry phones have become synonymous with having a physical QWERTY on their Curve and Bold brands, but touchscreen phones tend to have a ‘virtual’ QWERTY, which is good enough for most people.
• Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi: These are all forms are connectivity, but will be of differing value depending on the way you intend to use your phone. Bluetooth is mainly used to connect wirelessly to other devices very close by, such as wireless headsets; Wi-Fi is for connecting to external broadband connections, either at home or at a hotspot; while GPS is used for mapping and navigation (such as sat nav).
• Camera and video: While most phones have a camera now, the quality can vary wildly. The amount of megapixels will have a bearing on the quality of image (the higher the better), but equally important can be autofocus, flash and video capabilities (don’t take it for granted your handset will have all of these, as even some more expensive models wont).
• Quadband: It’s unlikely you’ll need this, unless you’re a seasoned travelling who’ll be using their mobile abroad. Different countries use different frequencies (or ‘bands’) for their mobile signals – four in all. Dual-band pay as you go phones are all you need to get a signal within the UK, while a tri-band will cover you in most countries. However, to make sure you’ll be able to use your phone in any country in the world, a quad-band will be needed.

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Cheap pay as you go mobile phones

When they come to compare mobile phones, pay as you go customers are often looking for the cheapest way to simply keep in contact. You don’t need a fancy phone – you just want to make calls, send a few texts and maybe take the odd happy snap; this is where pay as you go phones really come into their own.

If you order our comparison table by phone cost, you’ll see there are some amazing offers on basic, cheap PAYG phones. You can get handsets at prices less than £20, which will work perfectly well. You’ll usually have to pay up front for a certain amount of credit to go with it (maybe £10), but beyond that you’ll be up and connected for less than a night out.

However, when buying cheap phones pay as you go, be careful about them being locked to a particular network. This means that the mobile network (be it O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Three Mobile, Virgin Mobile or Vodafone) has put a bar on the handset so that unless you pay a fee (often £15 or more) you won’t be able to use it on another network.

If this is a worry for you, and you can’t get unlocked cheap mobile phones on pay as you go that you want, there is always the SIM-free option. This is where you buy your mobile and SIM completely separately, but it will ensure that your phone isn’t stuck to a network (just make sure it is listed as ‘unlocked’).

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