Which SIM?

[lurkio]

Chaps, I could use a bit of advice.

My dad's got a mobile. The worst piece of junk I have ever seen and totally unsuitable for him.

A bit of background. He's in his late 60s. A total techno-phobe. Because of his age and state of health it was decided he really needed a mobile 'just in case'. He had previously been in the 'I have never used a mobile phone and never intend to' camp.

My step-mum got him a Skype handset on 3.

It is awful. He's got fingers like thick sausages and it's just too fiddly. He's had it about a year and now the battery won't hold a charge. I replaced the battery and the problem wasn't resolved by that so we've decided to kit him out with a Nokia my sister had. It's a bit bigger and easier for him to get to grips with.

Now, what's the best SIM only deal for him?

He will rarely use the phone, so we don't need a deal that involves him having to top-up a minimum of so much in a period of time, he just won't use it. We just need something that he can stick a tenner on and it will sit there until he's used it - without being 50p per minutes.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance. [:T]

 

[Trogg]

asda mobile, 8ppm and 4ppt minimum top up is 5 and they charge you something like 50p for the sim, it piggy backs on the voda network so its got pretty good coverage as well

 

[Trogg]

In fact mate PM me your address, i've got an asda chip here you can have it gratis, i got it for my daughter but we brought her a new phone for xmas and its a good deal for her on orange so we didn't need it.

 

[lurkio]

Done a bit of reading up on the Asda deal and it seems he'd have to top-up a minimum of 5 per month.

What he needs is one that he can just top-up and the credit sits there until it's needed. He'd never use 5 per month so it would just waste cash.

Unless I am misunderstanding what their website says.

 

[MarkerNW]

i think most networks are pretty much the same, i'm on orange dolphin payg myself, 10 per month gives me 300 free texts and a certain amount of internet but after the month is up my tenner still sits on the phone at standard call rates until its gone[] i think standard rate is 20ppm but i can't be sure exactly because i hardly ever make calls myself[]
when my free texts/internet has run out i always run down the tenner before topping up again so i only top up a few times a year, its the cheapest way i know of paying for a mobile phone[:T]

 

[jduck1979]

Vodafone SIMPLY pay-as-you-go - stick a tenner on, and no need to further top-up until you've used it up.

Calls to any UK mobile network, standard landline and voicemail (per minute) = 0.20

Add the "Vodafone Family Pack", and you get unlimited calls between up to 4 family members (up to an hour at a time) provided one of you pays in 5 a month.

 

[pfenc]

once had a pay and go with 02 which sat in glove box for a while with not alot of credit on it for emergencies, but when it was needed one day it had been de-activated by then so wouldn't work, so beware of not using it alot.

 

[batman]

Originally posted by pfenc

once had a pay and go with 02 which sat in glove box for a while with not alot of credit on it for emergencies, but when it was needed one day it had been de-activated by then so wouldn't work, so beware of not using it alot.

Yeah, I think you need to make at least one chargeable call within a set time.
Maybe 90 days. I take it this is to stop all the available numbers being taken up by unused pay and go.

 

[Paul_D]

I don't know the exact details etc. but walking into a Tesco store the other day the advertising blurb welcoming you stated that if you signed up and top up by 10 (I think), they would double or even triple it. It struck me as a good deal.

 

[James Dunn]

i use Tmobile pay as you go i only use the phone to phone the wife for a lift home from poker or the odd call here and there so a similar situation to your dad.i just put in a tenner and top up when its low. no demand to top up x ammount per month and it doesnt run out if your not using it dont know the cost of calls cos i aint bothered for what i use.