advice on getting a punting phone?

[tonylad]

What is the best way of getting a punting phone?

I was thinking of getting a simple phone from a second hand shop and a PAYG sim card. These SIM cards allow texts but don't usually support voice mail.

Does that work?

[RedKettle]

You may be amazed by this revelation but there are shops on most high streets that sell phones - eg carphone warehouse and a small chain called Tesco.  They will sell cheap phones with PAYG sims. 

[AnthG]

In terms of the Sim. Get a three data reward sim. This is a pay as you go sim that gives you 200mb free each month. Its designed to be used on internet devices. But it also works making calls and would be perfect for a punting phone giving you free internet access each month - install whatsapp as this goes through your data plan.

External Link/Members Only

To get the free 200mb per month you need to register the sim by going to a website after inserting.

If you do not want the data reward sim, then a regular 321 PAYG sim from Three would also be perfect. Three Pay as you go sims are by far the ones to go for I have found as they are so cheap to run.

In terms of the phone. Get a cheap smart phone from either CEX or Ebay. I have a Google Nexus 4 and love mine and it can be had for £65 from ebay I seen.

Or if you do not want a smart phone. Get a cheap Blackberry from CEX for £20. They are very easy to unlock via buying a code from Ebay for £1 so don't worry about buying a locked Blackberry from CEX.

[Juilius_Sneezer]

GiffGaff are easy to get pay-as-you-go and most of these repair shops or cash trading shops do cheap handsets. CEX does sound like a more reliable bet for a handset.

If your happy with your navigation skills you can opt for a non-smartphone but if not then something that runs maps is advisable.

Just make sure your not staring about like an idiot with your phone in your hand until you find the door.

[Metal gear]

Carphone warehouse, have a basic phone (Alcatel OneTouch) on offer at the moment for free when bought with a £10 top up.

[wheeliebinwanking]

This sort of thread has been done to death. Have a search fella

Your choices as I see them are not HOW to get a phone.

As has been said, you can re-use an old one, go to high street (supermarkets / cash converters), gumtree ebay

It's whether to go SMARTPHONE or Nokia Basic. I'd advocate smartphone with data plan as you can WhatsApp til your heart is content amongst other things.

WBW

[Sir Lance-a-lot]

One thing you need to consider is that you might be exchanging numerous texts with the WG.  So  you might want a phone that's good for texting, with either an alphabetic keypad or an on-screen smartphone keypad.

[Roth]

You may be amazed by this revelation but there are shops on most high streets that sell phones - eg carphone warehouse and a small chain called Tesco.  They will sell cheap phones with PAYG sims. 

Most of the supermarket phone outlets will take cash. 

[AnthG]

Most of the supermarket phone outlets will take cash. 

So will CEX and you could even trade in some stuff to get it too.

Just buy a locked phone cheaply from CEX and get an unlock code for £1 from ebay (or even check Ebay.com for the unlock code as they usually charge $1 and $1 = 60p so you can get the unlock code for 60p that way).

[The Outsider]

One thing you need to consider is that you might be exchanging numerous texts with the WG.  So  you might want a phone that's good for texting, with either an alphabetic keypad or an on-screen smartphone keypad.

That's a good point and one that I overlooked.  It's really hard texting on an old Nokia once you're used to a smart phone!

[Sparta Prada]

One thing you need to consider is that you might be exchanging numerous texts with the WG.  So  you might want a phone that's good for texting, with either an alphabetic keypad or an on-screen smartphone keypad.

Great point which is why I use a knackered old Blackberry as my punting phone as I find it easier to type on the physical keyboard, than the touchscreen keyboards you get with Android and IOS.

[Spacecowb0y]

Buy a cheap dual sim smartphone from eBay around £60. I put a lycamobile sim (paid cash and £20 top up).
Lycamobile doesn't have an adult content bar, so feel free to surf from it when punting.
I keep the other sim for my other hobbies when I don't want to carry my expensive phablet.

[fed24]

Buyers market these days for mobile phones unlike punting at the moment!

You can walk into a branch of Argos and get a simple text enabled Pay-Go for £4.99!

External Link/Members Only

or a touch screen Pay-Go smart phone for £19.99

External Link/Members Only

Just go to your local branch walk in hand the order code over to the spotty teenager manning the till who will not blat an eyelid considering how many of them they sell every week. Then go about your business! It is not as if you have a sign over your head stating "I'm buying a punting phone"! There are soooooo many good reasons to have a spare phone beyond punting nobody is going to raise an eyelid if you bump into anybody you know, "Hi Paula from work, new phone? Yes just wanted a spare for the car in case of breakdowns or insert other mundane use"

[MilesPrower]

Tesco. £8 with a free £10 topup.

Works a charm and easy to hide 

[momochan]

Are you sure about this as I got this but when I went to top up , it only gives me data plans or some internation cash roaming plan , I called customer services and they said that this is a data only sim and and I need a voice sim for calls ?

In terms of the Sim. Get a three data reward sim. This is a pay as you go sim that gives you 200mb free each month. Its designed to be used on internet devices. But it also works making calls and would be perfect for a punting phone giving you free internet access each month - install whatsapp as this goes through your data plan.

External Link/Members Only

To get the free 200mb per month you need to register the sim by going to a website after inserting.

If you do not want the data reward sim, then a regular 321 PAYG sim from Three would also be perfect. Three Pay as you go sims are by far the ones to go for I have found as they are so cheap to run.

In terms of the phone. Get a cheap smart phone from either CEX or Ebay. I have a Google Nexus 4 and love mine and it can be had for £65 from ebay I seen.

Or if you do not want a smart phone. Get a cheap Blackberry from CEX for £20. They are very easy to unlock via buying a code from Ebay for £1 so don't worry about buying a locked Blackberry from CEX.

[Azucar D Artagnan]

£25.00 buys you a dual sim handset from Nokia    That's the way to go ! Samsung even has a dual sim I-phone handset for approx. £150.00 

[webpunter]

£25.00 buys you a dual sim handset from Nokia    That's the way to go ! Samsung even has a dual sim I-phone handset for approx. £150.00 

Not when you drop the phone in front of your OH & the back falls off & she asks why are there 2 SIM cards ?   
I had a dual SIM phone once.  Frequently used the wrong number

[Azucar D Artagnan]

Not when you drop the phone in front of your OH & the back falls off & she asks why are there 2 SIM cards ?   
I had a dual SIM phone once.  Frequently used the wrong number

You use the dual sim for your punting and keep the day to day phone separate . Dual sim allow you to check your appts are not being double booked , re-confirm or negotiate prices , as well as may other useful ploys 

[webpunter]

You use the dual sim for your punting and keep the day to day phone separate . Dual sim allow you to check your appts are not being double booked , re-confirm or negotiate prices , as well as may other useful ploys 

Ah - got you now.  You smart sneaky ******
****** being punter of course 

[AnthG]

Are you sure about this as I got this but when I went to top up , it only gives me data plans or some internation cash roaming plan , I called customer services and they said that this is a data only sim and and I need a voice sim for calls ?

I can confirm this works 100%. And just to say, you shouldn't have phoned Three about this. As this is something you shouldn't be doing as these are set by them as data sims, not phone sims. As in they don't want you to use them in your phones. But it works as the sims are identical to phone sims.

And to confirm again. Just this very second before posting I have done it again with my new phone (I bought a Moto E 2nd Gen for £35 from Vodaphone this week as it was on a mega deal for a 4G phone and chucked another data sim to use it as a backup phone).

But anyway there is two ways to top up. The first is by going to a supermarket and getting a phone voucher and typing it in via 444.

The second is by going to this web link: External Link/Members Only

On this page, you need to then select "More Options" and then you get "International Cash". this allows you to pay £2, £5, £10 etc for mobile phone credit to be added onto the sim.

I have just this second done this again with my new phone and put £2 on there. And made a call to my main phone to check it, and it worked perfectly making the call.

Do not phone Three!! They do not want you doing this. Before you get concerned worst case scenario is they can block this type of credit being added to the sim if you abuse it (and by abusing it I mean, telling them you have done this).  For a punting phone, these are perfect. But I have been using one in my main phone for almost 2 months now and its been perfect.

Hidden Image/Members OnlyExternal Link/Members Only

[Watts.E.Dunn]

One thing which as good about some old Nokia's is that its very easy to remove the sim so you take it out when not in use or put an old one in it that's dead.
The other is a discrete bit of tape over the battery or sim contacts so it can't work.

All because there might be a time when her indoors gets hold of it and of course there's that extra security code;)

But its best to have a bloody good reason in advance to have the spare mobile and the story that goes with it.

Her indoors is one of the most suspicious creatures on gods good earth!.

[sharpshoes78]

My good old punting phone has snake 

[ianvilla]

There's lots of good advice here but the important thing is to buy one, you wont regret it. Be safe!

[momochan]

Thanks mate , will try it later , saves me going to a three shop and getting a free sim.

I can confirm this works 100%. And just to say, you shouldn't have phoned Three about this. As this is something you shouldn't be doing as these are set by them as data sims, not phone sims. As in they don't want you to use them in your phones. But it works as the sims are identical to phone sims.

And to confirm again. Just this very second before posting I have done it again with my new phone (I bought a Moto E 2nd Gen for £35 from Vodaphone this week as it was on a mega deal for a 4G phone and chucked another data sim to use it as a backup phone).

But anyway there is two ways to top up. The first is by going to a supermarket and getting a phone voucher and typing it in via 444.

The second is by going to this web link: External Link/Members Only

On this page, you need to then select "More Options" and then you get "International Cash". this allows you to pay £2, £5, £10 etc for mobile phone credit to be added onto the sim.

I have just this second done this again with my new phone and put £2 on there. And made a call to my main phone to check it, and it worked perfectly making the call.

Do not phone Three!! They do not want you doing this. Before you get concerned worst case scenario is they can block this type of credit being added to the sim if you abuse it (and by abusing it I mean, telling them you have done this).  For a punting phone, these are perfect. But I have been using one in my main phone for almost 2 months now and its been perfect.

Hidden Image/Members OnlyExternal Link/Members Only

[Marmalade]

That vodaphone smartphone running on KitKat looks like a brilliant deal. It's really about tailoring your choice of punting phone to your specific requirements though, as I've said many times. It is exceedingly useful to have a smartphone to help with directions to the location of an incall. If you decide that is worth it to you, ask if you are ok with the phone tracking your whereabouts and, if not, search the threads on this forum for instance on how to switch off tracking or delete it. Is the phone unlikely to be found? There are all sorts of things you can do if not 100% sure it won't be, including fake boot up screens and vault apps that display a fake 'safe' database of your choice rather than prossie numbers. But of course, every set of tips we put on here will be added to mumsnet when your 'wife' is trying to catch you out. Best advice, don't give her reason to think that you are (see the punting for married men thread). Women, like pets and children, are not that hard to keep amused. Putting your wife's little life in order can save a lot of trouble! Good luck to the OP with his phone choice.

[JupitersBurning]

My old punting phone broke. I go for normal touchpad in a punting phone rather than a smartphone. I now have an Alcatel.

Don't fucking get an Alcatel. The default setting for texts (which it constantly resets back to) makes writing a text fucking arduous.

[carefree]

What is the best way of getting a punting phone?

I was thinking of getting a simple phone from a second hand shop and a PAYG sim card. These SIM cards allow texts but don't usually support voice mail.

Does that work?

Jesus fucking christ

This game is only as hard as you make it, and plenty on here make it so unnecessarily difficult

Tescos, £10 shit phone, payg sim.....job done.

You're welcome