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Always been on a contract
bought mum a new phone that she could use with her existing sim. It was cheaper to get it as pay as you go rather than sim free, so I ended up with a spare pay as you go sim with 2 gb of data on it.
decided to pop it in to an old phone and stream some netflix and sure enough got a text this morning saying I've used up my allocated data.
thing is though I can continue to stream and access the Web. I thought the whole point is that you need to top up to continue using it?
what's the catch? Are they automaticalay topping it up using the cc details I gave them whenI bought the phone, and can they hit me with any kind of post use charges? I suspect not...but you never know with mobile companies?...
also before anyone asks, it's not diverted to a wifi signal instead of data which is what I first thought.
Some have auto top up using cc details but you usually get a text when it triggers. Worth logging in to your account to check. Might also have a fiver (or similar) of credit on it for general use when you register it
I've not registered and don't have an account. All I did was ask for a phone that I can replace the sim with one I already have. It's on ee...I've never sign any agreement with them. All I did was buy the phone as far as I was aware?
As above. I paid cash so I know its safe though.
I've always been on pay monthly with virgin (10 years) get unlimited calls texts, data, calls for about £17 a month. Suits me as not a heavy user.
Work phone for work stuff.
These guys'll prob know the answer
I purchase a 'goody bag' for £7.50 a month that gives me half a gig of data, an allowance of SMS' and minutes of phone calls. If used it is alot cheaper than paying as you go on standard charges. Some months i'll bust my allowances, and i've got an auto-top up arranged so if I do it'll automatically top up my sim with £10 at a time for use on the standard per SMS/per minute of voice call/per Gb of data usage.I get a monthly e-bill and there will be a recommendation on it if the goody bag i'm on is ideal for my usage and suggest another one if my usage is appropriate.
As to wether PAYG is worth it or not is a different question. It depends on how you purchase your phone. If you pay for a contract you're just paying the cost of your phone off monthly - PAYG is just as cheap or cheaper if you buy your phone and pay it off over the same period via an interest free credit card. Obviously once you own your phone PAYG is alot cheaper. Before I transitioned onto PAYG I was paying about £25 a month on my contract. They phone had been paid for so dropping onto a £7.50 a month PAYG deal is obviously alot cheaper than remaining on a contract.
You say you put your sim in your old phone ? Is that phone connected to your wireless network ( if you have one ) ?
What happened to genuine payg contracts where you used services you'd paid for up front until you used them up? Rather than what seems to be the current type where they're just a monthly contract by another name
[quote=wobbliscott ]As to wether PAYG is worth it or not is a different question. It depends on how you purchase your phone. If you pay for a contract you're just paying the cost of your phone off monthly - PAYG is just as cheap or cheaper if you buy your phone and pay it off over the same period via an interest free credit card. Obviously once you own your phone PAYG is alot cheaper. Before I transitioned onto PAYG I was paying about £25 a month on my contract. They phone had been paid for so dropping onto a £7.50 a month PAYG deal is obviously alot cheaper than remaining on a contract.
That's just the difference between a contract which includes HP on a phone and one which doesn't - not an inherent advantage of PAYG. Plenty of SIM only contracts available - I pay £6ish a month on contract for 1GB data unlimited texts and some phone calls (no idea how many, I don't use it much for talking). Doubtless you could have also got a much cheaper contract.
Also plenty of options on traditional PAYG if that's what you want - you can use almost all of them like that if you want, though if you're anything but a very light user you're likely to be better off getting some sort of bundle.
Three PAYG is good, your credit does not expire and it's really cheap 3p per minute 2p per text and 1p per mb data
Aracer makes the exact point I was going to - contracts are £25+ because you're paying for the handset. Indeed Vodafone (IIRC) actually split the bill into the handset component and the usage component. People (myself included) are lazy, and don't switch their contract once you've paid your phone off, which is pretty mental.
It's one of the things I don't think people really understand what they're paying for. "Why pay £700 for an iPhone, you can get one free for just £60 a month for 24 months" err...
Personally I like having a new(ish) phone, so I'm happy to just upgrade every two years when my contract ends. Shop around, I do lots of working out of the cheapest deal - I was going to go sim only this time (£7.50/month) and buy an iPhone 7 upfront (£600), but ended up getting it at no upfront cost on a £30/month contract, which is cheaper over the life of the phone, but does force me to keep it for 2 years, which is fine.
As for the OP's question... no idea, but when's that ever stopped anyone on here!
If connected to wifi then it will keep streaming as you aren't using the sim part of the phone.
What happened to genuine payg contracts where you used services you'd paid for up front until you used them up? Rather than what seems to be the current type where they're just a monthly contract by another name
As skids says "3" 321. Cheap and lasts as long as you like...
I've used all three types just recently on phones and mifi boxes I've purchased separately.
True payg with 3 network 321. Can't recall the deal exactly but some thing like 1p per meg of data, 2p per text, 3p per minute calls. And you just pay for more when you've used it up.
The others aren't true payg IMO but what most of them offer now, which is you pay per month for so much data and call time, if you don't use it you lose it. Some are pay DD monthly, some are DD free and require you to top up.
[quote=Speeder said]What happened to genuine payg contracts where you used services you'd paid for up front until you used them up? Rather than what seems to be the current type where they're just a monthly contract by another name
They still exist.
pay as you go is pretty expensive, my wife burnt through a fiver credit a month and hardly used the phone. she is now on a rolling virgin contyract for the same cash and gets something like 250minutes calls, unlimited text and 500gb data.
i'm also on a rolling with virgin and only pay a few quid more for over double that.
the only advantage i can see to going back to a contract deal is for the handset, but at 30quid plus a month for anything apple id probably buy a used older model handset.