Best mobile package for infrequent user?

[Budikka]

I do most of my business online through the internet and hardly ever make phone calls. However, you do need a number for banking business and internet could be good to have when I am out and about (although I love being "offline" and inaccessible when out for walks!).

I might be moving to a new flat with no internet access anyway, so would be good to have UK number where I could sort of pay as you go, until I get broadband installed. I used Lycamobile at the moment, but they tend to deactivate the numbers without warning.

Can anyone here recommend a good package for the likes of me? I generally prefer PAYG, because of my low usage, but could live with a low direct debit based on my infrequent usage. Any suggestions? I live in cities, where there is usually a good coverage by all networks, might be moving to Aberdeen where they say EE is the best...

Vodaphone PAYG - register the SIM and you get capped daily charges. I think ATM its a pound. The coverage is good as well.

Problem with this is that she'd use the pound a day on Internet so would be paying £30 a month, otherwise I'd have said this for infrequent users.

OP isn't an infrequent user thought, they're a frequent data user, but minimal calls/texts is how I read it?

Vodafone do Big Value Bundles where £10 will get you a few gb of data, this may work? Drawback is you can't carry it over if you don't use it. Try O2, I think their data rolls over

We pay £7 a month with Sky for 2GB of data and unlimited calls/texts. I seldom use all my data and it gets rolled over. DC do so it's handy to have some in reserve to add when they run out. I think we get a discount as we have broadband with Sky too.

You probably want one of the month to month SIM only deals.

Unless you never watch videos, listen to streamed music, use your phone as a sat nav or share photos you'll use some data, and they all include unlimited calls and texts for not very much (starting under a fiver a month).

There's also no risk of running up a huge bill for going over an allowance that you'd get with a true PAYG deal, where even a short call can cost a few pounds

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheap-mobile-finder/sim-only/

I pay £7pm for 12gb data, unlimited minutes & text. Virgin mobile, I've just been emailed to say they are moving their accounts to O2 - same deal but 50gb data.

Ds2 has £7pm for 15gb data, unlimited minutes & text.

You can get cheaper contracts.

2nd the advice to look at this link https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheap-mobile-finder/sim-only. I'm just looking atm for ds1.

I pay £8 per month with virgin for 20gb of data and unlimited calls and texts and the data rolls over month to month I was paying £2 more with giffgaff pay as you go but would loose the data when it renewed.

Low usage of calls bit high usage of internet?

I have used all the networks at one time or another, I have found Vodafone has the best coverage over all ,especially in the sticks. 3 and EE were the worst.

I am currently with Lebara which uses the Vodafone network, fiver a month but that's only 2 gig of internet.

Most people need way more than that in their home setting.

What kind of new flat comes without broadband?

I have that. I did get caught out just recently because picture messages aren't in the plan, I took 3 photos this month and sent them in text messages and have been charged 50p for each one, but I'm still quids in. I have 55 GB available to me ATM because of rollovers.

Note: last week (23 June) I got an email from Virgin Mobile saying they are migrating me over to an O2 plan with 'at least double the data allowance'. The switch will happen tomorrow (28 June). I won't have to change the direct debit, my number will stay the same, and I'll still get free EU roaming, but with 6 extra countries compared with VM. All I have to do is make sure my phone is switched on and charged on 28 June. You may have had an email? It did say something about an automatic broadband speed boost, but I haven't checked that out yet.

I've switched just about completely over to Whatsapp for 'texting', one reason being that it is free to share pictures and I often couldn't do that without adding extra credit to my account, which was a pain even if I didn't mind spending the money.

I can't remember which provider this was with as I've tried a few of them in a search for the best signal and also WiFi calling and inclusion of the Isle of Man in the countries it works in.

One of the deals here:

https://www.rwgmobile.wales/rates-plans-eng-per/

might work for you.

Thanks for all the brilliant helpful advice.

When I use broadband, I find I use from between 1-2 GB a day. So I could potentially need to be using up to 2GB a day - but that would only be short-term, if I found myself without broadband and would need to use my phone as a router to my PC.