by Richard Harley

Created on: February 10, 2009

Pay as you go phones are dead. The only reason you'd use one is for participating in a robbery so the number couldn't be traced back.

Pay as you go phones are suitable only for the old and the lonely. In fact, contract phones have become so much the 'norm' that every budget tracking software I've used has had a section for 'phone contract'.

I don't know too much about other contracts, I just know about the contract I have.

Let's look at the details. With a contract deal, you'd normally expect to get a free handset - unless of course you desire something top of the range. The contract I've had with O2 for two Blackberry's has been excellent. The handsets are perfect for their purpose and I've dropped mine in several puddles. However, the joys of the Blackberry are not what this discussion is about. I pay 30 a month and I make a lot of phone calls. I send a lot of texts too. I don't know what my quota is, but I do know I've never gone over it. Until I do, there's no reason to waste time looking through the bill. 30 pounds a month for a free phone (replaced at end of contract) and virtually unlimited calls/texts seems fine to me.

Remember, many contract phones have offers stipulating that calls to the same network will be free. Since I often call other Blackberry's, even better.

Did I mention the Internet data usage? It's unlimited. Which is handy when I'm using google maps on the move a lot, or browsing some forums waiting for a train.

Pay as you go plans have none of these benefits. Using the Internet on a PAYG mobile is tantamount to handling a fat wad of cash over to your phone company. It just doesn't make sense.

However, for people disconnected from the real world, PAYG phones perhaps make perfect sense. They cost 10 pounds every few months - meaning they're cheap, relatively. If you make few calls and never have cause to engage in a tedious text argument I see the reasoning. They're low cost and low hassle, although I don't understand the point about 'only using them for emergencies'. Call me crazy, but I'd want a mobile phone I knew wasn't going to ask me to 'top-up' because I 'hadn't used credit in the last 60 days' in case of emergency. Buying a swipe card having just been rear ended by a ten ton lorry would annoy me.

Alas, I can't speak for everyone, but I believe I speak for the sane majority when I say - "Take out a contract you know you won't hit the quota on and relax. Life's too short to buy top up cards."

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