Not making the most of your phone’s minutes, texts, or data usage limits? Then a pay as you go phone could be right for you. If you’re not taking the most advantage of what can often be an expensive pay monthly phone deal, topping up your phone as and when you need to use it could be a more convenient solution.
But with such a wide range of phones to choose from, finding the right pay as you go phone can be a tough task. Do you want a cheap ‘burner’ phone to use in emergencies or at festivals? Or a premium flagship phone with all the bells and whistles?
Luckily, we've rounded up the best pay as you go phones for a range of prices and needs, from just 79p all the way up to £870. Read on for our pay as you go guide and a comprehensive rundown of the best pay as you go phone for you.
How to choose the best pay as you go phone for you
How do pay as you go phones work?
It’s pretty simple, really. Once you purchase your handset, all you need to do is add credit and then you’re free to make calls, text and browse the internet. When your credit runs down, simply top up your phone with more.
Multiple methods of topping up your phone include buying vouchers from shops or doing it online, over the phone or via text message.
Is a pay as you go phone right for me?
It all depends on how much you’re planning to use your phone. Pay monthly contracts can cost anywhere from £15 to £50 and even more, so if you’re not making a lot of calls and texts or using a lot of data then spending so much money probably doesn’t make much sense.
Basically, pay as you go phones let you retain flexibility instead of locking into a set price for years to come.
What are the advantages of pay-as-you-go phones?
They’re great value, with no minimum monthly charges as you would get on a pay-monthly contract. Only using prepaid credit means that you already know what you’ll be spending – so there are no nasty surprises for going over your data allowance, for example. Additionally, no contract means that you aren’t committed to paying a set fee for several years. And finally, pay as you go phones are available to people under the age of 18, unlike pay monthly phones.
Are there any drawbacks to pay-as-you-go phones?
Potentially the only major drawback is that you’ll have to pay full price for your handset. This means it can potentially be initially expensive if you want to buy a new, top-of-the-range smartphone. Meanwhile, those who use their phones heavily probably won’t be suited to pay as you go phones, with charges likely to go above and beyond a monthly contract if you’re topping up over and over again.
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The best pay as you go phones
Alcatel 10.54: Best pay as you go phone under £10
Price:£7.50 | Buy now from Vodafone
It’s a basic phone, yes, but a reliable one. Obviously, at this price, you’re not getting a smartphone competitor, but if you’re looking for the basics done well then Alcatel's 10.54 a great all-rounder at such a low price.
A long-lasting 800mAh battery is perfect for this not-so-resource heavy phone and there’s a microSD slot that lets you add up to 32GB of storage, so you can pack a lot of tracks into the music player. Elsewhere, there’s Bluetooth, an FM radio and very basic camera for low-quality snaps.
Key specs – Camera: 1.3-megapixel; Storage: up to 32GB microSD; Battery: 800mAh; Weight: 65g; Screen: 1.8in, 160 x 128; Dimensions: 108 x 45 x 12.7mm
MobiWire Pictor: Best throwaway pay as you go phone
Price:£0.79 | Buy now from EE
Similarly styled to the 10.54, the Pictor also includes several similar features to Alcatel’s budget offering. There’s a music player, microSD expansion up to 32GB and a slightly larger battery – though at this level of phone they’ll last a long time regardless.
Bluetooth connectivity is also included, while the camera is just 2-megapixels, which is about as good as you can expect for this ridiculously low price. The price is obviously the major selling point – where else can you get a phone for less than a bottle of Coke?
Key specs – Camera: 2-megapixel; Storage: 8mb, up to 32GB microSD; Battery: 1000mAh; Weight: 83g; Screen: 2.4in, 320 x 240; Dimensions: 119.5 x 50 x 12.9mm
Nokia 3310: The classic, updated
Price:£25 | Buy now from O2
The new 3310 is an update to the beloved and notably durable classic Nokia. That was one of the most successful phones in history with over 126 million units sold worldwide since its launch all the way back in 2000. Released in 2017, the new 3310 has been a huge success, rapidly selling out almost everywhere.
The iconic Snake game is still there – now in colour – while Nokia claim the phone can last up to four weeks between charges. Elsewhere, there’s a 2-megapixel camera, 3G internet, and expandable storage. In the present day, it’s a basic phone, but the nostalgia hit and additional features lift it above the other phones listed here.
Key specs – Camera: 2-megapixel; Storage: 128mb, microSD slot; Battery: 1200mAh; Weight: 85g; Screen: 2.4in, 320 x 240; Dimensions: 117 x 52.4 x 13.35mm
Honor 7A: Best mid-range pay as you go phone
Price:£139.99 | Buy now from Three
The budget option from the Chinese brand, the Honor 7A has the look and feel of a phone that would set you back much more. It’s the price that really stands out with this phone, being one of the cheapest devices around to offer face unlocking.
The 18:9, 1,440 x 720 resolution display is a bonus, too, and really stands out from the crowd. Another plus point is the battery life, which lasted over 11 hours in our benchmark test. The cameras, however, are probably the weakest aspect of the phone, capturing grainy and murky-looking shots in all sorts of lighting conditions.
Performance shapes up well against its budget smartphone competitors, though its now three-year-old Snapdragon 430 processor is a bit outdated. With 2GB of RAM, it’s not one for running lots of demanding apps or games but, on the whole, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better phone for the same price.
Key specs – Camera: 13-megapixel rear, 8-megapixel front; Storage: 16GB, up to 256GB microSD; Battery: 3000mAh; Weight: 150g; Screen: 5.7in, 1,440 x 720; Dimensions: 152.4 x 73 x 7.8mm
Apple iPhone SE: Best Apple pay as you go phone
Price:£249 | Buy now from Vodafone
It may be two years old, and likely soon to be upgraded to a fancier model, but the original iPhone SE is still one of the best small form factor phones on the market. Its build quality is superb and there’s the 4in screen which, despite the low resolution, looks sharp and clear with a high pixel density.
Performance is strong too, with Apple’s A9 processor and 2GB of RAM running the show – the same used in the 6S and 6S Plus. The 12-megapixel rear camera is a further plus, while the battery is fantastic, lasting almost 17 hours in our video rundown test. TouchID and Apple Pay via NFC are also included – additional bonuses.
Until the SE2 does arrive – indeed, if it does – the SE is a great buy if you want a compact phone that can deliver much more than its size hints at.
Key specs – Camera: 12-megapixel front, 1.2-megapixel rear; Storage: 32GB; Battery: 1,624mAh; Weight: 113g; Screen: 4in, 1,136 x 640; Dimensions: 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6mm
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus: Best premium pay as you go phone
Price:£869.99 | Buy now from Three
A seriously impressive handset, the Galaxy S9 Plus is possibly the best Android smartphone we’ve ever seen. The latest flagship from the Korean company excels in just about every area, but it will cost you.
To start off, the 2.7GHz Exynos 9810 processor – paired with 6GB of RAM – makes for a super-fast Android handset, while the Super AMOLED display looks amazing, producing class-leading image quality. A battery that lasts over 14 hours might be down on the S8, but we expect this is the tradeoff for the new power-hungry processor.
Then there’s the camera, which is very impressive – especially in low light, which is usually a sore point for smartphones. The S9 Plus is an amazing phone if you can stomach the up-front price. If you want to save £130 and still get many of the same features, you could also opt for the Galaxy S9 instead.
Key specs – Camera: dual 12-megapixel rear, 8-megapixel front; Storage: 128GB, up to 400GB microSD; Battery: 3,500mAh; Weight: 189g; Screen: 6.2in, 2,960 x 1,440; Dimensions: 158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5mm
