Free or cheap phone charging while you're on the go

Instead of looking for somewhere you can charge your phone, the alternative is to buy your own portable power bank which you can charge up and then take out with you. These can vary largely in price, quality and charging capacity, so we've rounded up a few options from larger retailers, and sorted by price. 

Each device will specify its power quantity (in mAh), which probably doesn't mean much to most people, so many also offer a guidance on how many full charges it can provide. Of course, this is just a guidance and should be taken with a pinch of salt, as there are a number of variables which can affect the number of charges – eg, different devices have different battery capacities, the power bank will need to be fully charged to provide the maximum charge, and the quality of the power banks themselves may differ. 

Not all of these will come with a cable to connect your device, so you may need to use an existing one or buy a spare. We've chosen not to include Amazon here, as there are so many different options, so you may want to check for yourself (search for 'power bank', prices start from £5ish).

These are the cheapest power banks we could find from some larger retailers. Their typical charge capacity is up to one full charge, but there are a couple of options below that could supply up to two full charges.