SIM Only Plan Comparison (Correct to 23/08/2008)

fiish · 10 July 2008 at 9:24PM

What is a 'SIM only' pay monthly deal?

It is exactly what it says on the tin: a pay monthly deal with just the SIM; no contract, no handset, usually just a 30-day notice period is required to leave and you may give this notice any time without penalty. You get the benefits of pay monthly in the form of a large calling/texting allowance, with only slightly less ease of migration compared to pay as you go.

According to MobileToday, the SIM only segment of the mobile market is one of the fastest growing today - and no surprise there. We often still have phones in good condition after the end of our contracts and might not want to sign new ones right away, or we just want to save a few quid each month, so opting for a SIM only deal is a great idea, as the operators offer more benefits for less money by passing the saved phone subsidy on to you.

On a more personal note, I am on a contract ending in October and am planning to go SIM only - I have taken very good care of my past contract phones so I now have 4 handsets in nearly pristine condition - no sense in locking myself down for 18 or 24 months when I would prefer waiting for the perfect handset to come along (which is not too likely since my current one is an unlocked iPhone :P).

However, a big frustration of mine is comparing the SIM only tariffs among the different operators. Googling 'SIM only comparison' doesn't turn up anything useful, and I end up comparing by repeatedly flipping between tabs. Why not have a page where you can see them all, and compare them side by side? It might even help MoneySavers by giving them better information to negotiate with.

I am going to sort the comparisons by price band, so you can instantly see what you get for a certain amount of money. I have obtained this information from the operators' websites so these are the 'direct online' deals. If you read some of the replies you'll find that it may be possible to obtain an even better deal by ringing the provider in question up. Quidco may pay (a small) cashback on SIM only purchases as well, so MoneySavers would do well to check there.

Please do correct me, if any of the information is wrong. Here we go.

£10

Orange Dolphin 10: 150 minutes, 300 texts, unlimited evening & weekend texts
Orange Raccoon 10: 225 minutes, 100 texts, unlimited evening & weekend landline (01/02) calls
Vodafone Online SIM £10: 75 minutes, 500 texts

£15

O2 Simplicity 15: 200 minutes, 400 texts, unlimited O2-O2 calls
T-Mobile Solo 15: 300 minutes, 650 texts
Vodafone Online SIM £15 #1: 250 minutes, 100 texts
Vodafone Online SIM £15 #2: 150 minutes, 1000 texts
Virgin Liberty 15 Talk: 300 minutes, 300 texts
Virgin Liberty 15 Text: 150 minutes, 1000 texts

£20

(Promotional until 30 September) O2 Simplicity 25: 600 minutes, 1000 texts, 1 of {unlimited O2-O2 calls, unlimited texts, unlimited data, unlimited weekend calls, unlimited landline calls, 200 extra minutes}
[strike]O2 Simplicity 20: 400 minutes, 1000 texts, unlimited O2-O2 calls[/strike]
Orange Canary 20: 450 minutes, 250 texts
Orange Dolphin 20: 200 minutes, unlimited texts
Orange Raccoon 20: 500 minutes, 100 texts
T-Mobile Solo 20: 500 minutes, unlimited texts
Vodafone Online SIM £20: 600 minutes, unlimited texts
Virgin Liberty 20 Talk: 450 minutes, 450 texts
Virgin Liberty 20 Text: 300 minutes, 2000 texts

£25

Orange Dolphin 25: 700 minutes, unlimited texts
Orange Raccoon 25: 800 minutes, 100 texts, unlimited landline calls
T-Mobile Solo 25: 800 minutes, unlimited texts
Vodafone Online SIM £25: 750 minutes, 250 texts, unlimited landline calls
Vodafone Instore SIM £25: 600 minutes, unlimited texts
Virgin Liberty 25 Talk: 600 minutes, 600 texts

£30

O2 Simplicity 30: 1200 minutes, 1000 texts, 1 of {unlimited O2-O2 calls, unlimited texts, unlimited data, unlimited weekend calls, unlimited landline calls, 200 extra minutes}
Orange Canary 30: 950 minutes, 400 texts, unlimited Orange-Orange calls
Orange Dolphin 30: 850 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited evening & weekend data, Bebo
T-Mobile Solo 30: 1400 minutes, unlimited texts
Virgin Liberty 30 Talk: 750 minutes, 750 texts

£35

Orange Panther 35: 1000 minutes, 400 texts, 1 of {unlimited texts, unlimited landline calls, unlimited Orange-Orange calls, 250MB data}
T-Mobile Solo 35: 1800 minutes, unlimited texts

£60

O2 Simplicity 60: 3000 minutes, 1000 texts, 1 of {unlimited O2-O2 calls, unlimited texts, unlimited data, unlimited weekend calls, unlimited landline calls, 200 extra minutes}

Well, that's it. I hope this list makes the comparison work easier. I won't be making use of it so soon, but shall try to update it as often as possible.

allthatmularky · 10 July 2008 at 9:36PM

Good post - just don't forget the cashback sites - Quidco will pay £90 for a SIM only deal. This makes the £15 tariff free for six months.

To try to stop abuse - Quidco only pays out in the 4th month.

jenny_f · 11 July 2008 at 8:52AM

Thanks for this, I too have been googling trying to compare these!

rsachoc · 11 July 2008 at 10:13AM

Are there any cheaper deals with less minutes/txts? Like in the £5 -£10 range? Or would it be better to go PAYG?

teffers · 11 July 2008 at 12:42PM

Just got a Voda £20 500mins unlimited sms deal with £91 quidco (and free headset vodablue1 I think the code was) but unfortunately there was an issue wth porting my number (all sorted now) but no doubt because they cancelled my original sim and are sending me another my Quidco will fail

Still a great deal nonetheless.

fiish · 11 July 2008 at 2:42PM

I believe £15 per month is the threshold level at which pay monthly becomes a economically better choice than PAYG. If your monthly spend on PAYG is £5-10 you're better off sticking with it.

RiCh_2 · 11 July 2008 at 11:55PM

Thanks for taking your time to find all the comparisons, im looking to get a Sim only deal but dont know which one to go for.

Im quite tempted to get the Vodafone £20 per month for 500 mins & unlimited text & free headset & quidco. (I have never used quidco before, is it safe? Do they always pay out?)
On the other hand i like the sound of O2 £25 per month for 600 mins & 1000 text & bolt on of either (Unlimited O2 to O2 Calls, Unlimited texts, Unlimited Web Bolt On, Unlimited weekend calls, Unlimited landline calls, or 200 extra anytime minutes.)

Which should i go for?

matrix999 · 12 July 2008 at 12:26AM

Folks,

Just a helpful word of advice!

Vodafone actually have a sim only tariff giving 600 Anytime X Net Mins, Unlimited Texts, Free Itemised Billing for £20 per month - Basically 100 Extra Mins than the deal thats advertised on the Vodafone website.

When you call Vodafone to activate your sim card ask them for the price plan called "Anytime 600 Sim Only with Vodafone Passport and Unlimited Texts (20promo) £19.99 per month"

HTH

gyinnit · 12 July 2008 at 9:07AM

Bear in mind that the Quidco cashback amounts differ (from £23.33 all the way up to £90 :T ) depending on which network you are signing up to, here's a little summary:

Vodafone - £90 (Please note that the Cashback on the SIM only monthly deal will only be paid once you have had the SIM active for 4 months.)

Orange - £30

T-Mobile - £35

O2 - £23.33

The vodafone one has the 4 month active subscription requirement for cashback to be eligible and at time of writing it also provided a free code for a bluetooth headset worth £25. :jIts useful to know if you won't be using the sim after 3 months.

As for porting your number, I believe that Vodafone requires this at the time of purchase, whereas someone like T-Mobile this can be done anytime. I'm not too sure on the Orange or O2 porting requirements, maybe someone can add to this?

HTH

fiish · 12 July 2008 at 9:13AM

I spoke to O2 last year about porting a number into O2, and I was told it needs to be done in the first 28 days. I'm not sure if the requirement has changed since then, though.

RiCh_2 · 12 July 2008 at 9:34AM

matrix999 wrote: »

Folks,

Just a helpful word of advice!

Vodafone actually have a sim only tariff giving 600 Anytime X Net Mins, Unlimited Texts, Free Itemised Billing for £20 per month - Basically 100 Extra Mins than the deal thats advertised on the Vodafone website.

When you call Vodafone to activate your sim card ask them for the price plan called "Anytime 600 Sim Only with Vodafone Passport and Unlimited Texts (20promo) £19.99 per month"

HTH

Thanks for that.
Can this offer only be purchased in store only?
Or can i buy the 500 mins unlimited text offer currently on the website through quidco, and then get it changed over once i recieve the sim card?

Cheers

SIM Only Plan Comparison (Correct to 23/08/2008)

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