Does unlimited really mean unlimited?

nodebt_2

Hi I was going to get my daughter a £18 sim only, no tie in deal to use in her old sidekick. However, I've just come across a Virgin deal for a Blackberry Curve 8520 for £25 for 400 mins + unlimited texts and unlimited mobile internet access, with 24mth contract.

As we've just got out of T-mobile 18mth contract I don't want to make a mistake. With the package she had with T-mobile I was always paying about £15 extra each month for internet use and bills were regularly £40-£45/mth - although my daughter said she didn't use it that much!

What I want to make sure of before I go ahead is that there is no chance of any "extra" charges, assuming she doesn't go over the 400mins - ie is the unlimited true to its word? Also if anyone has any experience of this model I'd appreciate knowing what you think. Thanks.:)

Jon_01

No service is really unlimited.
Text are around 3000 per month and data can be as little as 500 meg and up depending on network.

nodebt_2

Jon_01 wrote: »

.... and data can be as little as 500 meg and up depending on network.

Excuse my ignorance of techy stuff but could you quantify the data amount in layman's term (if poss) - I really must get with it!!!

Jon_01

Sorry, working with it all day, you know how it is...

Data is internet surfing, facebook/twitter access etc. Anything that's not voice or text.
Most mobile sites are at a reduced size for easy access on a phone.
The amount you use depends on the site (if any) you daughter uses on the phone.
If she uses MSN twice a day then 500 meg is a huge amount.
I've seen people who use social networking site all day and still don't use more than 200 to 300 meg a month.

The biggest user of data would be streaming, where a music track or a video clip being played over the network to the phone, that uses lots !

nodebt_2

That's extremely clear - many thanks. I think her usage would be okay as she tends to use her phone to check emails when out and about and not very much of the music, video stuff.

watcherman

8520 is a very basic phone to commit to for 24mths, why not get a PAYG 8520, and use a sim only deal with it?

iamcornholio

Virgin have the lowest "unlimited" data allowance of 25mb per day - it's not a monthly allowance. T-mob have 1gb per month (works out about 30mb per day)

IIRC, O2 have not actually defined a limit, but have a fair use policy.

Not sure about vodaphone's limits

mrsr

iamcornholio wrote: »

Virgin have the lowest "unlimited" data allowance of 25mb per day - it's not a monthly allowance. T-mob have 1gb per month (works out about 30mb per day)

IIRC, O2 have not actually defined a limit, but have a fair use policy.

Not sure about vodaphone's limits

Blackberry contract is 1G a mnth for data and 25mb a day for blackberry data ( on virgin mobile)