Should I go SIM only / cheap (<£10/mth) contracts

irishwench69

Hi everyone

I'm currently with Orange, on a contract for £10 / month (this includes 600 any network anytime minutes / month, and 150 texts / month).
It was so cheap as it included a loyalty rebate (it was one of the racoon plans originally).

I got an upgrade to a Sony Ericsson C902i (I had wanted a SE C905i but this was not available at the time). I ended up not using this (I know :o), and have stayed with my SE K800i.....

My 18 month contract has just ended, which has meant my bill has more than doubled (of course the first clue of this is my bill, not like they tell me I'm out of contract or anything!!)

I tried calling up to ask what they could do for me etc etc, and basically the answer was nothing, sod off, you don't have enough value to us.

If I want to maintain a cheap contract, it seems like my only option is to go SIM-only (that way I could get a £10 / month contract).

Are there any good contracts offering upgrades / handsets for around £10 / month on other networks?

I'm really not happy with Orange at all, but as I have a workphone, I don't want to pay a lot for my personal mobile. I mainly like the camera phone function (something I use a lot), so would ideally like a good camera phone, if anyone knows of a good model?

Would appreciate people's opinions on good cheap tarrifs. Happy to move away from Orange if there's a good enough deal, as they seem intent not to offer me anything!

IW x

mchale

Virgin mobile

jon_r_2

Or Tesco Mobile Monthly(uses 02 network)

irishwench69

Thanks both

Would O2 be any good, if the tesco mobile monthly one is good, and uses O2 network?

Are the mainstream networks not offering any good deals then? I don't mind staying pay monthly, if it's low usage.

Do I have any hope of getting a new worthwhile handset if I want to continue paying £10 or so a month?

IW x

sloth_frattelli

Before signing up to any deals, try going through Quidco for some great cashback offers on new customer's mobile phone contracts.

http://www.quidco.com

macman

I don't understand why you say that the £10 contract has 'ended'. All that has ended is your minimum term, if you don't upgrade then you should be able to carry on with the original contract for as long as you wish.
Was this some special promo deal that would only last 18m?
If you are a low user then maybe PAYG is the way to go-how many of those 600 min do you actually use? ASDA mobile is 8p per min, 4p per text-or maybe the new Tesco SIM -only £6pm contract?
You'll never get a great handset on £10 a month, as their total revenue even on a 24m contract is only £240-most decent handsets cost far more than that alone, even disregarding the airtime costs.

Bowling_4_Gold

How about 3's new deal? You get a touchscreen Samsung phone, 500 texts/minutes, 5000 3 to 3 calls/texts, and 500mb internet for £13 a month (24 month). Link.

irishwench69

macman wrote: »

I don't understand why you say that the £10 contract has 'ended'. All that has ended is your minimum term, if you don't upgrade then you should be able to carry on with the original contract for as long as you wish.
Was this some special promo deal that would only last 18m?
If you are a low user then maybe PAYG is the way to go-how many of those 600 min do you actually use? ASDA mobile is 8p per min, 4p per text-or maybe the new Tesco SIM -only £6pm contract?
You'll never get a great handset on £10 a month, as their total revenue even on a 24m contract is only £240-most decent handsets cost far more than that alone, even disregarding the airtime costs.

Thanks

Yeah, it was a special offer - that's the problem, they weren't willing to extend it (haven't made them enough money probably! )

Got the following on SIM only (Orange):

400 mins / month (anytime, anynetwork)
Unlimited texts
Unlimited mobile internet
30 photo messages / month

£7.50 including VAT.

This suits me and my usage, so I'm happy enough! Looking across PAYG rates across networks, I think I would easily go over at least £10 a month, without necessarily the stuff above. (No other network would price match Orange's deal above)

This way, I can put any extra towards a nice handset if I see a good deal (or maybe I'll get lucky and win one!)

BTW, I did check cashback sites, but there was nothing suitable!

Bowling_4_Gold - that's a good deal, but not really for me! Thanks for posting though

Thanks everyone for your help

IW x

ioscorpio

Tesco £10 per month, 500 mins + texts + data.

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/tesco-mobile-sim-only-1-month-500-m/748781