SIM only contracts

grumbler

vicx wrote: »

...The only thing I would miss about my current tariff is the unlimited O2 to O2 calls which I won't be able to get on any other network obviously unless it was unlimited x-net minutes.

Giffgaff do free calls to the same network. So do icardmobile.

vicx

My friends and family that are on Tmobile get no signal whatsoever when they are around my area. I am pretty sure my neighbour is with Virgin and has to leave his phone upstairs to get signal (strange). My other neighbour is on Vodafone and they have just given her a signal boost box as her signal is poor too. I don't think Orange has a great signal around my area but O2 is excellent, always full signal.

I mostly call O2 numbers so I don't use a lot of my 300 x-net minutes but they don't come in wrong as not everyone I call is on O2. I don't know anyone on GiffGaff or Tesco and I have never heard of icardmobile or Talkmobile. I will have to order free pay as you go sims with different networks to see what coverage I get. Tesco is probably the best option if they use O2's network.

buscape

vicx wrote: »

My friends and family that are on Tmobile get no signal whatsoever when they are around my area. I am pretty sure my neighbour is with Virgin and has to leave his phone upstairs to get signal (strange). My other neighbour is on Vodafone and they have just given her a signal boost box as her signal is poor too. I don't think Orange has a great signal around my area but O2 is excellent, always full signal.

I mostly call O2 numbers so I don't use a lot of my 300 x-net minutes but they don't come in wrong as not everyone I call is on O2. I don't know anyone on GiffGaff or Tesco and I have never heard of icardmobile or Talkmobile. I will have to order free pay as you go sims with different networks to see what coverage I get. Tesco is probably the best option if they use O2's network.

Don't forget about giffgaff and Three.

You need to know how many minutes you've been using in total and get a sim only based on this.

vicx

I have just been looking at Tesco Mobile sim only deals. When I click on iPhone SIM, the tariffs start from £12.50 for 250 minutes (3 month contract) or 500 minutes (12 month contract). I don't think I can go for the £7.50 12 month contract with 250 mins if I am using the SIM in an iPhone?

http://shop.tescomobile.com/sim-only?sim-type=IPHONE-SIM#sim-type[]=IPHONE-SIM&monthly-min=7&monthly-max=45&minutes-min=100&minutes-max=3000

http://shop.tescomobile.com/sim-only?sim-type=IPHONE-SIM#sim-type[]=SIM-ONLY&monthly-min=7&monthly-max=45&minutes-min=100&minutes-max=3000

grumbler

vicx wrote: »

...I don't think I can go for the £7.50 12 month contract with 250 mins if I am using the SIM in an iPhone?...

You can, just cut the excessive plastic. Providers like to take advantage over iPhone users majority of that wouldn't mind to get robbed a little more.

vicx

grumbler wrote: »

You can, just cut the excessive plastic. Providers like to take advantage over iPhone users majority of that wouldn't mind to get robbed a little more.

I tried to explain this to Tesco Mobile Customer Service Advisor but he didn't agree.

I was going to go for the £7.50 Tesco Mobile deal on a 12 month contract but the advisor told me it would not work in iPhone and I would only get free 'home' wifi and not free wifi when out and about. I asked how would the phone know I was accessing free wifi when out (at a restaurant etc) and not at home and his reply was:

The iPhone needs a special APN (Access Point Name) to access internet. The APN is build in with all iPhone SIM it can't be modify or remove.

I'm not sure he actually knows what he was talking about so think I will stick with my current contract for now to see how it goes.

My new iPhone arrives tomorrow and I have transferred my current Blackberry Sim Only tariff to a micro sim - I imagine I will still be able to access free Wifi but think I may be charged if I used the data?

grumbler

vicx wrote: »

...I was going to go for the £7.50 Tesco Mobile deal on a 12 month contract but the advisor told me it would not work in iPhone and I would only get free 'home' wifi and not free wifi when out and about.

Yes, WiFi, if you need it, is extra. Some hotspots are free, but the bundle gives access to more hotspots that are not free.

I asked how would the phone know I was accessing free wifi when out (at a restaurant etc) and not at home and his reply was:

The iPhone needs a special APN (Access Point Name) to access internet. The APN is build in with all iPhone SIM it can't be modify or remove.

I am no expert, but I am pretty sure that the 'advisor' was talking rubbish. I know that iPhones work fine with regular sims cut to the micro size.

GordonH_2

Not sure about this with IPhone 5. The micro sim has on board RAM that was for use by future devices so the new iPhone might not take a cut down sim. Someone else might be able to comment on this.

I have three Tesco sim only deals and they give 250mb extra data if you have more than one. Very handy. Latest one was £12.50 per month with I think 500 minutes 5000 texts and the 1.25gb of data. It's saving me £75 a year over t-mobile and the coverage here in Scotland is noticeably better.

I don't use much data these days since I programmed the wifi passwords in for all the houses I regularly visit. Kids, girlfriend, other friends etc. Cheeky I know, but handy.