From Pay Monthly to PAYG- help pls

rothchick

Hi

I'm a bit clueless on phones so help please!

I'm just over a month away from my contract ending with Tmobile. I've decided not to renew as apart from text (no more than 300 pm) and internet, I don't use my phone that much. Its pointless signing into another 2 yr contract.
I currently pay £21.17 but this is due to go up AGAIN next month (don't get me started!!)

I've seen a £10 PAYG deal with Orange that is perfect for what I need and I get to keep my £10 credit to use up before topping up again!

The Tmobile equivelent is nowhere near as good as it renews every 30 days and I assume you lose your credit?? .

ANyways, what would I need to do with my HTC Desire S phone so that it would work with Orange and could I keep my number?

I've seen a PUC unlock code when I log into my Tmobile account? Is this what I need for another SIM to work on my phone?

thanks in advance

grumbler

rothchick wrote: »

ANyways, what would I need to do with my HTC Desire S phone so that it would work with Orange

If it's locked to T-mobile you have to ask them to unlock it. Whether it's really locked depends on who supplied it. If it was T-mobile directly then it's most likely locked. The best way to check is to try some other network sim in it.

and could I keep my number?

You call T-mobile and ask for Porting Authorisation Code (PAC). It lasts for 30 days and you have to give it to the new network a few days before it expires.

DonnyDave

I think that if the handset is locked T-Mobile then it might need unlocking for an Orange SIM to work. I say "might" because T-Mobile and Orange have combied and are now owned by Everything Everywhere ("EE").

As a result, the two networks have been merged which means that in areas Orange was good but T-Mobile wasn't, T-Mobile subscribers could use Orange and vice versa for Orange users where T-Mobile was good and Orange wasn't.

However, I suspect that handsets locked to T-Mobile might not work with Orange SIMs and vice versa. If you intend to go to Orange Pay as you Go there may be no reason that you can't get your new SIM now and try it. If it tells you that the SIM isn't accepted then you can look at getting it unlocked.


The "PUK" (I assume this is what you may have meant with "PUC") is used when you enter the PIN incorrectly several times. The PIN is what you can activate when the phone is switched on. To transfer your number, you need a PAC.


Whilst it is true that the £10 is yours, bear in mind that it will be spent on non-inclusive elements.

For example, the Dolphin £10 bundle will give you 400 free texts, 100MB of free internet plus the £10. At 30 pence per minute, the £10 will get you 33 minutes worth of calls (assuming that you don't spend it on anything else).

Setting this at the side of the Dolphin Pay monthly SIM-only plans:

1. The lowest 30-day contract offering is £10.50 with 50 minutes, "unlimited" texts and 100MB of internet.

2. The lowest 12-month contract offering is £7 with 150 minutes, 500 texts and 250MB of internet.


You also need to bear in mind that if you don't spend all the £10 in one month that you will need to top-up another £10 in order to get your "free" texts and internet. Over time you will end up with more and more unused credit.

The other possibility is that you go the other way and regularly exceed the 33 minutes (or otherwise use your credit on other services) and so end up topping up more often and therefore spending more than a Pay monthly offering might give you, for example.

Harald

Forget PAYG..
Choose pay monthly 1 month rolling contract. You can find very good deals, sometimes cheaper than anything you can find on PAYG.

As already mentioned - contact T-Mobile, they should unlock your phone. Don't wait, being pay monthly customer makes it much easier.

graspandsave

there are some great SSIM only deals outthere, on a rolling monthly contract, so no need to sign up for 2 years.

on MSE many options on the mobile thread on the forum rave about them, some starting at £5 a month. Others "free monthly" after paying a one -off upfront cost.
do a forum search and they'll come up, some of which are loaded in the favour of web usage, others call mins.
Many options, see what suits your needs and i bet with a little research you'll end up better off

grumbler

Harald wrote: »

Forget PAYG..
Choose pay monthly 1 month rolling contract.

:think:
For 300t+Data Ovivo PAYG is the cheapest option. They give 150t+Data for free. Extra 150 texts bundle costs £5.

Tesco mobile do 250+5000+500 for 12x£7.50;
Talkmobile do 300+3000+750 for 6x£8;
Virgin do 150+Unltd+500 for 1x£7.

DonnyDave

grumbler wrote: »

:think:
For 300t+Data Ovivo PAYG is the cheapest option. They give 150t+Data for free. Extra 150 texts bundle costs £5.

And it is important to point out that Ovivo is funded by advertising.

grumbler

After 4 months with them I have not noticed this yet. That's why my main concern is that they can go tits up.

HappyMJ

DonnyDave wrote: »

And it is important to point out that Ovivo is funded by advertising.

Which I redirect to my spam folder and ignore.

essexman77

HappyMJ wrote: »

Which I redirect to my spam folder and ignore.

I'm sure if they are funded by advertising they will start sending SMS messages but wouldn't bother me deleting them if it was not too heavy.

If you want more minutes and txt and Internet you also have giffgaff 12 pounds month 300 minutes unlimited texts and unlimited Internet.You also have three network for 15 month offers the same unlimited Internet and texts.

Herongull

grumbler wrote: »

:think:
For 300t+Data Ovivo PAYG is the cheapest option. They give 150t+Data for free. Extra 150 texts bundle costs £5.

Actually Ovivo+Fishtext http://www.fishtext.com/coverage.html is cheaper if you want 300 texts as this combination works out at £3 per month.

Also with Fishtext you only pay for what you use (2p per text in the UK or free to text other fishtext users). If some months you use only 250 texts, then you only pay £2 (250 = 150 Ovivo free texts and 100 fish texts). Also fishtext are also very cheap if you text to countries abroad.

PS Ovivo give 150 texts, 150 minutes and 400mb free each month, so if in some months you need to make lots of calls, this is free.