Leaving 3 for SIM Only

clg86

I'm finally at the end of my contract with 3 with an iphone 4s. I cannot wait to ditch both the phone and the network, (both Apple and 3 have awful customer service IMO!) I currently pay £35 a month and I'm looking to lower it considerably...

Does anybody have advice on a SIM only contract?:

What is the best network?
I use the internet quite a lot, what is a good amount of MB or GB (I have no idea what MB and GB means really)?
Can I keep my number or would I have to stay with 3 to do that?

Any other info you can throw in would be appreciated too!

Ypaymore

Yes you can keep your number if you leave three,

This sticky might be helpful to you.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4732386

sdduk

OP most network operates have bad custom service

Tesco suppose to be the best

Vodafone and EE are suppose to be the worst

So don't just leave for bad custom service you may jump out of the frying pan into the fire

Also don't forget about signal were you live before you jump ship.

pepdavies

All the best sim only deals I've seen have been on 3, especially for high data use. How often do you need to deal with customer service? The call centres are all as bad as each other in my opinion.

cookie365

Giffgaff do unlimited data, unlimited texts, 250 minutes a month for £12.

It's on O2, you can take your number over from 3.

d123

clg86 wrote: »

I'm finally at the end of my contract with 3 with an iphone 4s. I cannot wait to ditch both the phone and the network, (both Apple and 3 have awful customer service IMO!)

While 3 doesn't have a good name for CS, you must be the first person to ever accuse Apple of having poor CS, if anything they are considered the gold service for CS.

clg86 wrote: »

Does anybody have advice on a SIM only contract?:

What is the best network?

Best doesn't equate to cheapest.

Best for data is actually 3, as long as you have coverage where you need to use it.

Best for 4G is probably EE, but they have poor CS and are very expensive.

Giffgaff offer a good proposition, but have NO real CS, there is a user forum for normal CS, and an email an agent option if the forum can't help. They run on O2, so suffer from the poor network problems that have beset O2, when it works though, it is fairly good. They are going to charge a lot more for the use of 4G.

Tesco sim only is quite competitive, good CS, 4G included in all price plans, but have the same caveat of operating in O2.

clg86 wrote: »

I use the internet quite a lot, what is a good amount of MB or GB (I have no idea what MB and GB means really)?

A reasonable allowance if you use the internet is 1GB, there are 1024MB in 1GB. As an example, an MP3 track is around 3-5MB, a JPEG image would be around the same 3MB, going up to 10MB for high quality.

Can I keep my number or would I have to stay with 3 to do that?

Any other info you can throw in would be appreciated too!

You would need to ask 3 for a PAC number to port to another network, dial 333 and ask.

I would suggest a sim only contract on 3, if it was my choice and you have coverage, £12.90 a month buys you unlimited data on your handset, 200 minutes and 5000 texts. If you want to discount 3, try Giffgaff or Tesco, both have reasonably good tariffs around the £12 mark as well.

kingrulzuk

cookie365 wrote: »

Giffgaff do unlimited data, unlimited texts, 250 minutes a month for £12.

It's on O2, you can take your number over from 3.

Plz dont give false information. Giffgaff does Not do unlimited data. the only network which does is 3

macman

kingrulzuk wrote: »

Plz dont give false information. Giffgaff does Not do unlimited data. the only network which does is 3

No so. The £12, £15 and £20 Goodybags all offer unlimited data.
Or 1GB on the £10 one.
http://giffgaff.com/goodybags#phone

balletshoes

cookie365 wrote: »

Giffgaff do unlimited data, unlimited texts, 250 minutes a month for £12.

It's on O2, you can take your number over from 3.

this is what I have for the iphone too - no problems with reaching any limits on data etc. Unless you are streaming or gaming on your phone all day every day, the "unlimited" data on giffgaff should be fine for you - and its not a contract so if it doesn't work out for you, you can just stop using it and get another sim.

The blurb on giffgaff for the unlimited data on their goodybags states "Unlimited texts and internet
We are unlimited for personal mobile use - but not for commercial and automated use."

cookie365

kingrulzuk wrote: »

Plz dont give false information. Giffgaff does Not do unlimited data. the only network which does is 3

Care to justify that?

System

Giff Gaff put a data bar on the sim when they think you've used too much data without warning. I only got a refund when I threatened to go to the ombudsman.

Shoddy service provider on a shoddy network.

cookie365 wrote: »

Care to justify that?