Help please...

emily_jackson

Hi, I'd really appreciate some advice as I'm not happy with my current phone deal and would like to switch. I'm currently with O2 and use the deal where you get unlimited calls and texts to other O2 numbers when you top up £15 a month. I also have a basic bolt on, where they take £5 a month off my credit for internet usage (although I rarely go on the internet on my phone, it's just for WhatsApp). So I'm paying £20 a month, but still being charged for calls to other networks and landlines. Can anyone suggest a better deal? My handset is a Samsung Galaxy Fame. Thanks in advance and sorry if I sound confused, it's been a long time since I've done this!

grumbler

emily_jackson wrote: »

...So I'm paying £20 a month, but still being charged for calls to other networks and landlines.

If you topped up £15, can you not use your balance to pay for the £5 bundle?

Regardless, even £15 would be too much to pay for the calls within the network.

Can anyone suggest a better deal?

Well, how is it possible to suggest without knowing what you actually need besides the mobile data for WhatsApp?
How many minutes and texts do you need?

gjchester

emily_jackson wrote: »

Hi, I'd really appreciate some advice as I'm not happy with my current phone deal and would like to switch. I'm currently with O2 and use the deal where you get unlimited calls and texts to other O2 numbers when you top up £15 a month. I also have a basic bolt on, where they take £5 a month off my credit for internet usage (although I rarely go on the internet on my phone, it's just for WhatsApp). So I'm paying £20 a month, but still being charged for calls to other networks and landlines. Can anyone suggest a better deal? My handset is a Samsung Galaxy Fame. Thanks in advance and sorry if I sound confused, it's been a long time since I've done this!

You need to post more details. First are you happy with the O2 network performance where you are, if you move networks performance may change and if your happy with O2, it may be you’ll want to change to a service that uses the o2 network.

It sounds like you have a Pay as you Go phone. First, What are your usual months like if you take advantage of the unlimited calls and texts to O2 numbers you will not get that for £15 a month on a new deal, however if you don’t use all those minutes, then there are probably better deals.

If you can say roughly what your phone use is in minutes and texts to O2 and other networks, along with an estimate of the data use (your phone should have countered, reset them and monitor it for a month) that would help. At the moment it’s a stab in the dark to know what you use.

Are you also looking for a new phone, and where did it come from, if your happy with the phone you may just need to unlock it to use it on other networks, or you may want a new device, as an aside a new smart phone may see your internet use rise anyway currently levels may change.

Finally Check your balance on the network, you will find it difficult to get any credit back, if you have built up credit you may want to not top up for a while to drop it to zero, you won’t get a bundle of inclusive minutes a month but you don’t want to give the networks money for nothing.

emily_jackson

Thanks for all the advice, here's some more info. I'm currently on pay as you go. I need around 600 minutes and less than 100 texts. My current bolt on gives me 500mb a month, and I never get through all that. I'm happy with my handset and the O2 network performance, which services use the O2 network?

grumbler

emily_jackson wrote: »

I'm happy with my handset and the O2 network performance, which services use the O2 network?

https://giffgaff.com/goodybags-3g
http://www.lycamobile.co.uk/en/bundles
http://shop.tescomobile.com/pay-monthly/sim-only/Tesco+Mobile/StandardMicro+SIM/tariff

gcn504

It sounds as though you are on the O2 Big Talker tariff (which is aimed at people who call within o2 a lot).

On this £15 gives you:

3000 O2 texts, 3000 O2 minutes and 100MB data

The O2 Big Bundle tariffs have cross network minutes

£10 gives you 100 mins/1000 texts/100Mb
£15 gives you 200 mins/2000 texts/1Gb
£20 gives you 400 mins/4000 texts/2Gb

(If you wanted to move to these you'd simply have to ask to move PAYG tariff)

However, if you have a phone you're happy with have you considered a Sim-Only contract deal?

Even if you opted for the 30 Day Notice contract for £15pm you'd get:

500 mins/Unlimited texts/500Mb (with those minutes being any network)

The 12 month one's give better value.

O2 Sim only deals

This is a contract so would require checks/DD's set up but presuming that's not an issue it could be better suited than your current deal and again you should be able to move to that in an O2 relatively easily.