Confused want better deal SIM only poor area

sunflowersuffolk

Could anyone help me please, confused by all the options. This year I bought a Vodafone Ultra 6, my first smart phone. I am with Vodafone, they give good coverage out in wilds of rural East Anglia, which many others don't.

I previously just used my old phone for very occasional calls/texts.I am not on Vodafone bundle, get charged 35 per call, 14p per text.50mb £2 then extra 4p per mb. I pay as you go, and pay only about £5 per month.

I would like to pay about £7 or £8 per month, don't need many text. If I had free calls I would use mobile instead of landline at times. Want some internet access, max 1 hour per week.

A friend recently got O2 good really deal for £8 but Vodafone don't seem to offer such good deals.

Any help much appreciated, thanks.

AndyPK

you need to find out what other operators use vodafone. MVO

Talkmobile?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Kingdom_mobile_virtual_network_operators


Vodafone deals start at £9.50 and not good value, but maybe less than you top up?

Talkmobile's £7.50 looks good


https://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/compare/sim_only_deals/

sunflowersuffolk

Well rang Vodafone they are not cheap and won't come down. Thanks re Talkmobile £7.50 offer, do you know how long does it take to transfer if I ring today?

Will I be tied to that for a year?

Really annoying I can't get a good deal because live in sticks!!

[Deleted User]

sunflowersuffolk wrote: »

Could anyone help me please, confused by all the options. This year I bought a Vodafone Ultra 6, my first smart phone. I am with Vodafone, they give good coverage out in wilds of rural East Anglia, which many others don't.

I previously just used my old phone for very occasional calls/texts.I am not on Vodafone bundle, get charged 35 per call, 14p per text.50mb £2 then extra 4p per mb. I pay as you go, and pay only about £5 per month.

I would like to pay about £7 or £8 per month, don't need many text. If I had free calls I would use mobile instead of landline at times. Want some internet access, max 1 hour per week.

A friend recently got O2 good really deal for £8 but Vodafone don't seem to offer such good deals.

Any help much appreciated, thanks.

If you really need the Vodafone network then there's a page here that lists everyone who uses their network:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/piggybacking

Major players: Talk Mobile Minnows: Allpay Mobile, Cortel Telephone, Glemnet, Highnet, Kontakt Mobile, Lebara Mobile, Ownphone, TalkTalk Mobile*, Zest4 Mobile

If any of them have a better deal you can either switch without worrying about the phone being locked to Vodafone or use their prices to negotiate with Vodafone.

If you wish to unlock the phone so you can use any network then it's really easy, cheap and quick, have a look at:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vodafone-SMART-ULTRA-6-Unlock-Code-Vodafone-UK-Ireland-Portugal-INSTANT-SERVICE-/121668096113?hash=item1c53fbd071:g:528AAOSwuAVWxIx4

I have the exact same phone (for over a year), it's a decent choice if you need the bigger screen so you're not scrabbling for your glasses all the time.

AndyPK

it's not a locking issue, it's a network coverage issue.

Some sim only deals are tied in for 30 days, some 1 year.
If you click on that uswitch.com link you will see.

If you go though uswtich they are offering the good deal with only 30days tie in.

You need to goto vodafone and ask for a PAC code. This allows you to take your number with you. (it also triggers better offers if you explain what your after) Then use this number within 30 days and sign up with a new operator.

The new operator will send you out a new sim. (with a new temporary number)

If you have 2 phones, you can use both sim's for a while if you like.

Any credit will be lost on your PAYG, but make sure you keep enough credit for a couple of txt as this will probably be needed to transfer the number over

[Deleted User]

[QUOTE=AndyPK;71785927]it's not a locking issue, it's a network coverage issue.

Some sim only deals are tied in for 30 days, some 1 year.
If you click on that uswitch.com link you will see.

If you go though uswtich they are offering the good deal with only 30days tie in.

You need to goto vodafone and ask for a PAC code. This allows you to take your number with you. (it also triggers better offers if you explain what your after) Then use this number within 30 days and sign up with a new operator.

The new operator will send you out a new sim. (with a new temporary number)

If you have 2 phones, you can use both sim's for a while if you like.

Any credit will be lost on your PAYG, but make sure you keep enough credit for a couple of txt as this will probably be needed to transfer the number over[/QUOTE]
If that was in reply to me then I'm well aware of that which was addressed in the first half of my post, the second half was because the poster said that some suppliers don't have good coverage there (not all of them), therefore unlocking the phone could open up new options for them.

BTW @sunflowersuffolk you say your data requirements would be for only 1 hour or so a week but that's not of course how they measure data used. Even getting notification of an email (let alone opening it) I believe uses data (although I may be corrected on that). The unlocking costs btw are just under £1.50 so possibly worth doing regardless.

System

Probably best with Talkmobile.

They use Vodafone too but their PAYG is much cheaper than Vodafone themselves.
You can order a sim from the talkmobile website here

You need a nano sim and call Talkmobile with your PAC (from Vodafone to keep your number) once the sim arrives. You won't need to unlock the phone either.