from three to where?

olb81

currently on three PAYG want to change as not impressed by them

have used tesco before was pretty good

and o2 was good when abroad as they gave me 25gb free without any charge

as per their website :

"

Travelling in the O2 Europe Zone?

We’re the only major network that isn’t bringing back EU roaming charges for up to 25GB. Wherever you fancy going in our Europe Zone (40+ destinations), you’re free to call, text and use data just like you would in the UK, subject to a roaming limit.

"

should i consider any others than o2 or three.

I am happy to top up £10 per month and a reasonable data due to music streaming but thats all really

and if i was really careful i could download the music on wifi and play offline

any thoughts welcome

i currenlty have a sim card phone

but if i buy a esim phone such as a s21 samsung or s20 how do i change network

do i still need a sim card for the new network or can i do it all online?

flaneurs_lobster

If you would make use of the O2 "Priority" extras that come with an O2 SIM then there are good deals via Uswitch for O2 for new customers. £8/mth would get you 40GB, £10 75GB for 12mth PAYM. Still get that 25GB roaming allowance.

If you want to change to eSIM then it's just a SIM-swap request to your network (or specify eSIM if signing up with a new network). All can be done online.

Pathfinder000

I swapped from Three (expensive for what you get) to Smarty (still Three, but cheaper). I pay £12 for 120GB data and it works fine for me and you still get 12GB of roaming data for no extra cost. But if you are going abroad, it's often cheaper and better to get a local prepay sim.

Considering Vodafone is pointless now considering Three and Vodafone are now the same company. most of the smaller companies use the bigger companies networks, so you might be paying someone, but still using the Three/Vodafone network.

When i go to Spain I pay about 15 euros for a month of PAYG from Vodafone including a fair amount of data (currently 270GB). All you need is your passport, your phone and about 20 mins to sort the paperwork out.

olb81

if i was to buy an esim phone can i sign up say with o2 without having to get a sim card?

then transfer me three number across?

flaneurs_lobster

You can swap your current number to any other SIM you have control of.

You have a PAYG deal with Three so it would be prudent to run your credit down before you swap (the credit is lost when you swap).

Whenever you take out a contract with a new network it's a good idea to check out the coverage and how it's working before moving your number across - means running two accounts for a day or so but better than swapping to a network that doesn't work well.

olb81

I'm Thinking of going back to o2

When I was last abroad it was a nice surprise to have a free 25gb

Frozen_up_north

olb81, check coverage before getting too excited about swapping networks. As there are only 3 networks in the UK, Three/Voda, EE and O2, it's not hard to check coverage. FWIW, O2 is hopeless in a local hospital and supermarket and EE has no coverage in one of our favourite pubs. In my village only the EE network has 5G.

Like many on here, I am not a fan of long term contracts. The virtual operators often offer much better value for 30 day rolling arrangments than the main networks who want to keep you for a year or two. The 30 day rolling arrangements are not quite the same as contracts in the strictest sense. GiffGaff are a Which? recommended supplier and use the O2 network, they have a very easy to use phone app, 1p Mobile (that I use) runs on the EE network and includes roaming in the Channel Is and Isle of Man (as well as the EU).

olb81

thats interesting, thanks. in my experience there are some things the virtual networks dont offer where the main networks do. for example, the main networks usually allow tethering if you want to use mobile data on a pc or laptop.

also the abroad thing. o2 says its the only company to offer a free 25 gb to anyone abroad??

Frozen_up_north

No problem tethering with GG or 1p. Also 1p include up to 14GB of data when roaming, GiffGaff are not so generous at only 5GB.

Personally I wouldn't get too hung up about roaming data, in many/most places you can use local WiFi for free. Hotels and holiday lets we have used included free use of WiFi, together with some bars. I would always use a VPN to keep your data safe from prying eyes when using free WiFi.