Cheap Pay-as-you-go Deals Article Discussion

Joined SMARTY as it looked a good deal.

However the service is rubbish. If it works out of the box then well done you. If however it doesn't and you need to contact them then the nonsense starts.
SIM arrived and was set up easily, number ported the next day.
Restrictions were removed via their automated process.

BUT
restrictions then activated again despite showing as deactivated. Chat was rubbish as the response time is poor and they skim the chat and give tick box answers. Once you spend your life getting past that whatever it is that you are chatting to agrees to "start a ticket" and pass it down the line. Ne expected resolution time given.

UTTELY USELESS SERVICE. I suppose being '3' it is to be expected but it isn't good. :mad:

At 3/2/1 (pence per: minute/text/MB) O2 has good rates but it is definitely not good for occasional use:

"though you'll have to top up with a minimum of £10 every six months to keep it active."

£20 per year is over 55 minutes per month... This is not occasional use!

Asda is a way better deal. They charge more: 8/4/5 BUT a top up can be as low as £1 (using a debit or credit card) AND "As long as you make one chargeable call, text or use a bit of mobile data every 180 days the credit on your phone will not expire."

So, send a text message every 4 months (just to be safe) and it will take you 83 years to use up the £10 that O2 expect you to give them every 6 months. Now that's what I call occasional or back-up use. Just set a reminder somewhere to send a text from your back-up/occasional use SIM so that you don't forget!!!

Also...

1. Why in the world is Lebara Mobile (19/19/9) recommended over Asda (8/4/5), GiffGaff (15/5/5), ID Mobile (3/2/1) or many others? Even Vodaphone's "Pay As You Go 1" tariff (20/20/4) is better because at least it is capped at £1 per day if you really want to go to town. Then there is this from their terms and conditions: "60. If you do not use the Pre-Pay Services to make at least one chargeable event or outgoing call for a period of 84 days, this Agreement will be deemed to be terminated by you, and the Service will be disconnected."
Lebara Mobile has got to be the worst recommendation I have ever seen on this site.

2. If you are going to recommend 1pMobile for low use then you really MUST warn users that the minimum top-up is £10 and it has to be made once every 4 months to keep your number. It is this combination that is THE gotcha for occasional users as they not only lose their money but their phone number as well. Although it is important to note that some companies give a very short grace period where you can recover your number but not your balance. I think that Asda offers the longest that I have seen at 90 days (this may not be the current grace period) but many/most, like Lebara and 1pMobile, give zero days grace and really are not appropriate for occasional/back-up use.

In summary:
With Asda you have to spend 8p per year.
With O2 you have to spend an average of £1.67 a month.
With 1pMobile you have to spend £2.50 but you get more for your money.

Occasional Use vs Low Use
Low users have a very different requirement to occasional users or people who just want a back-up/emergency phone. Low users are people who actually use their phones regularly - just not very much. They are a difficult bunch to generalise for but a good rule of thumb is:

If your Asda bill is more than £1.67 a month then move to O2.
If your O2 bill is more than £2.50 a month then move to 1pMobile.

This is why I would rank them as Asda (best for very low users), O2 (best for low users), 1pMobile (best for modest users).

Finally
If your bill is more than £5 per month change to pay monthly. I personally dislike bundles and find the huge variety out there difficult to keep up with. They are also difficult to manage and, nowadays, rarely as good value for money as the best pay monthly deals.

jklsc wrote: »

At 3/2/1 (pence per: minute/text/MB) O2 has good rates but it is definitely not good for occasional use:

"though you'll have to top up with a minimum of £10 every six months to keep it active."

Hi jklsc. As eDicky has said, o2 don't enforce the minimum top-up every 6 months.

See my post of 16-1-18 here: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=73727421&postcount=13

ask66

jklsc wrote: »

At 3/2/1 (pence per: minute/text/MB) O2 has good rates but it is definitely not good for occasional use:

"though you'll have to top up with a minimum of £10 every six months to keep it active."

£20 per year is over 55 minutes per month... This is not occasional use!

Asda is a way better deal. They charge more: 8/4/5 BUT a top up can be as low as £1 (using a debit or credit card) AND "As long as you make one chargeable call, text or use a bit of mobile data every 180 days the credit on your phone will not expire."

So, send a text message every 4 months (just to be safe) and it will take you 83 years to use up the £10 that O2 expect you to give them every 6 months. Now that's what I call occasional or back-up use. Just set a reminder somewhere to send a text from your back-up/occasional use SIM so that you don't forget!!!

Also...

1. Why in the world is Lebara Mobile (19/19/9) recommended over Asda (8/4/5), GiffGaff (15/5/5), ID Mobile (3/2/1) or many others? Even Vodaphone's "Pay As You Go 1" tariff (20/20/4) is better because at least it is capped at £1 per day if you really want to go to town. Then there is this from their terms and conditions: "60. If you do not use the Pre-Pay Services to make at least one chargeable event or outgoing call for a period of 84 days, this Agreement will be deemed to be terminated by you, and the Service will be disconnected."
Lebara Mobile has got to be the worst recommendation I have ever seen on this site.

2. If you are going to recommend 1pMobile for low use then you really MUST warn users that the minimum top-up is £10 and it has to be made once every 4 months to keep your number. It is this combination that is THE gotcha for occasional users as they not only lose their money but their phone number as well. Although it is important to note that some companies give a very short grace period where you can recover your number but not your balance. I think that Asda offers the longest that I have seen at 90 days (this may not be the current grace period) but many/most, like Lebara and 1pMobile, give zero days grace and really are not appropriate for occasional/back-up use.

In summary:
With Asda you have to spend 8p per year.
With O2 you have to spend an average of £1.67 a month.
With 1pMobile you have to spend £2.50 but you get more for your money.

Occasional Use vs Low Use
Low users have a very different requirement to occasional users or people who just want a back-up/emergency phone. Low users are people who actually use their phones regularly - just not very much. They are a difficult bunch to generalise for but a good rule of thumb is:

If your Asda bill is more than £1.67 a month then move to O2.
If your O2 bill is more than £2.50 a month then move to 1pMobile.

This is why I would rank them as Asda (best for very low users), O2 (best for low users), 1pMobile (best for modest users).

Finally
If your bill is more than £5 per month change to pay monthly. I personally dislike bundles and find the huge variety out there difficult to keep up with. They are also difficult to manage and, nowadays, rarely as good value for money as the best pay monthly deals.

Don't know where you get that you have to top-up O2 sim every 6mths i have not topped my O2 sim up for over 2yrs i still have money on it and only use it for thing's i sign-up for on-line but i do make a call now and then to keep it alive.