Carrier UK SIM only contracts: best options?

[saldawop]

Whenever I have asked for a PAC ,it has always been given without question. Only once ,with O2 did they try to make me an offer.I told them I was not interested in anything they had to say,just please process my request.And that was it.

 

[steve-p]

Ah good idea - got my PAC code now, got 3-4 weeks to decide what to do.

However, the lack of data on GPRS/EDGE on Three is concerning and I'm not quite convinced it'll work well for me. If I only had EDGE signal, then loosing the ability to use WhatsApp, or refresh the Bus Tracker times is a big issue for me.

The coverage in Edinburgh is meant to be great, but there's white 3G spots on the outskirts that could be problematic.

I would advise getting a PAYG SIM and trying it for a day or two at least. An inconvenience for a short time with a different number is far better than committing to a contract of 12 months, as I discovered to my cost with EE last year. On the other hand, the cheapest Three deal is a 30 day rolling contract anyway, so easy to get out of if it's not working out.

 

[Londoncity]

Other than the fact they restrict download speeds (seems to be a maximum d/l of 2Mb/s at present) and drop you to GPRS speeds when you hit their unofficial caps?

Never noticed , if I download anything I'm usually on the wifi at work or at home.

 

[macgrl]

anywhere i can get a free or cheap nano sim to "normal sized" sim adaptor..im thinking of sorting out my new sim deal before the phone arrives and I have nokia currently that uses the really big old style sims

 

[saldawop]

I know when I swapped from Micro to Nano Sim, 3 gave me an adaptor, if I remember rightly it was micro, and the big sim size.So if you are going with 3 ,you could try instore.

 

[macgrl]

I will, thanks for that

 

[scottish]

Something I totally forgot to mention was check quidco and other money saving websites. I got my 3 contract last year which was originally £10 a month (upgraded recently to £15 for the thethering), but got £100 cash back through quidco, effectively giving me all the texts, calls and data for £1.67/month (!!). It's laughable how much you can get if you play your cards right

Alex

Unfortunately three have stopped offering cashback. No wonder really as they're still the best value

I can't seem to find a good Nano Sim only deal for my 5s.

Better hurry. Your phone's being delivered this week!

 

[Mercenary]

I do a lot of travelling in the UK, normally spend my days in the middle of nowhere.

Three nearly always gives me a 3G signal and a decent speed.

Remember, with three they have 98% 3G coverage. others claim to have 99% coverage but thats 2G. their 3g is often in the 70-80%.

 

[macgrl]

anyone had any luck trying to get o2 to in some way price match 3?

 

[mappyman]

I asked how much I could get a 4G O2 contract for, which they turned round and said £26 a month for 4G 1GB and unlimited texts. No question that Three is the best value for money.

Been with O2 for 4 years, so they're sad to see me go, but I can't justify paying so much for so little when Three give me all of the above features for more than £10 less than my current monthly fee.

If these companys really wanted our business they would give generous data. Not something you can piddle away within an hour. Then start charging you ridiculous amounts.

Competition is good thanks to Three.

 

[samosa]

when i tried to leave EE (tmobile) after my 12 months were up, cheeky buggers tried to charge £25.00 fee for the PAC in addition to 1 months line rental.

 

[kolax]

Orange ended up offering me £11/m giving me 1000 minutes, unlimited texts and 1.25GB of data.

So I'll come round again in 12 months time and see what's on offer from Three.

 

[kmpowell]

I do a lot of travelling in the UK, normally spend my days in the middle of nowhere.

Three nearly always gives me a 3G signal and a decent speed.

Horses for courses. After seeing 3's cheap 'all you can eat' data tarrifs I tested them with a SIM in my old iPhone to see what their service was like. Having been with Voda for several years I was interested to see how 3 would cope on my travels given they don't have any 2G coverage (see my comment earlier in this thread). We went to see family in the same areas I have done with Vodafone (who supply good 2G/3G coverage) and in all but one instance 3 couldn't supply me with any data coverage at all. Shropshire (Ironbridge), North Wales(Anglesey), Bristol (Oldland Common) all failed to give me any data coverage, with only Shrewsbury in Shropshire giving me 3G.

I still maintain the best 'all-round' 4G sim-free deal currently has to be the Voda deal currently being offered through CPW...

Unlimited Mins
Unlimited Texts
6GB data
£17.66pm for 12mths. It's normally £26pcm but you get £100 instant cashback.

 

[tann]

OP check Carphone Warehouse. There sim only O2/Voda 4G sims have massive amounts of instant cashback at the moment taking them to sub £20 (or close to) for a good amount of data.

Sure the national 4G network of each will take a year or so to be as strong as from EE but the prices you can get the sims for at the moment are very, very compelling! Especially if Three is a network you are weary about (as I know some people are sometimes).

 

[scottish]

Just got my three sim (one plan) today. I notice the option to disable 4G has disappeared from settings since I inserted it into my phone. Is this because three don't yet have a 4G network? Thanks

 

[d123]

Just got my three sim (one plan) today. I notice the option to disable 4G has disappeared from settings since I inserted it into my phone. Is this because three don't yet have a 4G network? Thanks

They just haven't issued a carrier update to include 4G settings yet, they will before they launch 4G.

 

[scottish]

They just haven't issued a carrier update to include 4G settings yet, they will before they launch 4G.

Cheers thought that was the case.

 

[weckart]

i tried a prepaid 3 plan last time i was in the UK. The reception was awful outside of London.

Tried a Three sim with unlimited data at the weekend. I couldn't get a data signal in Northwich town centre where I was visiting but drove home to Birmingham with BBC iPlayer running on the phone and the programme was solid all the way with only a couple of seconds of pixelation.

The broadcast only collapsed when I was a couple of hundred yards from home as I live in a dead spot for most carriers except, it seems, apart from O2. Annoyingly, the dead spot only seems to cover about 50 houses around me with pretty much everyone else getting excellent reception. No idea if 4G will fix things, but otherwise I was mightily impressed with Three's network coverage.

Speednet recorded an average of 5-8Mb/s down rising to 21Mb/s in strong signal areas. Not too shabby for 3G.

My business contract with T-Mobile has run out and the retention department did not even try to keep me. Might give Three a go as I tend never to speak to CS. The cost of the plan is way below what anyone else can offer at the moment. Only Vodaphone comes anywhere close with the cashback offer on at the moment.

 

[weckart]

I still maintain the best 'all-round' 4G sim-free deal currently has to be the Voda deal currently being offered through CPW...

Unlimited Mins
Unlimited Texts
6GB data
£17.66pm for 12mths. It's normally £26pcm but you get £100 instant cashback.

Why go through CPW who takes a cut? Buy directly via Quidco or Topcashback and your discount goes up to £130 and £131.30 resp. If you can wait a couple of months for your discount, this will save another £30 off the contract.

Might be easier just to follow this thread on HUKD.