Mobile phone - any good deals coming up?
Discussion
My contract with Vodafone is expiring - says I am entitled to an upgrade. I have found Vodafone expensive, does not give good local (to me) reception and do not give any rewards for customer loyalty. The "upgrade" is going to cost more than my current basic contract which is £47 pm. Their overseas use is also expensive and (as I have just found) the merest touch of the phone to get e.g. voicemail incurs significant charges. I am looking for iPhone 6S with good UK package, reasonable internet use (more than 2Gb) and favourable use abroad. Are there any good packages out there - or maybe coming up for "black Friday"? Help please 
I've usually found that the cheapest option is to buy the unlocked handset straight from Apple and then pick the appropriate SIM-only deal.
The further bonus being that you are also not locked into a 12/24 month upgrade cycle and can pick and choose the timing of the next upgrade to suit yourself.
The further bonus being that you are also not locked into a 12/24 month upgrade cycle and can pick and choose the timing of the next upgrade to suit yourself.
Depending on where you go abroad, Three have quite a few countries where they do not charge any extra to use your phone. I went for a sim only deal when they were still knocking out the 'one plan' which sadly I dont think they are still doing but I left vodafone to go with them. At the time vodafone couldnt get anywhere near Three on price, I have no signal issues and the internet is very good.
Beggarall said:
Their overseas use is also expensive and (as I have just found) the merest touch of the phone to get e.g. voicemail incurs significant charges.
Did you not opt-in to the world/euro traveller - can use your UK allowance for fixed cost of £3/day (euro) or £5/day (world) - not the cheapest but for me meant unlimited data for a controllable cost.Thanks for the replies - I will certainly look at Three and will enjoy a further conversation with Vodafone Customer Care! I think the World traveller costs are expensive - and considering we are abroad quite a bit these days, £5 per day translates into £150 per month! i only need this to receive urgent messages/texts from the UK as most places have reasonable wifi access these days. For a prolonged trip it is better to buy a local sim card. Will be pleased to hear any more views. Thanks again
Equilibrium25 said:
I've usually found that the cheapest option is to buy the unlocked handset straight from Apple and then pick the appropriate SIM-only deal.
The further bonus being that you are also not locked into a 12/24 month upgrade cycle and can pick and choose the timing of the next upgrade to suit yourself.
^this. Easy to work out what the phone costs over the contract. Sim only is usually much cheaper. The further bonus being that you are also not locked into a 12/24 month upgrade cycle and can pick and choose the timing of the next upgrade to suit yourself.
Might be worth looking at the O2 lease option but imo it's best to buy a handset and sell it when you're ready to upgrade. A 12 month old 6S is still going to be worth a few hundred leaving you free to get a new 7
The best option assuming you can get good service when you're at home is probably going to be Three. Their Feel At Home deal is really really good, I used it heavily in France, Sweden and the US. I only left Three because they couldnt give me a decent service at home after I'd moved house. I was on a 30 day SIM only plan, I prefer to buy my own phones and swap about contracts as and when. I was paying £23/month for unlimited everything.
I moved to EE, who's 4GEE thing gives ace speeds. Their roaming is on a pay per day in EU, I think it's £3+VAT per day. But you can use a normal allowance, assuming there's 4G in the local area you're in. The first xMb is included (either 200 or 500) and then you add a free top up on if/when it runs out. I think my current contract is £27/month SIM only with unlimited calls/text and 6GB data allowance
I've always found Vodafone awful to use, the phone signal is there at some level, either 2G or 3G but I've never had fast data speeds from them and dealing with them was always something to work up the patience for
I moved to EE, who's 4GEE thing gives ace speeds. Their roaming is on a pay per day in EU, I think it's £3+VAT per day. But you can use a normal allowance, assuming there's 4G in the local area you're in. The first xMb is included (either 200 or 500) and then you add a free top up on if/when it runs out. I think my current contract is £27/month SIM only with unlimited calls/text and 6GB data allowance
I've always found Vodafone awful to use, the phone signal is there at some level, either 2G or 3G but I've never had fast data speeds from them and dealing with them was always something to work up the patience for
VX Foxy said:
Equilibrium25 said:
I've usually found that the cheapest option is to buy the unlocked handset straight from Apple and then pick the appropriate SIM-only deal.
The further bonus being that you are also not locked into a 12/24 month upgrade cycle and can pick and choose the timing of the next upgrade to suit yourself.
^this. Easy to work out what the phone costs over the contract. Sim only is usually much cheaper. The further bonus being that you are also not locked into a 12/24 month upgrade cycle and can pick and choose the timing of the next upgrade to suit yourself.
Might be worth looking at the O2 lease option but imo it's best to buy a handset and sell it when you're ready to upgrade. A 12 month old 6S is still going to be worth a few hundred leaving you free to get a new 7
Mr Will said:
Only if you must have an iPhone. My contract costs £6 per month more than the same deal sim-only, but includes a £450 phone. I'd be £300 worse off if I followed your advice.
But if you followed my advice you would have an iPhone rather than something inferior ;-) The OP does want an iPhone though, hence my response.I'd never rely on it working every time without checking, but it's a simple exercise to do when buying a new phone, price up a straight handset purchase against contract costs.
I have had my first contact with Vodafone customer care and a lovely helpful call-handler (for a change) - maybe because I pressed the option which said "planning to leave Vodafone" or something similar. They can't offer anything much on an iPhone 6S because they have tied themselves into some resale agreement (?with Apple) but can offer a 6 with unlimited calls/texts and 2Gb data for about £30 pm with first month free. No deal on overseas use though. I see EE have similar deal offered for £24pm and £60 upfront for 6S. Looks like a tour of the high-street retailers next step. What about Carphone Warehouse? Is the iPhone 6S much better than the 6? The quest continues
My Vodafone contract ended this week so in a similar boat, although due to losing and replacing a phone I don't really need a new one. Best I've seen on SIM only is Virgin, unlimited calls & texts and 2MB data for £12/m, 1 month contract.
Which, given I've been giving VF £50+ for years seems incredible. I'll buy a £200 phone when I feel like it and be quids in.
Which, given I've been giving VF £50+ for years seems incredible. I'll buy a £200 phone when I feel like it and be quids in.
I got a deal on EE from retention who phoned me back after asking for a PAC code. I've got 18gb of 4g data, which is unbelievably quick with ultd everything else and free roaming data within my plan on 3g. 12month deal all for £20 per month. I then went and bought an LG G3 for £200 so the total cost is much much lower than what it would have cost me as a contract handset customer.
I have been comparing contracts for an Iphone 5s for my daughter and am creating a spreadsheet, must get on and finish the research, then do the same for a replacement phone for myself. Not sure what to get for myself, currently have a Nokia Lumia 1020.
It does that Apple phones are consistently priced across various sites, very little movement on price even yesterday.
Apple also hold their price better.
It does that Apple phones are consistently priced across various sites, very little movement on price even yesterday.
Apple also hold their price better.
Bringing back to the top....I have been continuing my search with now just 4 days before I have to hand in my notice to Vodafone. I can't find any mega-deals. Most will routinely offer unlimited calls/texts plus 2Gb data. EE seem to have the best coverage and have been the most competitively priced - about £37 pm for a 6S and 24m contract. You can actually do a bit better than that buying at Apple provided you pay an amount up-front for the phone (varies). I am getting tempted to buy a phone outright and then take a sim only contract. Apple 6S = £539 for 16Gb (is that enough memory?) which works out at £22.50 per month over 2 years plus sim only contract at about £12 pm - total £35. So minor difference but the ability to change sim as needed. Still thinking about this but my questions today are:
1. If you change your sim provider is it easy to retain the same number - I know they have to give the PAC number - but is this easy in real life?
2. If you have an Apple phone bought outright and then decide to take a contract, does that lock your phone so you can't change sim while abroad?
3. If you do use a foreign sim while abroad, can you set up call-forwarding from your UK based contract provider?
4. Do Apple phones bought in the UK work OK in the USA - I have heard there are some differences
Thanks for your help
1. If you change your sim provider is it easy to retain the same number - I know they have to give the PAC number - but is this easy in real life?
2. If you have an Apple phone bought outright and then decide to take a contract, does that lock your phone so you can't change sim while abroad?
3. If you do use a foreign sim while abroad, can you set up call-forwarding from your UK based contract provider?
4. Do Apple phones bought in the UK work OK in the USA - I have heard there are some differences
Thanks for your help
Beggarall said:
1. If you change your sim provider is it easy to retain the same number - I know they have to give the PAC number - but is this easy in real life?
Yes, generally easy - if buying your new contract online you will generally have a box to enter the PAC. Its fairly straightforward and on the day of transfer you might lose service for a couple of hours.Beggarall said:
2. If you have an Apple phone bought outright and then decide to take a contract, does that lock your phone so you can't change sim while abroad?
No. Once your phone is unlocked it stays unlocked and can't be re-locked by using a different sim. You should verify it is unlocked in the first place though (even buying outright isn't a guarantee) and if not get the existing network to unlock.Beggarall said:
3. If you do use a foreign sim while abroad, can you set up call-forwarding from your UK based contract provider?
It depends if your UK contract provider offers this service. However be aware you will probably pay for an international call to have it forwarded - could be very expensive, I've never really heard of anyone doing this.Beggarall said:
4. Do Apple phones bought in the UK work OK in the USA - I have heard there are some differences
Thanks for your help
Its complex. Some carriers in the USA don't use GSM and use CDMA (Verizon and Sprint). They all also use differing frequencies of LTE (4G). Apple phones tend to be quite good in supporting lots of 4G frequencies and I think some models support both GSM and CDMA, but you might want to check your model and verify the USA carrier options. In general you'll get less hassle with T-Mobile or AT&T, if you have a 4G phone it should work on Verizon's 4G network but coverage can be limited if it can't fall back to CDMA.Thanks for your help
I use my UK android phone with a US T-Mobile SIM. I don't get 4G as the phone doesn't support T-Mobiles 4G frequencies, but have never found wanting for more than the good 3G I get - I'm just doing standard web/email/navigation and not video streaming or anything which might warrant 4G
GreigM said:
I use my UK android phone with a US T-Mobile SIM.
I should also add that I used to use Verizon for a 3G dongle in the US and unless you had a US billing address they weren't happy. T-Mobile was far easier to just stroll into a shop, buy the prepaid SIM ($10 or so), then setup and online account where you can add money from your UK credit card, change plan settings etc. They do a basic $3 a month prepaid contract if you've got your own phone - it basically keeps the line active, when I visit I can then bolt on a data package for a week which gives me unlimited data at $10 for the week.As an aside, I transitioned my US prepaid mobile to an android phone with wifi calling - now when back in the UK I can take incoming calls on my US number without having to enable roaming etc, really good for business.
GreigM said:
Yes, generally easy - if buying your new contract online you will generally have a box to enter the PAC. Its fairly straightforward and on the day of transfer you might lose service for a couple of hours.
3 days for me last week, it turns out Voda aren't very good at handing over the details to your new supplier when you leave them.Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff