Changing mobile contract - any advice?
- Thread starter Time Waster
- Start date
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the_mikey
Legendary Member
- Location
- South Gloucestershire
Indeed, with increased 5g roll out and the expected delivery of 5g 'small cells' and other similar small footprint coverage types, we should really expect this kind of mucking about with networks to become a thing of the past.
Time Waster
Veteran
Ofcom coverage maps are very blocky in definition. Pretty much all have the same coverage on the map image but put your postcode in I get Vodafone with a red cross inside but all others are amber indoors. EE had green tick indoors for one out of two, voice / data. I think avoid Vodafone but I'm not sure the others are any different to each other. Most use shared masts up this way. I know a farmer with a mast on his land who has had most of the network accessing that mast
MontyVeda
a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
- Location
- Lancaster... the little city.
that's what I went for; unlimited calls and texts for 12 months, plus a tiny bit if data each month (250mb?)... but i don't use any data on my mobile. Up for renewal in May and hopefully i'll get the same deal.
Which is why I switched to VOXI....
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Last time I checked, O2 was the best network for reception here in the Calder Valley so that's why I went with Giffgaff which piggybacks O2. Other networks might have improved now though. And VOXI would also cost me a minimum of £4/month more.
Lack of WiFi calling can be a nuisance when I am in Devon but 90+% of the time I am up here with good reception. I would rather put up with some missed calls and delayed texts in Devon rather than paying the £48+/year!
Fastpedaller
Über Member
You beat me to it
I'm with 1p Mobile (owned by EE). When my previous 'phone stopped working I tried to get a replacement unlocked through EE, who were my PAYG provider. At the time EE were charging me about 30p a minute on PAYG. Their member of staff tried to give me advice about unlocking (it was an ex-Virgin PAYG, and even Virgin said they couldn't unlock it), anyway he obviously had a conscience, as he said "I think you'll be able to get a much better PAYG deal than ours. Whilst searching for a new 'phone I stumbled across 1p Mobile being lauded as the best deal by non other than Martin Lewis. An online site promised to give me free unlocking, and when it came to the 'last page' they wanted payment. Hmm .... not from me they won't! however despite a rapid closure of the page they already had my email and I was inundated with spam (60 mails a day) which has now tailed off to a couple a week after 9 months. Lesson learned. I never managed to get it unlocked, so my friend's generous gift was unused, and a new 'phone was purchased.Fastpedaller
Über Member
Coverage...... Here in Norfolk it can be bad. A mystery, though, was when myself and Wife both had the same model 'phones on the same network (Vodafone) and were both standing in the same room with her 'phone showing a '5 bar signal' and mine showing a 1 bar signal'
Swapping places made no difference either
. Does the signal strength indicate anything of value, or is it totally meaningless as evidenced by our 'experiment?'
Swapping places made no difference either
. Does the signal strength indicate anything of value, or is it totally meaningless as evidenced by our 'experiment?'
Proto
Legendary Member
- Location
- East Devon/West Dorset
Embarking on the same tortuous journey. We have two SIM only contracts with Vodafone, I am the account holder for both. Contract up for renewal in early March. Current contract is unlimited data, call and txts, but 'Lite' so download speed is throttled to 2mbps. We buy used handsets (iPhone 8+ and 11), neither are 5G enabled so 5G of no importance to us. Live out in the sticks, reasonable coverage outdoors with all providers, but poor indoors. Home broadband and WiFi is good. Most phone calls are mode over WiFi/WhatsApp.
Home broadband is via EE 4G and roof antenna/modem. Works very well.
Not travelling much and our phone usage in minimal, (but a huge amount of usage via Wifi) so going to open a new contract with someone with a much lower data limit, 5gb or so. I can organise getting the PAC from Vodafone but then what?
Should I get one contract for two SIMs with another provider or two separate contract?
Should I try and do this online, or head into a store on the High Street?
Plusnet, 3, EE, any favourites?
If we end up traveling again into mainland Europe, I could upgrade one phone to bigger data allowance and use to hotspot the second phone, or buy a local SIM. Dunno!
Find this really fecking difficult!
Home broadband is via EE 4G and roof antenna/modem. Works very well.
Not travelling much and our phone usage in minimal, (but a huge amount of usage via Wifi) so going to open a new contract with someone with a much lower data limit, 5gb or so. I can organise getting the PAC from Vodafone but then what?
Should I get one contract for two SIMs with another provider or two separate contract?
Should I try and do this online, or head into a store on the High Street?
Plusnet, 3, EE, any favourites?
If we end up traveling again into mainland Europe, I could upgrade one phone to bigger data allowance and use to hotspot the second phone, or buy a local SIM. Dunno!
Find this really fecking difficult!
Last edited:
Proto
Legendary Member
- Location
- East Devon/West Dorset
To add to the above, my current thinking:
Cancel one SIM and port over to another contract.
Let dust settle then port over second SIM to another provider. Provider as above or different.
High street or online?
Cancel one SIM and port over to another contract.
Let dust settle then port over second SIM to another provider. Provider as above or different.
High street or online?
- Location
- Somewhere wet & hilly in NW England.
We have two SIM only deals with Vodaphone.
5Gb data, unlimited voice and unlimited texts at £9 pm. Supposed to be £11 pm but Mrs SD is a good haggler.
No throttling down which, tbh, I've never heard of.
Call quality indoors is v.good as the phones auto-switch to WiFi when the mobile signal degenerates.
The better offers will be online and your less likely to come away with a plan you really don't want.
Have a good look at smarty (three owned) low cost simple priced plans that are totally flexible. Group plan (2 or more) give's you a £1 each sim. Monthly plan is better than a fixed one that way you're free to cancel at any time or change the plan. The price's are fixed for the rest for the year too. They often have as like now have offers on. Been with them for a good few years now and we've not had any problems.
Proto
Legendary Member
- Location
- East Devon/West Dorset
Had a lengthy phone call with a Vodafone operator this afternoon, surprisingly helpful. He advised me to do nothing until the end of my contract, renewing early would incur a penalty. He then offered a SIM only deal, 15gb, unlimited txts and calls, for £10.00 per month, half the price of the same contract you’d be offered online. This is close or better than similar SIM deals from the main players and I’m likely to accept this in March.
