New Smartphone contract advice

[Mag_seven]

I currently have a small cheap Vodaphone smartphone. I am on a simple "pay as you go" sim where I top up every month ensuring I have at least £10 of credit on my account. I now wish to upgrade to a bigger smartphone. I have two options - stay with Vodaphone or consider going with Virgin as they provide me with both broadband and TV. Does anyone have any advice as to what the best provider would be based on your experience of either provider?

 

[jfollows]

I don't have any experience with either, but I realised that network coverage was most important to me. Vodaphone has its own network whereas Virgin Mobile uses EE. In my case I find EE is the best network for me, because it covers my home and the WCML well. You may want to check coverage of EE before switching away from Vodaphone.

 

[thejuggler]

In 2021 Virgin Mobile will move to Vodaphone network.

We have virgin phone contracts as we also have their broadband. Never had an issue with their service.

 

[alxndr]

Is there any particular reason you're restricting yourself to just those two companies? There are far more companies than that out there, and it may be that you can obtain a better deal by switching to one. Switching isn't complex and you can retain your existing number.

I echo comments about checking coverage though. Most urban areas places are now well covered by most providers but rural areas are still patchy in places.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'd go with EE. Their customer service is a bit lacking and they're quite expensive, but their coverage is the best in the UK, and that's the key feature for me.

 

[matt]

I'm with three. As I know you like to travel their roaming is free is quite a few countries now in addition to the EU countries where roaming is free.

 

[FQTV]

I'm with three. As I know you like to travel their roaming is free is quite a few countries now in addition to the EU countries where roaming is free.

I tried Three in their nascent years, and it was so appalling that I abandoned them immediately.

I gave them a second chance about five or six years ago and they’ve been excellent. I now have both my ‘phone and tablet contracts with them. The roaming service was a bit ropey initially, with definite throttling, but in the last couple of years I’ve found it superb. Indeed, I get better speeds in New Zealand than my sister does on her ‘native’ Vodafone contract there.

To the OP: if you can and you’re the right side of clumsy, I’d always advise buying your handset and going SIM only.

 

[skyhigh]

I tried Three in their nascent years, and it was so appalling that I abandoned them immediately.

I gave them a second chance about five or six years ago and they’ve been excellent. I now have both my ‘phone and tablet contracts with them. The roaming service was a bit ropey initially, with definite throttling, but in the last couple of years I’ve found it superb. Indeed, I get better speeds in New Zealand than my sister does on her ‘native’ Vodafone contract there.

To the OP: if you can and you’re the right side of clumsy, I’d always advise buying your handset and going SIM only.

Same here - I'm now on 3 and for £16 per month get unlimited data, texts and minutes. Although I live in a small village, I now get 5G with a download speed of around 500mbps. I'd definitely recommend them over Vodafone (who I was with before) based on my experience, but it's worth checking coverage where you are.

 

[Crossover]

The phone I mainly use is on Vodafone and in recent times (when we could travel) I can't think of many places it hasn't worked well on data, with the exception of the Scottish Highlands. Worked well abroad on the occasion I have taken it there but haven't gone too far off the beaten track in any other country.

A colleague was telling me about a contract they've taken out for their partner with Sky, I believe on Sim only - don't know what their coverage is like (or who they back on to) but it sounds like it is possible to get a decent data plan for a good price with the ability to roll over unused GB's for a fairly lengthy period.

I'd echo the poster above about buying a handset outright if you can - ultimately many of the inclusive contracts cover the cost of the handset within it anyway as what is essentially a loan agreement of sorts and Sim only may offer better deals

 

[Hadders]

No need to restrict yourself to two companies but broadly speaking there are two ways of doing this:

Buy a handset outright and get a separate SIM only deal. This is what I do, you can get a handsets from £50 to more than £1,000 (if you want the latest iPhone). It depends on your budget, what you want etc. A SIM only deal shouldn't need to cost more than £10 (in fact a quick search reveals many at around £6 - the key thing isn't the minutes or texts (they're unlimited on practically every deal these days), it's the data that matters.

Alternatively you could get a contract that includes the handset. These usually last 18 or 24 months, and cost from around £10 for a bottom of the range handset to around £80 a month for the latest iPhone - basically you're paying the cost of the handset as a loan agreement over the term of the contract although you do need to remember that the cost also includes your SIM cost as well. If you do go down this route make a diary note of when the contract expires so you know to cancel it and move to a SIM only deal at that point otherwise (depending on the company) you continue to pay the full price!

 

[route:oxford]

It's all down to Coverage.

Don't forget if you work for a major company, they probably do a discount. Both Vodafone and EE do 20% off SIM Only and with Phone for NHS workers and other big companies.

I'm paying £18 a month on a 24 month contract for a Motorola G8 Power (Enhanced battery) with unlimited call, texts and 10Gb of data on EE. Obviously as a key worker, EE have given my unlimited data for the rest of the summer at nil charge.