SIM only - Giff gaff or TPO

[Boney M]

I got TPO last year for £11.99 for 6GB data 3G and unlimited texts and minutes. Had no problems whatsoever

[unixman]

In my opinion coverage maps are just a piece of marketing fluff, presenting a wildly exaggerated view in order to attract subscribers.

My village has never had even 3g on any provider, and likely never will. Even sending an email (on 2G) is virtually impossible. The coverage maps, needless to say, show it as a 3G wonderland.

I once subscribed to Three. Beforehand I called their helpdesk to ask about coverage. Fella told me he checked the post code and I was virtually swamped with 3G coverage. What's more, he said, they were in the process of rolling out many more towers in my locality, making the bandwidth even more super duper. Like a chump I believed him.

[gables]

GiffGaff use O2, TPO use EE. Check the coverage map for both those networks and see which works best for you.

I found where I live the coverage maps to be crap. I was with T Mobile and decided to go SIM only, my girlfriend always had a great signal in the house, mine was iffy, she's with 02. When I contacted t mobile for a PAC I fell for the sales pitch to go with EE (the deal was good), the coverage map suggested it should be okay (I know t mobile and EE are one company but went with the map), the signal turns out it was rubbish. I've moved to GiffGaff, who are on 02 as someone has said, and the signal is great, 4G too - the coverage map suggests it should be crap.

My learning\advice - check with a phone (e.g. borrow a mates) already on the network you want to use in the area you want to use f you can. I'm now sat in the office with a better signal than most around me (except fellow 02 users) contrary to the maps.

[jbond007]

GiffGaff use O2, TPO use EE. Check the coverage map for both those networks and see which works best for you.

[unixman]

Been on GG for 3 years or so. Voice service is fine. Coverage for 3G seems poorer than O2, even though GG uses the O2 network. I suspect that O2 subscribers are prioritized over GG users.

Fella in the office is on O2, always seems to have much better data than me.

[Yonmons]

Could be an interesting thread, after too many years of being on contract I reckon I must have paid enough to have bought a new Jag. So my contract is up Jan 5, and I am going SIM only. I * NEED * to keep my number (which I suppose wont be an issue) 15 years of contracting means I cant afford to lose it.

So which do we go for. I am presently with EE. My wife went SIM only with them earlier in the year, but technology is wasted on her and she got some bog standard SIM deal which I wouldnt look at. Virgin is one I never thought of TBH, I may just check them out.

[JRCT]

Virgin use the EE network but are cheaper

I think TPO use the EE network, too.

[DaveB]

Why not EE ?

I like 'em !

Virgin use the EE network but are cheaper

[Platypus]

Why not EE ?

I like 'em !

[DaveB]

Was with GiffGaff o their £10 goody bag deal, and they are great as long as it works. But, customer support is pretty much non-existant. You end up relying on their forums for other people to answer tech issues if anything stops working.

Now moved to Virgin for a comparable deal. Not had any issues so far.

[VectraMan]

I pay about £7pm to Tesco. Can't even remember how much it's for, but it's enough. I used to be on PAYG but got pissed off with the having to top it up.

[Mincepie]

GiffGaff are good but don't do business tariffs. I have them for the families Sim deals but my phone is with Voda

[JRCT]

Ok, I've had it with Vodafone. Got my PAC code and I'm now searching around for a good SIM only deal.

Giffgaff - 4G, 1000 mins, 4GB - £15.
TPO - 3G, unl mins, 4GB - £15.

There's no 4G coverage where I live, but there is where I work.

I would never use 1000 mins, so it's the same as unlimited, effectively.

I'd never heard of TPO before, but I like the principal that they're trying to be ethical and that the give 10% of your bill to your chosen charity.

I will need to buy a new phone fairly sharpish as mine is on the way out, but I think I'm better off buying that outright and sticking with a SIM only contract.

Any better deals out there for similar SIM usage?