T-Mobile refreshed their tariff line-up earlier today. As well as introducing the new ‘The Full Monty’ tariff with unlimited calls, texts and internet from £41/month, the rest of their tariff line-up has also been updated. Tariffs now start from £7/month with 50 minutes and 250 texts.

Taking a leaf out of O2′s book, T-Mobile are now offering a choice of data plans: Basic (100MB per month), Standard (750MB per month), Extra (1.5GB per month) or Super (5GB per month).

What does T-Mobile’s new Pay Monthly line-up look like?

T-Mobile’s new Pay Monthly line-up features 7 tariffs ranging starting from 50 minutes and 250 texts per month and going all the way up to unlimited minutes and texts. With the 5 standard tariffs, you must choose one of the four data plans whereas the 2 ‘Full Monty’ tariffs come with unlimited data included.

For the 5 standard tariffs, the following data plans are available:

• Basic (100MB per month) – add £4/month
• Standard (750MB per month) – add £9/month. Also includes 3GB via BT Openzone wi-fi hotspots.
• Extra (1.5GB per month) – add £14/month. Also includes 3GB via BT Openzone wi-fi hotspots.

The monthly costs of the 24 month tariffs with different data plans are as follows:

These plans may not show up on the T-Mobile website automatically. On the price plans page, you’ll need to check the “All” box on the left hand side under the “Price range” heading.

A fourth data plan is also available by purchasing a Booster. The “Super” data plan costs £19/month and comes with 5GB per month plus 10GB at BT Openzone wi-fi hotspots. The total cost of your tariff once the “Super” data plan is included means that The Full Monty could provide better value.

Does T-Mobile have any 18 month plans available?

Yes. The standard plans (i.e. not The Full Monty) are also available on 18 month contracts. For 18 month plans, add £5/month to the monthly cost. The Full Monty is only available on a 24 month contract.

Which internet package should I choose? Basic, Standard, Extra or Super?

Unless you’re opting for The Full Monty which has unlimited internet, you’ll need to choose a data plan. T-Mobile offer a choice of 4 data plans:

• Basic (100MB per month). Costing £4/month, this is good for people who only use their smartphone for very occasional browsing and e-mailing. Be aware that downloading apps will use up a lot of data, so we would recommend against this data plan unless you have wi-fi at home for downloading and updating apps. The “typical” smartphone user in the UK uses around 250MB per month.
• Standard (750MB per month). This is T-Mobile’s standard data plan. Costing £9/month, you’ll get 750MB of data over 3G plus an additional 3GB at BT Openzone wi-fi hotspots. 750MB approximately corresponds to being able to browse around 7,500 basic webpages, sending 750,000 basic e-mails or downloading 150 MP3 files.
• Extra (1.5GB per month). Costing £14/month, T-Mobile’s “Extra” data plan gives you 1.5GB of 3G data and 3GB of data at BT Openzone wi-fi hotspots. This plan is good for heavy users and will give you around 15,000 basic webpages, 1.5 million e-mails and 300 MP3 files. Alternatively, you could listen to online radio for around 24 hours.
• Super (5GB per month). Available through a £19/month Booster, the “Super” data plan comes with 5GB of 3G data and 10GB of BT OpenZone wi-fi data. Given the high cost of adding the Super data plan, it’s worth investigating whether The Full Monty and unlimited data might provide better value. Three’s ‘The One Plan’ is also a good option for heavy data users.

We’ve got a detailed guide to the real-world meaning of download limits and what they mean in reality. If you choose not to add a data plan to your package, it’ll cost £1.02 per day to use the internet on your phone. For regular usage, particularly on a smartphone, it would be much better value to add a data plan.

Can I tether on T-Mobile’s new packages?

Yes, tethering is permitted on The Full Monty.

Tethering means connecting your mobile phone to a PC or laptop and using it as a modem to access a 3G mobile broadband service. It’s supported by the latest smartphones such as the Apple iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy S II. By tethering over wi-fi, you’d be able to share your T-Mobile 3G connection with other wi-fi enabled devices such as your laptop, tablet, iPod Touch or e-book reader.

What is T-Mobile coverage like where I live?

You should use T-Mobile’s online coverage checker to ensure T-Mobile coverage is available where you live. As of October 2011, T-Mobile customers will also have access to Orange’s 2G and 3G network through the Everything Everywhere roaming arrangement.

I’m switching to T-Mobile. Can I keep my existing phone number?

Yes. You’ll need to ask your existing network for a PAC code which you should provide to T-Mobile once your new phone has arrived. They will handle the process of transferring your phone number which should take no more than 24 hours. Our PAC Code Finder tool provides a step-by-step guide to transferring your mobile number to T-Mobile.

Where can I find out more about T-Mobile’s new tariffs?

You can get find out more about T-Mobile’s new tariffs at the T-Mobile website.

Related posts:

1. T-Mobile revamp tariffs with ‘Flexible Boosters’, new SIM Only tariffs
2. Blackberry Tariffs: Data Plans Explained, Blackberry SIM-Only Tariffs Compared
3. O2 increase Pay Monthly contract prices, introduces new data plans and free tethering

T-Mobile has announced their new tariff “The Full Monty”. Available as a 24-month contract on T-Mobile, “The Full Monty” starts from £36/month and comes with unlimited calls, unlimited texts and unlimited internet. Launched as a direct competitor to Three’s “The One Plan”, T-Mobile have taken a cue from Three with “The Full Monty” by including tethering with the new plan. This essentially means you’ll get a free mobile broadband service bundled with the plan.

Smartphones available with “The Full Monty” include the Apple iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S II, HTC Sensation XE and BlackBerry Bold 9900.

What does “The Full Monty” include?

The “Full Monty” is intended to be T-Mobile’s flagship “unlimited everything” tariff and is intended to be a direct competitor to Three’s “The One Plan”. For a flat monthly fee, the tariff includes:

• 2,000 minutes (£36/month) OR unlimited minutes (from £41/month)
• Unlimited calls to other T-Mobile customers
• Unlimited texts
• Unlimited internet with no download limits
• Tethering & wi-fi hotspot (free mobile broadband for your laptop, etc.)
• Unlimited wi-fi at BT Openzone hotspots (excluding Olympic Games sites)

“The Full Monty” is only available as a 24-month contract and is not available as a 1 month rolling SIM-only plan. If you already own your own smartphone which you’re happy to keep, Three’s £25/month SIM-only plan could be a more suitable option.

How much does “The Full Monty” cost?

“The Full Monty” starts from £36/month, but the exact cost will depend on the smartphone that you choose. Key smartphones being offered on the plan include:

How does “The Full Monty” compare to Three’s “The One Plan”?

“The Full Monty” is incredibly similar to Three’s “The One Plan” which is also targeted at the “unlimited everything” market. Whilst “The One Plan” comes with 2,000 minutes and 5,000 texts rather than both being “unlimited”, the allowances are generally so large that it is incredibly difficult to ever exceed them. Key differences also include the availability of a SIM-only version of The One Plan.

Prices for key handsets compare as follows:

Is there a fair usage limit on “The Full Monty”?

According to T-Mobile, there are no fair usage limits associated with “unlimited data” on “The Full Monty”.

Is tethering permitted on “The Full Monty”?

Yes. According to T-Mobile, “Customers … can use their mobile internet for whatever they like – including tethering (using a smartphone as an internet connection for a laptop or tablet), streaming and downloading”.

Being able to tether with “The Full Monty” means that you can share your phone’s 3G data connection with other devices including a laptop or tablet, an iPod Touch, an e-book reader or a games console. These devices do not need to feature 3G connectivity (for example you could connect a wi-fi only iPad to the internet by tethering). You’ll need a phone which supports the mobile wi-fi hotspot feature in order to use this feature. We’ve got a detailed guide on tethering and how to connect your other electronic devices.

Does “The Full Monty” include calls to 0800, 0845 and 0870 numbers?

No. Your inclusive minutes only include calls to geographical numbers (beginning with 01, 02 or 03) and calls to other UK mobile numbers (beginning with 07). This means calls to 0800, 0845 and 0870 numbers are not included and will cost 40p/minute. According to T-Mobile:

Minutes and texts unlimited allowance apply to all UK mobile networks, voicemail and numbers beginning with 01, 02, 03 (excluding Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man). Calls to 08 (including 0870) or 070 numbers are premium rate numbers and excluded from your inclusive allowances. Calls to 0800, 0808, 0845 and other 08 numbers cost 40p/min. See www.t-mobile.co.uk/help&support/priceplans.

What is T-Mobile coverage like where I live?

You should use T-Mobile’s online coverage checker to ensure T-Mobile coverage is available where you live. As of October 2011, T-Mobile customers will also have access to Orange’s 2G and 3G network through the Everything Everywhere roaming arrangement.

I’m a T-Mobile customer. Can I upgrade to “The Full Monty”?

Yes. If you have come towards the end of your contract, you can upgrade to “The Full Monty” through the T-Mobile website. If you’re currently in the middle of a contract, it is possible to switch to “The Full Monty” but you will not receive a new phone.

I’m switching to T-Mobile. Can I keep my existing phone number?

Yes. You’ll need to ask your existing network for a PAC code which you should provide to T-Mobile once your new phone has arrived. They will handle the process of transferring your phone number which should take no more than 24 hours. Our PAC Code Finder tool provides a step-by-step guide to transferring your mobile number to T-Mobile.

Where can I get “The Full Monty”?

“The Full Monty” will be available from the T-Mobile website from Wednesday (February 1st, 2012).

Related posts:

1. O2′s Giffgaff offering free calls, texts, internet for a year for viral marketers; launches tomorrow
2. Tesco launches £6/month SIM-only tariff with 100 minutes, unlimited texts
3. O2′s “Text and Web” PAYG tariff gives free, unlimited internet & texts

"Everything Everywhere" is the joint venture between Orange and T-Mobile.

At present, Orange customers and T-Mobile customers have access to each other’s 2G mobile phone networks through roaming. This means that when you don’t have any coverage from your home network, you’ll be able to roam onto the other network in order to make phone calls and send texts. From October 2011, this roaming arrangement is being enhanced with “seamless” roaming as well as the ability to roam for 3G services.

What’s the current roaming arrangement between Orange and T-Mobile?

Orange and T-Mobile first turned on non-seamless 2G roaming in October 2010. Non-seamless roaming meant that Orange customers could connect to the T-Mobile 2G network and T-Mobile customers could connect to the Orange 2G network. When roaming, download speeds are limited to about 80kbit/sec and it isn’t possible to switch networks mid-call. Hence an Orange customer who begins a phone call on the Orange network but loses signal from Orange wouldn’t have their call automatically switched over to T-Mobile: the call would drop instead. Under non-seamless roaming, your mobile phone will also select your home network over the roaming network whenever possible (even if coverage is much better on the roaming network).

What are the benefits of the new “seamless” and “3G” roaming arrangements?

From October 2011 onwards, Orange and T-Mobile are turning on seamless roaming for both 2G and 3G. This is a significant development for Orange and T-Mobile customers giving several key benefits:

• Your phone will automatically pick the network with the strongest signal. If you had a one-bar Orange signal and a five-bar T-Mobile signal where you live, your Orange phone would still have picked up the weaker one-bar Orange signal under non-seamless roaming. Under seamless roaming, your phone will pick up the stronger five-bar T-Mobile signal instead. This should lead to fewer dropped calls and better battery life.
• You can switch network mid-call. Under non-seamless roaming, it was not possible to switch network in the middle of a phone call without dropping the phone call. With seamless roaming, you will be able to continue your phone call regardless of whether an Orange signal or a T-Mobile signal is being used in the background.
• Faster download speeds on the roaming network. Under the old roaming arrangement, only 2G services were covered. So an Orange customer could access the T-Mobile 2G network and a T-Mobile customer could access the Orange 2G network but isn’t possible to access the roaming network’s 3G signal. Under the new roaming arrangement, both 2G and 3G networks are covered. This means that when you’re roaming, you’ll get the same high-speed downloads that you would on your home network.

Do I need to opt in to the new roaming arrangements?

No. Unlike with 2G non-seamless roaming which launched last October, there is no need to opt-in for the new roaming arrangements. The roaming arrangements will be turned on across the UK region-by-region and you’ll receive a text message to let you know when it’s been enabled on your phone.

How can I tell which network my phone is connected to?

If your phone is currently roaming on an Orange or T-Mobile mast, your phone will display the name of both networks:

• Orange customers roaming on T-Mobile will see the network name “Orange T-Mobile”
• T-Mobile customers roaming on Orange will see the network name “T-Mobile Orange”

When connected to a “home” mast, your phone will simply display the name of your network as before. In order to determine whether you’re connected to a 2G or 3G mast, look at the indicator in your phone’s status bar:

• G – GPRS (2G connection, up to 80kbit/s)
• E – EDGE (enhanced 2G connection, up to 237kbit/s)
• 3G – Basic 3G connection (up to 384kbit/s)
• H – HSDPA (enhanced 3G, up to 7.2Mbit/s)
• H+ – HSPA+ (evolved 3G, up to 21Mbit/s)

Can I still use my inclusive minutes and texts as normal whilst roaming?

Yes. You can still use your inclusive minutes and texts as normal whether you are connected to a Orange mast or a T-Mobile mast. Unlike international roaming, there are no extra fees associated with this service.

Are there any changes to the call charges or download limits?

No. You will be charged as normal regardless of whether you are connected to an Orange mast or a T-Mobile mast. Downloads on Orange masts and T-Mobile masts both count towards your normal monthly download limit.

Will a call between Orange and T-Mobile still be charged as a cross-network call?

Data roaming is free within the UK but can cost up to £8/MB outside of the UK.

A call between Orange customers and T-Mobile customers will still be billed as a cross-network call.

My phone is displaying warnings about “Data Roaming”. What does it mean?

Many smartphones are set up to display a warning when you use data/internet over a roaming connection. This is a useful feature because traditionally you only roam whilst abroad and when abroad you pay up to £8/MB for data (see our guide to what MBs means in terms of web pages, emails, etc).

Typically I advise users to disable “data roaming” on their phones. This means you won’t be stung with huge charges if you go abroad as your phone won’t use “data roaming”. The side-effect of this setting is that it may also disable data roaming within the UK across Orange and T-Mobile (which has no additional charges). The workaround is to re-enable “data roaming” but remember to turn it off before you leave the UK though or you could be stung with a huge charge.

I’m a T-Mobile customer. Can I now access services such as Orange Wednesday whilst roaming on Orange?

No. Orange services such as Orange voicemail and Orange Wednesdays are only for Orange customers. The important thing is which network you have an account with: not which network’s masts you’re connected to. The same goes for Orange customers and T-Mobile services.

Why has it taken so long for seamless roaming and 3G roaming to begin?

Virgin Mobile customers can benefit from 2G roaming on Orange.

It’s been a whole year since the launch of non-seamless 2G roaming on Orange and T-Mobile. The launch of seamless and 3G roaming was partly delayed by the Arqiva Ltd v Everything Everywhere Ltd High Court case which essentially revolved around whether combining the Orange and T-Mobile networks would breach existing contracts that the companies had Arquiva, a mobile infrastructure provider. Now that the cases have been resolved, we look forward to the launch of seamless roaming and 3G roaming on Orange and T-Mobile.

If you are interested in the technical details behind how seamless roaming and 3G roaming is enabled, see points 46-48 in the Arqiva Ltd v Everything Everywhere Ltd court document.

I’m a Virgin Mobile customer. How am I affected by these changes?

Virgin Mobile is a virtual network operator which uses the T-Mobile signal. From October 2011, Virgin Mobile customers will have access to the Orange 2G signal. Virgin Mobile customers can tell which network they are connected to by looking at the network name on their phone:

• Virgin: Connected to a T-Mobile signal (Virgin with a capital V)
• virgin: Connected to an Orange signal (2G only so slow downloads, virgin with a small v)

Please see the Virgin Mobile website in order to opt-in for Orange 2G roaming. Virgin Mobile customers will need to wait until 2012 before they are able to access a 3G signal from Orange.

How can I check Orange coverage or T-Mobile coverage where I live?

You should use the Orange coverage checker and the T-Mobile coverage checker.

Why are Orange and T-Mobile offering this service?

Orange and T-Mobile merged in 2010 to form a single company “Everything Everywhere”. “Everything Everywhere” intends to maintain both the “Orange” and “T-Mobile” consumer brands but eventually plans to merge the two networks and to reduce costs by streamlining operations. In the long term, this may mean the withdrawal of certain Orange masts or T-Mobile masts where there is a significant overlap between the two.

Related posts:

1. Orange and T-Mobile customers: Register now for enhanced reception on merged network
2. Orange’s UMA offers enhanced reception at home for BlackBerry phones
3. How to get the best reception on your phone and choose the right network

Launch the iPhone price comparison tool

The Apple iPhone 4S launched today and it’s available for purchase on contract from 6 networks in the UK: Three, O2, Orange, Tesco Mobile, T-Mobile and Vodafone. Yet there’s a whole myriad of different tariffs to consider – each with differing monthly allowances, download allowances and each tariff different combinations of upfront and monthly cost. With this new price comparison tool, we hope to make searching for the right iPhone tariff easier.

• We’ll show you in one simple table what you’ll get on each tariff: minutes, texts, data allowance and any other key features of the tariff (same-network calls, BT Openzone, visual voicemail, photo messages, etc.)
• We’ll show you the “total cost of ownership” of each tariff. This is the total amount you’ll pay over the length of your contract (including both upfront and monthly costs). We think this is a much better way of comparing tariffs rather than simply looking at either the upfront cost or the monthly cost by itself – you’ll see exactly how much it costs you over the long run. Sometimes it’s better value to pay more upfront in exchange for a lower monthly charge.
• We’ll show you the download allowances included with each tariff. Whilst most tariffs offer 500MB internet, some tariffs don’t include internet whilst others include truly unlimited “all-you-can-eat” downloads.

Full tariff listing

For a complete listing of available tariffs (without filtering), select the model of iPhone 4S you’d like:

• 16GB iPhone 4S (96 tariffs available)
• 32GB iPhone 4S (91 tariffs available)
• 64GB iPhone 4S (68 tariffs available)

Please use the form at the top of this page to find the best value tariffs based on your monthly usage.

Your thoughts, feedback and suggestions.

We are continually looking at add new features to this price comparison tool. If you’ve got any comments, please drop us a comment below: we’d love to hear from you.

Related posts:

1. Compare Samsung Galaxy S II Mobile Tariffs: Price Comparison Calculator
2. The iPhone Tariff Price Comparison Tool – with 23 iPhone tariffs
3. Compare Pay As You Go Tariffs: Price Comparison Tool

If you’re going abroad on holiday or for business, you’ll normally want to watch your mobile phone usage very carefully due to the extortionate roaming charges imposed by mobile phone operators. This is particularly true for people who want to use their smartphones abroad: access to data services such as e-mail, the internet and Facebook will typically cost between £4 and £8 per megabyte whilst you’re abroad. This leads to huge charges – approximately £250 to use your smartphone abroad for just a week.

T-Mobile’s “BlackBerry World Email 30 Day Booster” is a great option for anyone who wants to stay in touch with their friends whilst abroad. For £15.32/month, you’ll get unlimited access to the internet, e-mail and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) wherever you are in the world (subject to coverage). It works outside the EU and you can either purchase the booster for just a month (if you’re making a one-off trip) or permanently if you’re a frequent traveller.

T-Mobile are currently offering a large range of BlackBerry tariffs starting from £15.31/month.

How much would I normally have to pay to use the internet abroad?

According to billmonitor, the typical smartphone user consumes 147MB of data per month. For a typical user spending 7 days abroad and using their smartphone as normal, approximately 34MB of data will be consumed. This would cost approximately £250 under standard data roaming rates (though a consumer protection measure exists: your mobile operator will normally cut you off at £48 if you’re travelling within the EU). Due to the huge costs of using data abroad, we typically recommend that readers disable data roaming on their smartphones to avoid huge charges.

What does the “BlackBerry World Email” booster offer?

For £15.32, you’ll get unlimited browsing, e-mail and BBM on your BlackBerry for one month. You can use these services whenever you’re abroad subject to coverage.

In which countries can I use the “BlackBerry World Email” booster?

You should be able to use the “BlackBerry World Email” booster in any country for which T-Mobile offers a roaming service with either GPRS or 3G connectivity. T-Mobile provides a list of these countries on their website. To check whether you can use the “BlackBerry World Email” booster in a certain country, select the relevant country from the dropdown menu, click on the “Networks” tab and check to make sure there’s a “Yes” in either the GPRS or 3G column.

Is there a fair usage policy on the unlimited data?

You'll need a BlackBerry device to use the "BlackBerry World Email" booster.

According to T-Mobile’s Twitter account, there is no fair usage policy on the “BlackBerry World Email” booster. WirelessWorker.net has a great summary of some of the terms and conditions of the booster.

Can I use tethering on this booster?

No, it is not possible to tether with the “BlackBerry World Email” booster. The one exception is if you’ve got a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet which can be connected to your BlackBerry using the “BlackBerry Bridge”.

Do I need to keep the “BlackBerry World Email” booster for the entirety of my contract?

No, you do not need to keep the “BlackBerry World Email” booster for the entirety of your contract. However, it’ll automatically renew every month once you’ve enabled it. You can call T-Mobile Customer Services on 150 to end the booster once you’re back home. If you’re travelling for leisure (on holiday for example) and you’re not a regular traveller, it’s worth making a note to do this in your diary.

Can I use another smartphone (e.g. iPhone or Android) with this “BlackBerry World” booster?

No. You cannot use the “BlackBerry World Email” booster on a different brand of smartphone such as the iPhone or Android devices. This is because BlackBerry devices are configured differently from most smartphones in that all of your data usage passes through the “BlackBerry Internet Service” (BIS). This is a proprietary service which cannot be accessed with other smartphones. Furthermore, BlackBerry devices also use different APN configurations to other brands of smartphones.

BlackBerry devices tend to use less data as data is compressed through the BlackBerry Internet Service. We believe the reason T-Mobile are offering this deal exclusively to BlackBerry owners is due the lower bandwidth requirements of BlackBerry devices.

If you’re a T-Mobile customer travelling in the EU with a non-BlackBerry smartphone, you could opt for T-Mobile’s “Euro Internet Booster” which offers 50MB of internet in Europe for £10/month (see our guide to data allowances to determine what 50MB actually means). Outside of the EU, you’ve got no option but to pay the standard T-Mobile data roaming charge of £7.50/MB.

Are there any other cost-efficient ways of accessing the internet whilst abroad?

The Kindle 3G offers free web browsing around the world, albeit in a very limited form.

Yes. The 3G version of the Amazon Kindle provides free 3G connectivity worldwide. It includes an experimental and very basic web browser. Whilst it’s no match for a smartphone, it does mean you can access basic information worldwide such as e-mail, weather forecasts and the news for a one-off payment of £151. See our detailed guide to the Kindle’s free worldwide 3G browsing.

I’m switching to T-Mobile. Can I keep my existing phone number?

Yes. Ask your existing network for a PAC Code. This allows you to move your mobile phone number between networks.

Once you’ve received your new BlackBerry from T-Mobile, call up T-Mobile customer services on 150 and give them the PAC Code. T-Mobile will handle the porting of your phone number; it should take no more than 24 hours. Our PAC Code Finder tool can take you through the process step-by-step.

I’m already a T-Mobile BlackBerry customer. How do I get the “BlackBerry World Email” booster?

You can add the “BlackBerry World Email” booster to your account by texting BBROAM to 879. An additional £15.32/month will be added to your mobile phone bill to pay for the booster. It’ll automatically renew every month. If your trip is a one-off, you’ll need to call T-Mobile Customer Services on 150 to end the booster once you’re back home.

Remember that this booster doesn’t change the cost of making calls and texts whilst you’re abroad. You’ll still have to pay T-Mobile’s standard roaming rates for calls and texts. Within the EU, calls cost 36p/min and texts cost 10p. Outside of the EU, it could be as high as £1.50/min for calls and 40p per text message. You can browse the internet, send e-mail and use BBM to your heart’s content though and it won’t cost a thing.

Where can I get a BlackBerry from T-Mobile?

You can order a BlackBerry from T-Mobile through the T-Mobile website.

Tariffs start from £15.31/month for a free BlackBerry Curve 9300 with 100 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited BlackBerry mail.

Related posts:

1. Blackberry Tariffs: Data Plans Explained, Blackberry SIM-Only Tariffs Compared
2. Vodafone Passport offers cheaper calls whilst abroad in Europe, Australia, New Zealand
3. HTC Desire Android Smartphone: £15/month on T-Mobile with unlimited texts, internet

24 months can be a long time to hold a mobile phone contract: you never know what’ll happen and how your phone usage might change over that time. If you’re currently stuck in an unsuitable mobile phone contract, you may still be able to change it mid-contract. Of particular note O2, Orange and Three will allow you to downgrade your mobile phone contract to a cheaper deal: something which should instantly shave about £60/year from your phone bill. In this article, we look at your options for changing your mobile tariff whilst still being mid-contract.

What options do I have to change my tariff mid-contract?

The options available to you depend on the type of tariff you’re on and what changes you’d like to make.

• If you’re on Pay As You Go, you’re able to leave at any time and join another network or tariff by requesting a new Pay As You Go SIM card. This means if you’re unhappy with your mobile network for any reason, you don’t need to stick with them. You can keep your existing phone number but you may need to unlock your phone first.
• If you’re on a SIM Only contract, the same rules generally apply as on Pay Monthly. However, the shorter contracts generally mean you have a lot more flexibility. If you’re on a one-month contract, you’re able to switch network or tariff at any time with 30 days notice.
• If you’re on a Pay Monthly contract, you have the minimal flexibility to change tariff as you’ll be tied in for 18 months or 24 months. You certainly won’t be able to change network mid-contract but there are options available to change your tariff by adding/changing features and the monthly price. If you’ve come to the end of your Pay Monthly contract, you should move to a SIM-only tariff instead of changing your existing tariff – this will save you about £180/year.

In the rest of this article, we discuss the options for Pay Monthly customers to change their tariff mid-contract. There are 3 main reasons for wanting to change your phone tariff mid-contract:

• You want a new phone.
• You’d like to add new features to your tariff.
• You’ve got too much/little airtime.

We’ll take these in turn.

Can I change my phone mid-contract?

Yes, there is nothing to stop you from changing your phone in the middle of your contract, for example if you’ve taken over someone’s old device or you want to replace your phone early. If you’d like a new phone in the middle of your contract, you’ll need to buy it “SIM-free” from a retailer such as Amazon.co.uk or the Carphone Warehouse. Expect to pay between £20 and £100 for a feature phone and at least £200 for a smartphone.

Because SIM-free phones are sold unlocked and without a SIM card, you can slot your current SIM card inside and continue using your existing contract with it the. There are no charges associated with changing your mobile phone mid-contract: indeed your mobile operator may not even know you’ve changed phone.

Note that if you’re moving to a smartphone, you’ll need to add an internet add-on to your current contract. If you’re moving to a BlackBerry, you’ll need to move to a BlackBerry tariff (this isn’t always possible mid-contract).

Can I add extra features to my tariff mid-contract?

A data plan needs to be added if you upgrade to a smartphone.

If you’re changing to a smartphone or would like to add additional services (e.g. internet access, travel or international calling bundles), you can usually add these as extra packages onto your tariff. These packages are called “bolt ons” on O2, “Flexible Boosters” on T-Mobile and “add-ons” on most other networks. Log in on your mobile operator’s website for a list of packages you can add:

• Three
• O2
• Orange
• T-Mobile
• Vodafone

I’ve got too much or too little airtime. Can I change the amount of airtime I’ve got?

If you regularly find yourself with loads of extra minutes left at the end of the month or you consistently incur charges for exceeding your airtime allowance, you’re probably on the wrong contract. Thankfully some networks give you the option to change your price plan mid-contract.

If you need more airtime, you should move up a price plan (“upgrade”). Although the monthly price of your contract will increase, you should no longer running up punitive charges for calls and texts made outside of your allowance. This means you could actually save money by moving up a price plan.

If you have too much airtime, you should move down a price plan (“downgrade”). This will typically cut £5/month (or £60/year) from your phone bill. You’ll have fewer inclusive minutes after a downgrade.

The options available to you depend on your network:

* Three allow you to downgrade your contract once you’re half way through your contract (i.e. 12 months if you’re on a 24 month contract). There may be an “admin fee” involved.
** O2 and Orange allow you to downgrade your contract once you’re half way through your contract, but only once.

Three

Three allow upgrade to a higher-priced or same-price plan at any time. You can also downgrade to a cheaper tariff once you’re half way through your contract although this may involve an “admin fee”. We’ve not had any feedback on the size of the “admin fee”: if you’ve downgraded please do drop us a comment and let us know!

You can move to one of our selected price plans of equal or higher value at any time during your contract, provided you’ve kept up to date with all the payments on your existing price plan. We could also move you to a lower monthly charge if you’re finding the cost too expensive. But you’ll have to complete half of the minimum term of your contract and pay an admin fee.

Source: Three: “How can I change my current contract”

O2

O2 allows customers to downgrade to a lower priced tariff once half-way through the contract. You can downgrade no more than once in the term of your contract.

When you sign up for, or upgrade to, a new a minimum term contract you will then only be able to move to the next available lower priced tariff (with a lower rate monthly subscription than the tariff you’ve joined on) once during your minimum term. You can only do this after you are more than halfway through your minimum term.

Source: O2 Pay Monthly Tariff Terms (March 2011) – Point 3

Orange

Orange allows you to upgrade to a higher priced tariff at any time. Like on O2, you can also downgrade to a lower priced tariff but only once half-way through the contract. You can downgrade only once during the term of your contract.

You may switch to a higher Service Plan at any time. You may switch once only to the next lowest Service Plan after one half of your Minimum Term has expired, unless otherwise stated. You may switch to an equivalent Service Plan at any time after one half of your Minimum Term has expired, unless otherwise stated.

Source: Orange Network Services Terms and Conditions – Point 15.1

T-Mobile

T-Mobile’s terms and conditions make no provision for you to be able to upgrade or downgrade your contract. However, we would expect T-Mobile to be sympathetic to the case of upgrading a contract as it brings in additional revenue for the company.

We don’t have to allow You to change Price Plan.

Source: T-Mobile Terms and Conditions (November 2010) – Point 2.7

Vodafone

Vodafone do not allow downgrades mid-contract. However, you can upgrade your tariff mid-contract.

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T-Mobile have today launched the “You Fix” tariff range – a 12-month Pay Monthly contract with a fixed monthly payment and where you’ll need to top up once you’ve exceeded your monthly airtime allowance. T-Mobile claim that “You Fix” is ideal for teenagers as it combines the low costs of Pay Monthly whilst giving parents (or the bill payer) “the peace of mind that they’ll never pay more than they expect”. In this article, we explore the “You Fix” plan and find out how it compares to the rest of the market.

What is T-Mobile’s “You Fix” tariff?

“You Fix” is a range of Pay Monthly contracts from T-Mobile. “You Fix” tariffs are 12-months long and have a fixed monthly payment: you’re prevented from running up extra charges outside of your airtime allowance so your monthly bill will always be the same.

Once you’ve used up your monthly allowance of minutes and texts, you’ll need to top up (in the same way as on Pay As You Go) to continue using your phone for the rest of the month. With a fixed monthly payment, T-Mobile are advertising the key benefit of “You Fix” as the fact it’ll stop you from unwittingly running up an unexpectedly large bill at the end of the month.

How much does it cost?

T-Mobile's "You Fix" tariff stops you from running up unexpected charges outside of your airtime allowance.

“You Fix” tariffs are available at 3 price points, all of which come on a 12-month contract. All tariffs come with a free flexible booster such as unlimited texts or 500MB internet.

Unless you opt for a free handset, you’ll also need to add an upfront payment for your phone. We’re rather disappointing with the choice of free handsets on “You Fix”: the ultra-cheap Nokia C2-01 being the only free phone available on the £15.50/month and £20.50/month “You Fix” plans. The £26/month plan offers a choice of 4 free phones but still nothing particularly impressive: the BlackBerry Curve 8520, Nokia C2-01, Samsung Monte and Sony Ericsson Xperia X8.

There are a selection of handsets you can choose if you pay upfront for them – however we’re rather disappointed with the choice of handsets and the associated costs. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Ace is available for free on a £15/month contract from Three; yet there’s an upfront charge of £85 on T-Mobile “You Fix” plan even when you’re paying £26/month on your contract.

What happens when I use up all of my airtime?

Once you’ve used up your inclusive monthly allowance, you’ll need to top-up (in the same way as you would on Pay As You Go) to continue making calls or sending texts. Unfortunately, the costs of doing this are fairly high and are higher than T-Mobile’s standard Pay As You Go rates.

The minimum top-up amount on “You Fix” is £1. This contrasts with the minimum top-up of £5 on T-Mobile’s standard Pay As You Go tariff.

How does “You Fix” compare to the rest of the market?

T-Mobile's "You Fix" tariffs come with a free Nokia C2-01.

“You Fix” tariffs are exceptionally expensive when compared to Pay Monthly tariffs on rival networks which don’t include the fixed monthly cost feature.

As a side-by-side comparison, take T-Mobile’s £15.50/month “You Fix” tariff and Three’s £15/month “Text 500″ tariffs as a comparison. Both offer the tariff with a free Nokia C2-01 phone. As well as being 50p/month cheaper, Three’s tariff offers 6x as many minutes and 66x as many texts (albeit with a 24 month contract rather than 12 month contract).

• T-Mobile “You Fix” tariff: £15.50/month for 75 minutes, 75 texts and a free flexible booster. Free Nokia C2-01.
• Three “Text 500″ tariff: £15/month for 500 minutes, 5000 texts and 1GB internet. Free Nokia C2-01.

Although it’s possible to run up extra charges for exceeding your allowance on Three’s “Text 500″ tariff, the much larger airtime allowances should provide a buffer against this. For somebody who uses an average of 75 minutes per month, it should be near-impossible to exceed 500 minutes in a month. With the punitive out-of-allowance charges, Three’s tariff will almost definitely work out better value in the long run.

At the £25/month price point, Three offers a tariff called “The One Plan” which comes with 2000 cross-network minutes, 5000 Three-to-Three minutes, 5000 texts and all-you-can-eat internet with no download limits and free tethering. There is also a much larger choice of free handsets including the HTC Wildfire S and the LG Optimus One. Again, Three’s tariff doesn’t provide any protection against excess charges for going over your airtime allowance but the massive airtime allowances mean this should never happen.

Another approach to reducing unexpected bills: Three's "The One Plan" has more minutes, texts and internet than you'd know what to do with.

On the Pay As You Go front, there are ways of getting great value for money whilst keeping control over your spending by using bolt-on tariffs such as Giffgaff Goodybags, O2 Simplicity or Three’s “All in One” tariffs. Giffgaff’s £10 goodybag gives you 250 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited internet for £10/month. Once you’ve exceeded your allowance of 250 minutes, you simply pay as you go with calls costing 8p/minute (get a free Giffgaff SIM card). Note that unlike “You Fix”, these tariffs don’t include a free phone so you’ll need to provide your own.

What’s the verdict on T-Mobile’s “You Fix”?

T-Mobile claim that their “You Fix” tariff bridges Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go by providing the value of the former and the spend control of the latter. In our view, “You Fix” provides the benefits of neither: the tariff comes with incredibly disappointing airtime allowances and punitive out-of-allowance call rates once you’ve used up your airtime allowance.

We believe you’d much better off with a standard Pay Monthly contract or a standard Pay As You Go tariff from companies such as Three and Giffgaff. The former offers much larger airtime allowances (meaning that exceeding your airtime allowance shouldn’t be a problem anyway) whilst the latter offers much lower PAYG calling rates once you’ve exceeded your inclusive airtime allowance.

Where can I get a T-Mobile “You Fix” plan?

“You Fix” is available through the T-Mobile website.

Related posts:

1. Pay As You Go VS Pay Monthly Contracts: Mobile Phone Tariffs Compared
2. Vodafone introduce 12-month Pay Monthly contracts for smartphones
3. £10/month Mobile Phone Deals: Best Value Contracts and SIM-Only Contracts

T-Mobile have cut the cost of their entry-level Android offering, the “Pulse Mini”, to just £30. Running Android 2.1, you’ll get free turn-by-turn GPS navigation, access to 100,000+ apps through Android Market and 6 months of free internet worth £20. The phone comes on T-Mobile’s Pay As You Go service which offers 100 free minutes whenever you top up by £10 per month.

What is the T-Mobile Pulse Mini?

The T-Mobile Pulse Mini is a budget Android-based phone. At just £30, don’t expect a top-of-the-range smartphone though. The Pulse Mini has some reasonably decent specifications but it’s let down by the resistive touchscreen and a slow processor which can cause the entire phone to respond slowly. But at just £30, you’ll probably struggle to get anything similar:

• Android 2.1
• 2.8-inch TFT resistive touchscreen
• 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash
• 600MHz processor
• Support for 3G and wi-fi
• GPS and assisted-GPS with free turn-by-turn navigation
• 2GB memory card

The full specifications are available on the T-Mobile website. RegHardware and CNet both have reviews of the Pulse Mini.

How much does internet cost after the first 6 months?

The “free internet” bundled with the Pulse Mini lasts for 6 months. After 6 months, you’ll have to buy T-Mobile’s “Internet Booster”. This costs £20 if you pay for 6 months in one go (averaging out at £3.33/month) or £5/month if you prefer to pay for internet on a monthly basis. At £3.33/month, the 6 month Internet Booster is by far the cheapest Pay As You Go internet package available in the UK.

The internet booster comes with a fair usage allowance of 500MB each month. We’ve got an in-depth review of the T-Mobile Internet Booster.

How do I get the 100 free minutes every month?

T-Mobile’s Pay As You Go package provides 100 free any-network any-time calls each month when you top up by £10. If you do not top up by £10 or more in a given month, you will not receive your free allowance of 100 minutes. You can top-up again at any time to receive a new allowance of 100 minutes.

We’ve got an in-depth review of T-Mobile’s “100 free minutes” offer.

What’s the fair usage limit on the free internet?

The internet booster comes with a fair usage allowance of 500MB each month. 500MB corresponds to browsing roughly 5,000 basic webpages or 500,000 basic e-mails (without attachments). Generally, in our experience, 500MB should be enough providing you don’t use your phone to stream music/video. We’ve prepared a detailed guide on the meaning of 500MB internet.

Why should this deal be of interest to existing T-Mobile Pay Monthly customers?

One of my top tips for smartphone owners is to leave their expensive phones at home when they go to crowded places such as music festivals, concerts and nightclubs. It doesn’t make sense to carry round an expensive smartphone: it’ll cost hundreds of pounds to replace it if you lose it or it gets damaged. Instead, it’s better to carry round a “second phone” which is cheaper and which doesn’t cost so much to replace.

For T-Mobile customers, the “Pulse Mini” is a great second phone to own. Because it’s Android-based, you could set it up to automatically synchronise all your contacts with your main Android phone (simply store all of your contacts on “Google” rather than “Phone” and it’ll keep them up-to-date on both phones). Your Gmail and calendar will also be synchronised between both your phones.

I’m switching to T-Mobile. Can I keep my existing number?

Yes. Ask your existing network for a PAC Code. This code allows you to move your mobile phone number between networks. Once your new T-Mobile Pulse Mini has arrived, provide your PAC code to T-Mobile. They’ll handle the porting of the number; it should take up to two working days. Our PAC Code Finder tool can take you through the process step-by-step.

Where can I get this deal?

The T-Mobile Pulse Mini is available from the T-Mobile website in both black and pink editions.

Related posts:

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2. T-Mobile release Pay As You Go Android ‘Pulse’ phone
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T-Mobile are today revamping their Pay As You Go proposition with the launch of a Pay As You Go tariff offering 100 free minutes every month subject to a £10 top-up. T-Mobile customers will be able to use their free minutes to call friends on any network (or BT landlines) and will keep the entire amount they topped-up by.

What happens if I don’t top up in a given month?

If you do not top up by £10 or more in a given month, you will not receive your free allowance of 100 minutes. You can top-up again at any time to receive a new allowance of 100 minutes.

How much do T-Mobile normally charge for calls, texts and internet access?

T-Mobile charge 20p/minute for calls within the UK (to both landlines and mobile phones), 12p per text and £1 per day for internet access. If you send a lot of text messages or have a smartphone, it’s worth looking into one of T-Mobile’s Pay As You Go Boosters. A £5/month booster will buy you either “unlimited texts” or “500MB internet” (it is possible to choose both). Even better, you could pay for 6 months internet upfront at the discounted rate of £3.33/month. This makes T-Mobile the cheapest Pay As You Go internet tariff in the UK.

How does this compare to alternative deals?

T-Mobile’s deal is the only UK Pay As You Go tariff offering free any-time any-network UK calls. The only other Pay As You Go deal which offers free UK calls is Orange’s Canary tariff. For a £10 top-up, you’ll get 100 minutes and 100 texts but it comes with the restriction that the free minutes & texts can only be used in the evenings and weekends.

If you text a lot or you have a smartphone, it might be worth looking into tariffs which offer free texts and internet instead. O2 Text and Web, Orange Dolphin and Vodafone Freebees all offer an allowance of 300 texts and 500MB internet (only 100MB internet for Orange Dolphin) with a £10 top-up.

It’s also worth distinguishing between this tariff and “add-on” tariffs such as O2′s Simplicity PAYG, Giffgaff’s Goodybags and Three’s All in One tariff. On these tariffs, you’ll have to spend your credit to buy bundles of minutes, texts and internet. On the T-Mobile tariff, the 100 minutes are free and you’ll keep all of your credit. On some of the other tariffs, you’ll use up £10 of your credit to buy 100 minutes, unlimited texts and some internet. Note that the fact you can keep your credit on T-Mobile doesn’t automatically make it a better value deal – these “add-on” tariffs could include more minutes as well as texts and internet. Our Pay As You Go comparison tool will help you find the best value tariff for you.

Can I use my 100 free minutes on the Orange network?

photo: K.Hurley

Yes. You’ll need to register to roam on the Orange network. Minutes made through the T-Mobile and Orange networks will be charged in the exact same way and you will be able to use your allowance regardless of the network you are connected to.

Where can I get a T-Mobile Pay As You Go SIM card?

T-Mobile are offering free Pay As You Go SIM cards through their website. You can use this within your existing mobile phone providing it is unlocked (or it was sold as a T-Mobile phone).

What phones are available on T-Mobile Pay As You Go?

If you’re looking for a new mobile phone, it is possible to buy a new phone directly from T-Mobile with the “100 free minutes” offer tariff. Of particular note are the Blackberry Curve 8520 and the Android-powered HTC Wildfire – both cost £150. For lower-end options, a huge range of phones are available from £10.

Can I keep my existing phone number if I switch to T-Mobile?

Yes. Ask your existing network for a PAC Code. This allows you to move your mobile phone number between networks. Once you’ve received your new T-Mobile SIM card, provide the PAC code to T-Mobile. They’ll handle the porting of the number; it should take up to two working days. Our PAC Code Finder tool can take you through the process step-by-step.

Can existing T-Mobile customers get this deal?

Yes but you’ll need to opt in to receive the 100 free minutes by calling 146 from your T-Mobile phone. If you’re currently opted in to a different reward (e.g. the unlimited texts reward which was available before), the “100 free minutes” reward will replace your existing reward.

I’m new to T-Mobile. Where can I get this deal?

You can register to receive a free T-Mobile Pay As You Go SIM card through the T-Mobile website.

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T-Mobile has announced that as of the 1st February, they will standardise the fair usage policy on their “unlimited internet” tariffs to 500MB/month. For most Pay Monthly customers, this is a 50% reduction in the fair usage limit from 1GB to 500MB. For Pay Monthly customers with Android phones, the fair usage limit is being cut from 3GB/month to 500MB – a colossal cut of 83%. Whilst there are no charges for exceeding the new fair usage limits, users can expect to have their service “restricted”. T-Mobile Pay As You Go customers aren’t affected by the changes (T-Mobile PAYG customers already have a fair usage of 500MB/month).

Shouldn’t “unlimited” mean unlimited?

Unfortunately, when the mobile networks say “unlimited” they rarely mean that – there will typically be a fair usage limit hidden somewhere. For “unlimited internet” tariffs, the fair usage limit is usually in the region of 500MB-1GB. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) don’t seem to mind either this bizarre definition of “unlimited” either.

How does T-Mobile’s new fair usage limit compare to the rest of the industry?

T-Mobile previously led the networks by offering the highest fair usage limit with no excess usage charges. With the launch of all-you-can-eat data on Three’s The One Plan and 1GB on all of the rest of their Pay Monthly tariffs, Three now take pole position. Three are also unique in that they allow customers to use Skype and instant messaging applications such as Windows Live Messenger on their network. Customers of The One Plan can also tether their phones for no extra charge.

T-Mobile’s new 500MB fair usage limit places them somewhere in the middle of the industry. They’ve retained the key benefit that customers aren’t charged for exceeding their data usage limit so still appear higher up than most other networks.

Note that 1GB is roughly equivalent to 1000MB. In other words, you can do twice as much with a 1GB download limit as with a 500MB download limit.

What happens if I go over the 500MB fair usage policy?

T-Mobile explicitly say on their website and in their fair usage policy that you won’t be charged for exceeding your fair usage limit. However they “may restrict how you can use your [internet] booster, depending on how often you go over your [fair usage] amount and by how much”. What restrictions will be in place and how strictly T-Mobile plan to enforce the new limit is yet to be seen.

What does 500MB actually mean?

500MB approximately corresponds to 1500 rich web pages, 500000 basic e-mails, 100 songs or 1 hour of online video. See our guide to download allowances and what they actually mean.

Which T-Mobile tariffs are affected?

All Pay Monthly customers on T-Mobile will have their fair usage limit cut to 500MB. This includes both new and existing customers.

Why are T-Mobile introducing the new 500MB limit?

T-Mobile say that they are bringing in the new lower limit to discourage users from watching videos and downloading files over their 3G network. The T-Mobile website reads: “If you want to download, stream and watch video clips, save that stuff for your home broadband.”

I’m a T-Mobile customer. How do I find out how much data I use?

Unfortunately T-Mobile doesn’t make it easy to find out how much data you typically use. The following instructions will allow you to estimate your monthly data usage but but you’ll need to crack open Microsoft Excel to make it happen.

• Log in to the My T-Mobile service and click on the “See what you’ve used since your last bill” button on the right-hand side of the page.
• Select the “Mobile data usage” tab and click on the “Download this information” button at the bottom of the page .
• This will download the data into an Excel spreadsheet. Open this spreadsheet file.
• In any blank cell, enter the formula =SUM(C:C)/IF(DAY(NOW())<15, 30-15+DAY(NOW()), DAY(NOW())-15)*30/1000 (where we have assumed your billing date is the 15th of the month).
• Change each occurrence of 15 in the above formula to your billing day. For example, if you are billed on the 20th of the month, change the 15s to 20.
  
• The result of the formula is an estimate of the number of megabytes MB you’re currently using each month. If this number is larger than 500, you will be exceeding T-Mobile’s new fair usage limit.

Note that this formula works by looking at the amount of data you’ve used since your last billing date and makes an estimate for how much you’ll use in a 30-day month. If your billing date was in the last 1-2 days, the estimate is likely to be inaccurate as it will be extrapolating from just a days worth of data.

Does data downloaded through the Orange network count towards the same download limit?

Yes. If you’ve registered for Orange/T-Mobile roaming, you’ll be able to download data through the Orange 2G network. These downloads are subject to the same fair usage policy of 500MB. Data downloaded through both networks will count towards the same 500MB limit.

I’m a T-Mobile customer. Can I cancel my contract due to the change in the fair usage limit?

If you’re currently in the initial term of a Pay Monthly contract on T-Mobile (e.g. the first 18/24 months), you’ll have to stay until the end of that period before leaving (or pay off the rest of your contract to leave early). If you’ve come to the end of the initial term, you can leave T-Mobile at any time without penalty. 1-month rolling SIM-only customers can leave with 30 days notice.

Our guide to SIM-only smartphone tariffs lists download limits and can help you to find an alternative tariff. If you’re looking for a large download allowance, The One Plan with “all-you-can-eat” data starts from £25/month with 2000 minutes, 5000 Three-to-Three minutes, 5000 texts and free tethering. Alternatively, Three have a range of SIM-only tariffs available from £10/month with 1GB internet.

In order to keep your existing phone number when switching networks, you’ll need to ask T-Mobile for a PAC Code. This will allow you to take your number with you. Our PAC Code Finder tool will take you through the entire process step-by-step.

Related posts:

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2. Commentary: How fair are “unlimited” internet fair usage limits?
3. Vodafone introducing charges for exceeding 500MB internet fair usage