Ken's Tech Tips

428227 Responseshttp%3A%2F%2Fcow.neondragon.net%2Findex.php%2Fthe-uks-6-best-value-smartphone-sim-only-tariffs-with-internet-accessThe+UK%E2%80%99s+Best+Value+Smartphone+SIM-only+Tariffs+with+Internet+Access2011-12-27+00%3A00%3A41Kenhttp%3A%2F%2Fcow.neondragon.net%2F%3Fp%3D4282 to “The UK’s Best Value Smartphone SIM-only Tariffs with Internet Access”

1. # danon 20 Jan 2010 at 7:01 pm

   well done and very interesting. however, there is one thing that I do not understand: Lets take the three contract for instance. There is unlimited internet – so, what does costs outside allowance for internet mean? thanks for clarifying!!! cheers, dan

2. # Kenon 20 Jan 2010 at 10:25 pm

   Thanks Dan For an unlimited tariff, the data costs outside of your allowance doesn’t really have much meaning (unless you exceed the fair usage allowance). Hope this helps, Ken

3. # Matton 23 Jan 2010 at 12:51 pm

   Hey man, very good article. I’m thinking of changing now my 18 month O2 contract has run out but I’m worried about internet speed and GPS. I have an iphone 3G and was wondering if the GPS would still work on another network. I also heard that the internet on 3 might not be very good. What do you think?

4. # Kenon 23 Jan 2010 at 9:52 pm

   Hi Matt,

   Make sure you unlock your iPhone (http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/how-to-unlock-your-iphone-from-o2-and-orange) first before trying a 3 SIM card. Firstly, you can use the coverage checker on their website. With the SIM only deal, you can cancel after one month if speeds are slopw. Alternatively, you could test the internet speed on 3 in your area using a 3Pay (3 Pay As You Go) SIM card (http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/threes-pay-as-you-go-offers-free-texts-150mb-internet-skype-windows-live).

5. # Aaronon 01 Feb 2010 at 12:02 am

   I’m currently on the 3 network now- And I am extremely pleased with them. I get a signal virually everywhere, and 3 is the only network operator to provide 3g internet speeds where i go to school, and I live in rural dorset!!

   I’m actually planning on buying the Nexus one within the next few months, and am interested by rumors that 3 is trying to offer it from the google website. However, i digress. What I came here to ask was, with the 3 pay monthly-sim only, what exactly do they define as ‘unlimited’ ?
   Because I am aware 3 defines unlimited as 150mb on a PAYG sim card. I hope this won’t be the case for my data-hungry nexus?

6. # Kenon 01 Feb 2010 at 12:39 pm

   Hi Aaron,

   According to the Three T&C:
   http://www.three.co.uk/Help_Support/Terms_and_Conditions?content_aid=1214305746279

   The fair usage limit for Three is 1GB/mo. I’ve updated the article for clarification.

   Cheers

   Ken

7. # Ray cannonon 19 Feb 2010 at 5:30 am

   I have an unlocked HTC TyTNII with a t-mobile sim card on PAYG (mates rate).
   Walk-n-Web is capped at £1 a day, BUT you can buy 5 days in advance for £2.50
   (EG 6am on Monday till midnight on Saturday just £2.50, so you can effectively get
   unlimited for less than £15/month.)

   It was working fine until I upgraded TyTNN from Windows Mobile 6.0 to 6.5.
   Since then, although GRPS/3G are working, I can no longer connect to TomTom’s traffic downloads.

8. # Andy Burnson 03 Mar 2010 at 9:31 am

   O2 simplicity for smartphones, on a 12 month or 1 month contract, e.g. £15/month for 300 minutes + unlimited text + unlimited data

   http://shop.o2.co.uk/tariffs/simplicity/smartphone/12_months

9. # andrewon 14 Mar 2010 at 8:05 am

   http://giffgaff.com/
   offering free data till may 25 2010 with a minimum £10 top up

10. # Rickon 11 May 2010 at 10:22 am

    Does anyone know if Vodafone’s SIM-only for iPhone will work in an HTC Desire? Their online chatters say the SIM is incompatible, but is that technically bull?

11. # Three offering Nokia E63 business smartphone from £10/month with internet | Ken's Tech Tipson 30 May 2010 at 4:33 pm

    [...] charge for the handset or impose extra charges for using the internet connection. Furthermore, even SIM-only tariffs for smartphones usually cost at least £15/month – meaning that this deal is at least competitive with [...]

12. # Adrianon 20 Sep 2010 at 11:51 am

    If one is considering the iPhone 4, a microSIM is required: so is there a good deal for a microSIM?

13. # jayon 01 Oct 2010 at 2:05 pm

    Tesco have £5 off sim only contracts until 6th or 10th October. £10 = 500 min, 500 txt, 500MB. all on a 30 day contract. In-store only afaik.

14. # Alexon 03 Oct 2010 at 11:44 am

    Great post, thank you. I persuaded Three to double my allowance from 1GB to 2GB on their £15/month SIM only deal. Giffgaff may be cheaper but three's coverage in rural Scotland is unsurpassed.

15. # samon 19 Nov 2010 at 9:04 pm

    hi can any one help i have an unlocked blackberry curve 8900 i live 6 months in the UK and 6 months in Spain i want to know what is the best option for me i dont want to be tied to a contract when im not in the uk.

16. # Sarah Pageon 28 Nov 2010 at 7:04 pm

    is it true that there are only certain tariffs you can use for smartphones?

17. # Kens Tech Tipson 29 Nov 2010 at 9:04 pm

    You can use any tariff on a smartphone but you are strongly recommended to use one with an inclusive internet allowance. Otherwise, you'll have huge data bills. All of the tariffs listed on this page come with an inclusive internet allowance.

    Ken

18. # @AshtonBRSCon 06 Dec 2010 at 10:37 am

    There's no such thing as unlimited if you get charged if you use too much. Costs outside allowance are very important.

19. # Hands0non 05 Mar 2011 at 1:23 pm

    You need to update the information on Three's The One Plan – their Internet is completely unlimited in the pure dictionary definition. There are no catches or clauses, no FUPs or anything else. If your intention is to download the entire Internet then Three will not charge you a penny more for doing so! There is no speed throttling. It is, plain and simple, unlimited. A recent "challenge" was run by another blogger who managed 46GB in two weeks and with zero £ charge for Internet usage on his bill – validation that Internet with them is really unlimited in the package.

20. # Kens Tech Tipson 06 Mar 2011 at 11:18 pm

    Hi Hands0n,

    Thanks for getting in touch Sorry for the oversight on this page… we had reviewed "all-you-can-eat data" back in January (see http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/three-offer-a…. The details on this page have been updated now.

    Cheers

    Ken

21. # Matanon 16 May 2011 at 11:20 pm

    Hi Ken,

    Are you planning to update this analysis for the latest position? And include details for the very attractive virtual networks (such as giffgaff, Vectone, Tesco Mobile, etc.)?

    Specifically very interested in getting something with unlimited (or 1GB) internet, a large amounts of minutes (say 500 ish), free land lines with a PAYG or 30-day rolling contract, but most attractive package seen to date is giffgaff's.

    I also heard rumours that Tesco used to do £10 p/m unlimited internet, 5000 texts and 500 minutes – is this true?

    Cheers,

    Matan

22. # Nickon 26 May 2011 at 9:29 am

    What are these rolling contracts. I am thinking of buying a Samsung Galaxy S2 unlocked from say Amazon or Play and want a PAYG SIM for reasonable Internet access. Three sounds interesting but what exactly do you buy? Do you buy a SIM that has to be topped up every month or do you pay for a year's worth. Honestly, I don't understand these 30 day rolling contracts

23. # Kens Tech Tipson 26 May 2011 at 11:21 pm

    Hi Nick,

    Essentially you get a "Pay Monthly" mobile contract but one which doesn't come with a phone. It'll be a 1-month rolling contact or a 12 month contract. Because there is no phone included with the tariff, these tariffs are about £15/month to £20/month cheaper.

    Ken

24. # Steveon 24 Jul 2011 at 7:32 am

    I'm in pretty much the same position. I'm moving to Giffgaff. They use the o2 network and for a £10 a month rolling contract they give 250 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited 3g web. A no brainer!

25. # annon 22 Oct 2011 at 11:58 pm

    i have just received a new htc wild fire i am currently on 02 simplicity 15 pounds monthly 02 02 unlimted 500 texts would like to add internet any sugestions

26. # Kens Tech Tipson 23 Oct 2011 at 12:22 am

    Hi Ann,

    I've prepared a guide over at http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/o2-pay-monthl… which reviews each of the internet packages (The Basics, The All Rounder & The Works).

    Hope this helps!

    Ken

27. # Bravoon 28 Dec 2011 at 1:53 am

    Tesco Mobile have some fantastic deals at the moment, if you visit the following link and select "30 Day SIM" http://phone-shop.tesco.com/tesco-mobile/special-…

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