61When you’ve identified the network
with the best coverage, look in the box
above to see which MVNOs use it. Note
that Virgin Mobile is expected to move
customers from Vodafone to O2, which it
merged with last year (see http://www.snipca.
com/41875).
Now check prices and offerings. There
are too many networks to cover in full
here, but we’ve uncovered a range of
deals from six of the best-known MVNOs,
showing in brackets the network they use.
BT Mobile (EE)
http://www.snipca.com/41880
4GB for £13 a month, on a 12-month
contract, is BT mobile’s most popular
option. However, for just £2 a month
more, you get twice the data. Sign up to a
24-month/40GB plan at £20 a month,
and the BT Sport app (worth £10 a
month) is included. Unlimited minutes
and texts across the board. BT also offers
a 10-per-cent discount on some EE
contracts for BT broadband customers.
For example, the 10GB 5G Essential plan
(24-month contract) costs £9 a month,
down from £10.
Giffgaff (O2)
http://www.snipca.com/41881
All plans include unlimited calls and
texts to standard UK numbers. Pay As You
Go (PAYG) plans start with 3GB of data for
£8 a month, but if you can afford £2 more,
this increases to 10GB. You’ll get a better
deal if you save a credit or debit card to
your account for automatic billing, in
which case you qualify for ‘golden
goodybags’. For example: 15GB of data for
£10 (which would only buy you 12GB
normally), and 30GB for £15 (25GB normally).
SIMs are free, but you’ll need to buy
‘goodybags’ that include unlimited calls
and texts, and a specified amount of data.
Smarty (Three)
http://www.snipca.com/41882
Unlimited texts and calls on all plans.
Deals start at £6 for 4GB of data,
significantly undercutting many rivals,
rising to just £12 for 100GB, and £20
for unlimited data, with no restrictions
or speed caps. Smarty has some of the
best data deals going, so if you primarily
use your phone for browsing – and
particularly for tethering within the UK- it’s worth considering.
Sky Mobile (O2)
http://www.snipca.com/41883
Plans stretch from 2GB (£6 a month) to
50GB (£25 a month), and you’re free to
switch between them every month. All
plans include unlimited calls and texts.
Any data you don’t use one month rolls
over for up to three years. If you’re a Sky
subscriber, you can stream Sky apps,
including Sky Sports and Sky News
without eating into your data allowance.Tesco Mobile (O2)
http://www.snipca.com/41884
PAYG starts at 2GB of data, with 500
minutes and 5,000 texts, for £7.50. £10
buys you 10GB, plus 5,000 minutes and
5,000 texts, while Clubcard members can
increase the data allowance to 25GB for
£12.50 (for non-Clubcard members, the
price for 25GB is £15). If
you’re happy to sign a
24-month contract, you
can have 30GB of data,
plus unlimited minutes
and texts for either £11
with a Clubcard, or
£12.50 without, and
unlimited data, texts and
minutes, for £17.50 with
Clubcard, or £25 without.Virgin Mobile
(Vodafone)
http://www.snipca.com/41885
All plans include unlimitedtexts and minutes. Virgin Mobile has a
3GB data deal for £9 a month over 12
months, but this isn’t nearly as tempting
as its 10GB deal for just £7 a month over
the same term. Pay-monthly plans
include free messaging on WhatsApp,
Twitter and Facebook so they don’t eat
into your data allowance.Get your new SIM
If you sign up online you’ll receive a
new SIM through the post (such as the
Smarty card pictured below), but you can
also pick up an MVNO SIM at many
supermarkets. Look for racks near the
till. If you aren’t keeping your old
number, follow any instructions for
topping up the account, then put the new
SIM in your phone. As long as your
phone isn’t locked to your old network, it
should connect to the MVNO right away.
If you are keeping your number, don’t
use the new SIM immediately. Instead,
send the PAC to your chosen MVNO.
Many allow you to do this online, or by
calling customer services – this triggers
the cancellation process with your old
provider, and a date for moving your
number to the MVNO will be agreed.
This could be the next working day, but
may be longer – particularly if there’s a
weekend coming up. You can carry on
using your old network in the
interim, as long as you keep the old
SIM in your phone.
On the day your switch is due
to complete, replace the old
network’s SIM with the
MVNO SIM, then place a test
call to your old number (using
a different phone, of course).
It should be routed through
the MVNO to your phone. If
it isn’t, wait a few hours
and try again.Which networks do
MVNOs use?EE: 1p Mobile, BT Mobile, Ecotalk,
Plusnet Mobile, Utility Warehouse
O2: Giffgaff, Lycamobile, Sky Mobile,
Tesco Mobile
Three: iD Mobile, Smarty, Superdrug
Mobile
Vodafone: Asda Mobile, Lebara Mobile,
Virgin Mobile, VOXIIssue 632 • 25 May – 7 June 2022Green areas are
good and yellow
bad in Ofcom’s
mobile coverage
checkerSign up online and your
MVNO will send you a
SIM card through the post