Best Mobile Provider and Plan

[User]

I will be arriving in September from the other side of the pond and only have minimal knowledge of the different phone/mobile companies. I'm not sure who has the best service or whether to get a tarrif or top-up plan -- any help is appreciated. Cheers.

[box_of_delights]

It very much depends on how much you'll use your phone. If you're going to use it for just sending a few SMSs each day/week and maybe the odd short phone call there's no justification for setting up a contract with any of the companies. You'd be better off going "Pay As You Go", which all the mobile operators offer in one form or another, with basic mobile handsets starting at around £20.

If you decide you'll be using your phone quite a bit, especially with regard to making numerous phone calls, then you'd be better off going for a contract. Again, all the operators offer various tarrifs, but bargain hard with them because they are open to haggling if you say you've been offered a fictitious better offer from another provider. The contract route also means you'll more than likely get a high spec phone with camera/video/WAP/3G etc for free.

Tarrifs vary from provider to provider, but do haggle like I mentioned earlier. I'm with "Orange" and get 500 minutes any time of day to any mobile or landline, plus 500 free texts and a top-spec phone for £25 a month. But I have been with Orange for a few years so getting cheaper deals is easier. Also, some cheap deals end up being 18 month contracts, as opposed to 12, so bear that in mind when calculating the cost.

In short, if you're a regular/heavy user of a cell phone and want a model with all the extras you'd be silly not to get a contract.

Here's a rundown of the providers:

Orange: Good-to-excellent signal coverage in St Andrews and decent deals. They also have some special SMS offers for PAYG customers.

o2: On a par with Orange for popularity among St Andrews students. (used to be called BT Cellnet). Pretty well equals Orange for signal strength and deals available.

Vodafone: Currently made huge financial losses over here, so maybe wise to avoid them in case they go bust soon! I think signal and deals on offer are good though.

T-Mobile: Bad signal in New Hall and Melville I know for sure, but otherwise not sure how they stack up. Quite good deals and offers, but largely because they're a new-ish company and probably trying to boost customer base.

Virgin Mobile: Good signal I think... but I think one of my friends is with them and said the deals for PAYG customers are nothing special.

3: New company, apparently shares some of T-Mobile's antennae. I was told by an inependent phone shop that the signal was poor in the St Andrews/Dundee area though. Good deals and plans on offer, but could be risky.

[hr]

http://standrews.facebook.com/profile.php?id=37101440

[kitty]

Hey there, from personal experience, I like my O2 pay as you go. I only spend 10 pounds per month, but I do loads of texting and a decent amount of short phone calls. I have a siemens refurbished phone which only cost 15 or 20 pounds, but my mom brought it up for me from london. They don't have many inexpensive phones in st andrews.

[orudge]

Quoting box_of_delights from 19:04, 10th Jun 2006
T-Mobile: Bad signal in New Hall and Melville I know for sure, but otherwise not sure how they stack up. Quite good deals and offers, but largely because they're a new-ish company and probably trying to boost customer base.

T-Mobile has been around for a good few years, it was known as one2one originally though. The signal in St Andrews is fairly decent in my experience, I've not had any major problems myself.

Virgin Mobile: Good signal I think... but I think one of my friends is with them and said the deals for PAYG customers are nothing special.

FYI, Virgin Mobile piggyback on the T-Mobile network for its signal.

I was told by an inependent phone shop that the signal was poor in the St Andrews/Dundee area though. Good deals and plans on offer, but could be risky.

I think Paul Carey said that there was a mast on the roof of the cinema for 3, for St Andrews coverage, so it may not be so bad.

[hr]

http://www.owenrudge.net/
http://standrews.facebook.com/profile.php?id=37103734

[The Yettoner]

I'm on easymobile and have never had a coverage problem in St. Andrews, plus it's dirt cheap. Pay as you go and quite often you get times when calls are free (for example, at the moment for 90 minutes after each England game).

[hr]

"Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see." - Hebrews 11:1

[Mehmsy]

Hey man, don't knock Tesco Mobile. Cheap and unreliable at best, but it works!

[hr]

http://standrews.facebook.com/profile.php?id=37106593

[Guest]

So just to clarify, does T-Mobile work around Meville?? Theres 2 different answers! Thats where i am next year and they have the best tariffs for what im looking for. Please help me!

[nalgene]

Mobile World is the best!

7p per text
5p per minute to the States

Most JYAs and JSAs from last term used this service as did many of the American freshers.

[Malcolm]

Don't go for Vodafone even if they were the last network on Earth. My friend was charged £400 to cancel his contract after he couldn't get any decent Vodafone reception anywhere in Fife/Dundee. Apparently their coverage is pretty poor in general.

I've got O2 Pay As You Go... it hasn't failed me in 5+ years. The call charges seem a little expensive, but then again I don't have experience of the other networks. I lived in New Hall last year, and got perfect signal on the whole North Haugh, actually my signal in town was also pretty good, come to think of it.

I've also heard that Orange are very good, well worth considering.

[hr]

" ... No-one knows what it's like, to be the bad man, to be the sad man, Behind Blue Eyes ... "

[Guest]

Contracts are 12 or 18 months. So if you are going home over summer give these a miss. For pay as you go-to be honest they are all the same give or take.

[A]

Firstly if your not a UK citizen then getting a contract will be near enough impossible. Although saying that 3 will probably take you on as they deal mostly with sub prime customers.

Secondly Vodafone's losses mean abolsutely nothing. Them going into liquidation is about as likely as the sky falling down, their creditors simply couldnt let it happen. Incidently they have the best UK coverage of all the UK networks however theres not much in it any more. Vodafone do 30day sim only contracts (you dont get a phone) but you do get 1000 messages (data, mms, sms come out of the your text bundle) & 700 minutes a month.

Thirdly 3 piggyback on o2's network not T-mobile, but as of 2005 they have a fully functional cell site of their own on north street. There contracts are the best value but their tech support/customer service couldnt arrange a piss up in a brewery. But as i said they'll pretty much take on anyone and any where you get o2 reception you will get 3 coverage.

Unfortunately I think you'll be lucky as a foreigner to get on a contract but you can but try!

Hope this is useful.

[mishy]

this is what i bought: http://www.telestial.com/view_product.p ... LPRM-GB01&. i bought the uk sim card, and then a quad-band phone so i can use it back in the states when im done uni. and ALL incoming calls are free, so make everyone call you also, if you buy from this website, i can give you a coupon code for 15% off.

[Kristin]

Quoting mishy from 20:47, 27th Aug 2006
ALL incoming calls are free

Incoming calls are always free, unless you're using a sim-card from another country. You have to pay for incoming calls in the US?

[hr]

Rochester. Royalist rakehell and rebellious romantic restoration poet. An easy earl and a cavalier chum of Charlie's (II). Wine and women, mirth and laughter - sermons and soda water? The day after? Not for the narcissistic nobleman!

[mty]

Quoting mishy from 20:47, 27th Aug 2006
this is what i bought: http://www.telestial.com/view_product.p ... LPRM-GB01&. i bought the uk sim card, and then a quad-band phone so i can use it back in the states when im done uni. and ALL incoming calls are free, so make everyone call you also, if you buy from this website, i can give you a coupon code for 15% off.

I would love to get that 15% off. my email is missatyler01@yahoo.com

[mishy]

Quoting Kristin from 14:17, 28th Aug 2006
Incoming calls are always free, unless you're using a sim-card from another country. You have to pay for incoming calls in the US?

[hr]

most people in the US don't use pay as you go. so, we are used to paying for the minutes we use the phone out-of-network, no matter if we placed the call or not. sim cards arent really used here, and pay as you go is only offered by a few mobile companies.

[Jaspar]

Quoting Kristin from 14:17, 28th Aug 2006

Quoting mishy from 20:47, 27th Aug 2006
ALL incoming calls are free

Incoming calls are always free, unless you're using a sim-card from another country. You have to pay for incoming calls in the US?

Yeah you do, and it sucks. My brother told me today about "one-ringing" someone, where you have very few credit left for the month, and you call a friend just for one ring, so they can call you back on their minutes.

[richierich]

Quoting A from 20:01, 27th Aug 2006
Although saying that 3 will probably take you on as they deal mostly with sub prime customers.


Thirdly 3 piggyback on o2's network not T-mobile, but as of 2005 they have a fully functional cell site of their own on north street. There contracts are the best value but their tech support/customer service couldnt arrange a piss up in a brewery. But as i said they'll pretty much take on anyone and any where you get o2 reception you will get 3 coverage.

Hi Im from London and just recently got a 12 mth contract with 3; just wanted to know what you mean that 3 will take on any ('sub-prime') customers compared with the other service providers?

Rgds
Rich[img]littleicons/question.gif[/img]

[Guest]

Can anyone tell me what phone service will definitely work in Lumsden Hall? Thanks

[novium]

that's weird. I assume that's for pay as you go (in the states)? I've never used pay as you go in the states, the plans are such a good deal, so it sounds weird to me...

Quoting Jaspar from 05:50, 29th Aug 2006

Quoting Kristin from 14:17, 28th Aug 2006

Quoting mishy from 20:47, 27th Aug 2006
ALL incoming calls are free

Incoming calls are always free, unless you're using a sim-card from another country. You have to pay for incoming calls in the US?

Yeah you do, and it sucks. My brother told me today about "one-ringing" someone, where you have very few credit left for the month, and you call a friend just for one ring, so they can call you back on their minutes.

[hr]

tamen ira procul absit, cum qua nihil recte fieri, nihil considerate potest.

[box_of_delights]

Quoting from 06:41, 25th Aug 2006
So just to clarify, does T-Mobile work around Meville?? Theres 2 different answers! Thats where i am next year and they have the best tariffs for what im looking for. Please help me!

T-Mobile does not work around the Melville/New Hall area. A friend of mine lived in New Hall in first year and couldn't get a bar of signal without sticking his arm out of the window. Likwise, the signal he got at Melville was non-existent.

[hr]

http://standrews.facebook.com/profile.php?id=37101440