Prepay seems to be better value than Billpay?

Owen

Finishing up my 18 month contract with o2 this month on my iPhone 4. I was looking into the various network operator's 30 day Sim only contracts, and initially them seemed good value. I'm mostly a texter/emailer, but I make a few calls too.

Meteor :
200 Minutes, 200 Texts, 1 Gig of Data - €15.25 a month

Three :
350 Flexi Units (Either 700 texts, or 350 minutes, or a combination of both), 15 Gigs of Data - €30.50 a month

o2 :
150 Minutes, 150 Texts and 150 Megs of Data (!) - €20.33 a month

Vodafone :
100 Minutes, 100 Texts and no Data (Worse again!) - € 20.33 a month

Tesco Mobile :
200 Minutes, 200 Texts, 100 Megs of Data - €16.00 a month


Then I looked at Three's prepay offer. A 20 Euro top up gets you unlimited texts, unlimited data (Well, 15 gigs), and free weekend calls. That seems like much better value than any of the bill play plans, or am I missing something? I've never been on prepay before, I've always gone with a monthly bill - but I'm seriously considering this.

Davy

It's a great plan once you don't make a lot of calls during th week to other networks. It is finishing in April though iirc, but hopefully will be extended

ResearchWill

Owen wrote: »

Finishing up my 18 month contract with o2 this month on my iPhone 4. I was looking into the various network operator's 30 day Sim only contracts, and initially them seemed good value. I'm mostly a texter/emailer, but I make a few calls too.

Meteor :
200 Minutes, 200 Texts, 1 Gig of Data - €15.25 a month

Three :
350 Flexi Units (Either 700 texts, or 350 minutes, or a combination of both), 15 Gigs of Data - €30.50 a month

o2 :
150 Minutes, 150 Texts and 150 Megs of Data (!) - €20.33 a month

Vodafone :
100 Minutes, 100 Texts and no Data (Worse again!) - € 20.33 a month

Tesco Mobile :
200 Minutes, 200 Texts, 100 Megs of Data - €16.00 a month


Then I looked at Three's prepay offer. A 20 Euro top up gets you unlimited texts, unlimited data (Well, 15 gigs), and free weekend calls. That seems like much better value than any of the bill play plans, or am I missing something? I've never been on prepay before, I've always gone with a monthly bill - but I'm seriously considering this.

EMobile have 2 good prepay plans, the only difference is your topup is used to pay for the plan,

€20 = 250 mins 250 texts 250 mb
€30 = 350 mins 350 texts 1gb

Both include all landline calls.

JTMan

For many usage types people are better off on prepay than bill pay.

ResearchWill wrote: »

EMobile have 2 good prepay plans, the only difference is your topup is used to pay for the plan,

€20 = 250 mins 250 texts 250 mb
€30 = 350 mins 350 texts 1gb

Both include all landline calls.

Although, your 20 EUR top up is used to pay for the package, you also get 20 EUR free credit each month for 12 months provided you have a scheduled monthly top up.

Great offer if you are not a heavy data user, willing to switch after 12 months and if the 3 offer is not for you.

BESman

This is why all the networks are pushing bill pay and offering free or significantly discounted handsets / smartphones - they earn way more on them than prepay. Three's prepay offer that OP refers to is the best I've seen on the market and is worth paying the full price for the handset if you plan to keep it for a year or two. Pity its a limited offer, what happens in April, do you get tied into a different plan?

BostonB

Check that prepay or 30 day count for upgrades, discounted handsets. They usually don't.

So the advantage of a bill pay if you pay an extra 20 a month for 2yrs for a phone that worth 300 or 400 your better off on the bill. Usually the data package is better value too.

That said I switched on O2 to a 30 day and its been much better value. Only problem now is I need a new phone, so either I go for something basic with no data on prepay. If I want a decent phone I'd be better on bill pay. But O2 is dire for billpay and a poor range of phones.

So I'm actually thinking of keeping an small basic phone for O2 calls, (everyone I know is on O2 and I get free O2 to O2) and get a smartphone on another network for data applications. Seems mad but its cheaper then getting a decent smartphone on O2.,

JTMan

BESman wrote: »

This is why all the networks are pushing bill pay and offering free or significantly discounted handsets / smartphones - they earn way more on them than prepay. Three's prepay offer that OP refers to is the best I've seen on the market and is worth paying the full price for the handset if you plan to keep it for a year or two. Pity its a limited offer, what happens in April, do you get tied into a different plan?

It is very likely to be extended in April. It has been extended before.

BESman

Three don't accept One4All vouchers for some bizarre reason. So will have to buy the handset in Carphone Warehouse.

Tonto86

Word of advice. Stay as far away from three as you can.

Terrible service and non existent customer care after you sign up

GarIT

Owen wrote: »

Then I looked at Three's prepay offer. A 20 Euro top up gets you unlimited texts, unlimited data (Well, 15 gigs), and free weekend calls. That seems like much better value than any of the bill play plans, or am I missing something? I've never been on prepay before, I've always gone with a monthly bill - but I'm seriously considering this.

You got that completely backwards. With three you get 3,000 texts, 3,000 Three to Three minutes, 3,000 weekend minutes or texts, and truly unlimited data with no fair usage policy at all.

GarIT

Tonto86 wrote: »

Word of advice. Stay as far away from three as you can.

Terrible service and non existent customer care after you sign up

I've found them brilliant, only ever go through boards though.

Owen

Thanks Gary - but to be fair, 3000 of anything is more or less unlimited unless you're writing a novel, and submitting it to the publisher via SMS

GarIT

I've ran out of the free texts twice. Its good though that if you top up by another 20 its qued and added when your current stuff runs out.

angel01

I choose to go billpay, mainly so I can avail of the handset, plus topping up and all that nonsense does my head in!

I am not a texter and if I do need to text, I just use the webtexts (probably only send around 10 or 15 texts a month), I am a big caller and data user. I also normally do all of my calls during the day.

Billpay works for me.

JTMan

GarIT wrote: »

I've ran out of the free texts twice. Its good though that if you top up by another 20 its qued and added when your current stuff runs out.

You sent more than 3,000 text messages in one month? Good god Did you do anything except send text messages for the month !!??

In my book, 3,000 text messages is unlimited.

-Corkie-

I am with 3 on billpay and I pay 40 euros a month and everything is free except MMS. I find it fantastic..

Owen

I probably should have clarified though, I'm looking for Prepay to be a stop gap until the iPhone 5 comes out and then go looking for a contract then. And of course, it the iPhone 5 is pants, go with the Razr Maxx instead.

j4vier

I'm with tesco mobile prepay and find them excellent

a 10e top up a month gets me

1 gb of data (costs 7euro)
13 euro of credit ( 10 bonus + 3 actual credit)
200 extra national text + 50 international texts with the cabbage app

deaglan169

j4vier wrote: »

I'm with tesco mobile prepay and find them excellent

a 10e top up a month gets me

1 gb of data (costs 7euro)
13 euro of credit ( 10 bonus + 3 actual credit)
200 extra national text + 50 international texts with the cabbage app

if your 1gb of data runs out can you use your remaining €13 to purchase another 1gb of data

breathn

deaglan169 wrote: »

if your 1gb of data runs out can you use your remaining €13 to purchase another 1gb of data

No, bonus credit can't be used for buying addons

j4vier

there s an option to get an extra 350mb for 7days for 2.99 which is possible with the 3 euro left of credit

deaglan169

thats not bad value at all for €10, im between three and tesco at the minute but only prob with three is their coverage in enniskillen non existant and its were i work

Owen

Feck it, went with 3. Sim should be at home for me tomorrow when I gett in the door. Worst coming to the worst, I'll just move to another network when the time comes.