Recommendations for mobile plan

coragalvin14

Hey, I am just wondering does anyone have any recommendations for setting up my phone with a new network when I go abroad to Ireland ? Also what plan would be best suited (prepay or bill pay) as I will only be abroad for around a year. Thanks in advance!!!

babelfish1990

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058236394/recommendations-for-mobile-plan

Prepay really no longer makes any sense in Ireland. You are better going for for a SIM-only (SIMO) bill-pay deal. If you are in a position to bundle with Fibre Broadband/TV, the best deal is probably Eir who offer a Mobile 5G SIM-only unlimited plan for €9.99per month when added to a bundle. (€14.99per month standalone if you aren't in position to bundle). https://www.eir.ie/mobile/simonly/

If you are concerned about the risk of running up out-of-bundle charges on bill-pay, you should consider GoMo (also €14.99 but without 5G), as they cap out-of-bundle charges at €30 if you go over accidentally.

Since you appear to be coming from abroad to Ireland, you may need to consider the roaming costs on your Irish mobile if you are visiting back home or travelling during the year. WiFi Calling eliminates roaming charges when you have access to WiFi, but Eir & GoMo are the only Irish operators that support this. (You will also need to check if your handset supports WiFi calling on the Eir network). Vodafone also have a budget brand ClearMobile at €14.99per month, but no Wifi Calling. Some of the other consumer brands are best avoided, as they have issues with roaming.

coragalvin14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118751920#Comment_118751920

Thank you for getting back to me!! I'm just curious as to why Prepay no longer makes any sense in Ireland?

babelfish1990

There was a time when bill-pay was expensive, and pre-pay made sense for budget users. However, this is no longer the case.

The bill-pay Sim-only plans are now cheaper than the pre-pay plans, and more fully featured.

Since contract commitment is only 30 days, you are no more committed on bill-pay than buy buying a pre-pay top-up once a month. The regular pre-pay plans are generally €20 for 28 days vs €15 typical per month for Bill-Pay Sim-only (Eir is even lower at €9.99 - if you can bundle). The only reasons I can see for Pre-pay are (1) If you are worried about excessive out-of-bundle spend, and GoMo(Sim-only) has a capping solution for this, or (2) Niche IOT applications with little or no usage - eg Gate SIM.

zkaro

Is there some provider who offer plan without direct debit? E.g. just send bill every month and pay it with bank transfer or debit card.

zkaro

And followup question: How do I get number for my kids. Every site said that that minimum 18 years are required for registration and ordering.

MarkR

I've got 48, and I pay it monthly by revolut. More of a standing order than a direct debit, but easily setup. You can order a sim yourself, you'd have the contact email address (you can always set up a new one) to get them set up.

BowWow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118817401#Comment_118817401

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118817441#Comment_118817441

GOMO take their monthly amount from my debit card.

They also have a facility for having your children's sims billed to you.

dannijuno

Id stick with prepay, bill pay or SIM only is just hassle. Especially if you go abroad and you go over your EU roaming, you will be charged a lot of money. You dont have that risk with prepay.

I would recommend the following two plans

1. Eir 20E per month - https://www.eir.ie/mobile/prepay/
2. Three 20E per month - https://www.three.ie/shop/plans/prepay-phone-plans.html?selectedCategoryId=8440619_94029933&parentCategory=8450359_94029923