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Child Item

Best SIM only plan at the moment?

GalaxyRyder

Currently with Three, great plan, everything I need at 25 euro a month.

There are lower cost SIM only plans with other networks, but Clear Mobile doesn't have coverage for overseas calls (UK), which is a deal breaker.

Anything as comprehensive as the Three deal (unlimited everything plus UK/Europe calls) out there?

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KildareP

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124300072#Comment_124300072

Vodafone's network is not what it once was - Three regularly outperforms them both in coverage and speed on my travels.

When they switched off 3G you either got a horribly congested low bandwidth 4G signal or EDGE which is completely useless for data.

It did improve slightly up until last year when I left them but even today when I hear someone moaning about terrible speeds or desperately looking for WiFi access, chances are they're on Vodafone.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124300831#Comment_124300831

coverage is bad with eir for me, mainly 1 bar 5g, just did a speed test 820kbps down. i only keep it as a backup. other locations it works better.

Glaceon

My personal experience of Eir has always been disappointing. They have great Wi-Fi calling but the coverage is so bad that they need it! I find it drops back to 3G a lot and when it does, your data connection is useless. And even on 5G, single-digit megabit speeds aren't uncommon where I am. Granted, I can get a gigabit on a speed test near my office in Dublin, but that's not much use to me elsewhere.

That's not to say that someone else has a complete opposite experience, it completely depends on where you are and where you're using it.

wassie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124300072#Comment_124300072

Theres plenty of local factors that will affect coverage, such as;

Local geography (hills, trees, buildings etc)
The number of cell towers (masts) serving an area
Level of congestion on any given cell.

This summary table below was AI generated - I have no way of verifying its accuracy, other than to say its a "general, nation-wide" view.

Your actual experience will depend on the local factors I noted above. For example, Im located rurally and after testing all 3 networks, I am using Three on a prepaid plan at the moment for a 4G router for broadband temporarily, getting well over 150Mbs.

Feature	Vodafone	Three	eir
Urban Performance	High stability. Reliable speeds in cities, but rarely the "fastest" in testing.	Speed King. Highest 5G speeds in Dublin, Cork, and Limerick. Best for heavy urban data.	Connectivity Leader. Highest "Time on 5G" score; you stay on 5G longer while moving in cities.
Rural Performance	Geographic King. Often the only signal in "blackspots" like West Cork or Donegal.	Variable. Excellent if you have line-of-sight to a mast, but can drop to 3G/Edge in deep valleys.	Strong & Improving. Large rural mast footprint; often has 5G in surprisingly small villages.
Indoor Penetration	Excellent. Uses lower frequency bands (800MHz) that travel through thick stone walls well.	Moderate. Historically relied on higher frequencies; signal can struggle in older, thick-walled buildings.	Strong. Good balance of low-band frequencies for indoor reach and high-band for speed.
5G Availability	Good in major towns; slower rollout to smaller rural townlands.	Extensive in urban hubs. Focuses on "Ultra Fast" 5G in high-density areas.	Highest Availability. Currently leads in the percentage of time users spend on a 5G signal nationwide.
Congestion Risk	Low. High capacity relative to their user base; speeds stay stable during events.	High. Because they handle the most data traffic (and many MVNOs), speeds can dip at peak times.	Low. Massive recent backhaul upgrades have made their network very resilient to heavy loads.

yellowbear

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124300072#Comment_124300072

it just depends where you live. There's a three mast close to my house and their coverage is much better than Vodafone here. So I'm with 48.

SteelyDanJalapeno

How is clear bad if they piggyback off vodafone who have one of the best coverage maps in Ireland

wassie

Thats where the cooling off period should be useful i.e. to test the service.

But as you say, they work around this by having various one off charges at the start of the service, so your going to have the pay the equivalent of a full month regardless.

GalaxyRyder

The phone reception itself under Clear is poor in my location (it was full bars with Three), but when I use 5G I get about 10 Mbps.

4G I get about 50 Mbps.

And that's with low bars so I assume it can be better still.

wassie

If thats the Comreg coverage map your referring to, its an indicator, not an exact guide. It says I have poor coverage with Gomo, yet we are getting well over 100Mbs. It also doesnt show 5G cover for Clearmobile.

You wont get a refund clear as you are paying for a month in advance and have to give 30 days notice if cancelling. If switching you can port immediately (or next available time) but again, no refunds.

Re:cancelling in 14 day cooling period - you are correct. The Activation fee is non-refundable. You would be liable pro-rata for the first month, but since this is free, thats it.

GalaxyRyder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124288267#Comment_124288267

Thanks, I'll go with GoMo. I just checked the deep search on coverage map and Clear Mobile has horrible coverage, where the routine coverage checker said it was perfect.

Anyone know if I just have to wait out the month with Clear Mobile, or can I cancel and get refunded, then get an eSIM with GoMo so I can just port my number immediately?

14 day cooling off period for contract applies with Clear, but cause they give the first month free and charge an introduction fee instead, maybe that prevents them refunding if someone exits within that two week period?

NotShero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124288255#Comment_124288255

Just to note, there's no WiFi Calling or VoLTE on 48. No VoLTE will mean mobile data is unusable when on a call.

There's GoMo (eir) for €14.99pm. Unlimited 5G, loads of calls & texts. WiFi Calling & VoLTE support.

GalaxyRyder

I changed from Three to Tesco mobile and the first issue was, Tesco mobile blocks 5G on my phone (Google phones).

I changed to Clear mobile and the coverage is far weaker than it was on the Three masts (which Tesco runs off. Clear runs on Vodafone).

48 next, might be a good option, as they run of Three masts?

I love the 5G speeds + wifi calling, but they're low coverage isn't ideal.

Spn744

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124267835#Comment_124267835

I don’t think they ask for your age and if it’s adults only you could put in your own and transfer when they become 18.

Works for ports and new numbers!

lotsofthegreen

if anyone wants to switch to clear PM and I’ll refer you so we both get tenner voucher very happy with clear was on Vodafone prepay €20 a month , I can’t see any difference with clear a few months and no surprise bills

Lester_Burnham

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124270017#Comment_124270017

I'd say no.

MadDogGreener

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124270017#Comment_124270017

No download speed cap at all. I usually get 200-300 around Dublin. Sometimes higher

NotShero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124270017#Comment_124270017

No, there's no speed cap now

N64

Does clear mobile still have the speed downlod cap on it? Previously used it and download speeds were capped at 100 Mbps…

TheDriver

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124269363#Comment_124269363

You should see a big improvement as the APN is now in Ireland rather than routed through Holland or Malta along with 5G.

Lester_Burnham

Switched to Clear Mobile from An Post. Very straightforward. Signed up Tuesday evening, and SIM card arrived yesterday (tracked and signed for). Got on to chat and asked them to move up the switch (I'd selected March 1st initially). All done yesterday afternoon.

WiFi calling is enabled for those interested in that.

shovel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124266022#Comment_124266022

Can I about this? my incoming caller id stopped working last week and my moto g85 showed that it was connected to "vodafone wifi calling" instead of Clear mobile at the same time.

It's still not working after following Clear mobile support telling me turn off wifi calling and to clear cache and restart my phone to rectify this

I'm awaiting a technical support callback call

NotShero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124267835#Comment_124267835

Yes it will, the SIM comes with a new number. Clear Mobile also has a referral programme.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058356028/clear-mobile-10-gift-card

romperstomper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124265985#Comment_124265985

Does this work for teens? I need a new sim card with a brand new number. I'm not looking to switch

TheDriver

My Motorola won't support wifi calling on clear. Apparently unless a network has agreed something with Motorola, they hide the menu item.

There is a work around to get it to work but it causes other issues

Spn744

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124255388#Comment_124255388

Sign up to 48 using my link and we’ll get bonus credit plus a €10 voucher for Tesco, Aldi or Adidas when you join. That’s a real big yep. https://refer.48.ie/NF4Dvdn

With the above link you get €12.99 credit free and a €10 voucher. I also get a kick back of the same. (Mods remove if not allowed just replying as he asked for the best deal)

Berberis

I'm with gomo. WiFi was enabled on my redmi, but never worked.

When I changed phone to a pixel.

It worked with my gomo sim

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124264317#Comment_124264317

Old Redmi 9 but it is supposed to be compatible and I can see the option with an An Post SIM (I know they don't do WiFi calling but the option is still there).

mcw92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124253650#Comment_124253650

What phone do you have ?

I had an Honor, no WiFi calling on Vodafone, but then putting the same SIM into a Samsung and it has WiFi Calling.

wassie

Lyca mobile offers value also for prepaid which is good for controlling spending on their Long Term plans

feargantae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124255388#Comment_124255388

If your broadband is with eir you can get a sim with unlimited everything on it for €10 on a rolling 30 day offer. Virgin Media have a similiar offer but for €15. NotShero summarised your Sim only options perfectly above me, there's nothing to add!

Alternatively, you can go into eir/Vodafone/3 and pay €10 for a prepay sim and then top up it up €5 every couple of months to keep it active. You can also top it up by €20 as needed to active an offer. eir has a €20 Unlimited everything plan and Vodafone/3 have €20 plans with at least unlimited data. This might make more sense financially than a rolling 30 day plan.