Which network plan do I choose (Lumia 920)?

[bigboss]

I had placed an order for the Lumia 820 from Carphone Warehouse 2 days ago. Luckily, my credit card company thought it was a suspicious transaction & declined it. This has given me a chance to think through. The current contract offers for the Lumia 920 are not that bad at all. They're not much more expensive than buying the phone (theoretically) & going for a SIM only deal.

I'm currently on Vodafone which has terrible reception where I live. My contract expires on 2nd December & I just gave them a 30-day notice for cancellation.

I've been on the phone with T-mobile & EE. These are the offers:

T-mobile is offering 900 mins, 500 texts, 750MB Internet & unlimited landlines for £41 per month on an 18-month contract. There's an upfront cost of £39.99 for the phone. They could not confirm if the wireless charger comes free. They don't allow mobile tethering though.

EE is offering unlimited mins, texts & 1GB data (500mb data plan is actually more expensive due to upfront cost of £129.99 for the phone, even though monthly cost is £5 cheaper) for £51 per month on a 12-month contract. The upfront cost for the phone is £49.99. Mobile tethering is allowed, & wireless charging plate comes free.

Phones4U is offering a similar deal with EE but with a free Nokia 360 speaker for first 500 customers.

How's Phones4U customer service? Not having a dedicated EE customer support makes me a bit wary.

I'm interested in a short contract length, so I can move over to a SIM only cheap deal soon after.

What do you suggest?

 

[bigboss]

Oh yes, forgot to add: there is no 4G network where I live (not sure why that would be relevant, as I would use my wifi network at home).

 

[BenLaw]

How much data will you be using? Do you consider 18m 'short'?

 

[bigboss]

I won't need more than 500MB to be honest. T-mobile doesn't do any 12-month contracts on the Lumia 920. I definitely don't want to sign up for a 24-month contract.

 

[BenLaw]

T mobile = £778 for the 18m contract, ee = £662 for 12m contract. If the limited mind, texts and data are enough for you (I assume they are) then t mobile seems better value. I guess you have to decide how much of a better deal you think you'll get in the next 6m if you went with ee. To break even you'd need to be under £20 / month - perhaps seems unlikely?

 

[bigboss]

Thanks! That makes it a lot easier to calculate now!

If it was not for the Lumia 920, I was all set to go for the £10 Giff Gaff SIM only plan, which gives 250 min, unlimited texts & 1GB data including tethering. I can switch to Giff Gaff at the end of 12 months.

I have found tethering to be very useful when I'm away for the weekend, or for a conference. I would like to have that option.

Any views on Phones4U vs EE?

 

[daveh75]

I was all set to go for the £10 Giff Gaff SIM only plan, which gives 250 min, unlimited texts & 1GB data including tethering. I can switch to Giff Gaff at the end of 12 months.

I have found tethering to be very useful when I'm away for the weekend, or for a conference. I would like to have that option.

You can't tether on GiffGaff 'goodybags' BB, it's against t&c.
The only way to tether would be to have a sepearate sim and buy one of their 'gigabag' data plans.

 

[bigboss]

I was all set to go for the £10 Giff Gaff SIM only plan, which gives 250 min, unlimited texts & 1GB data including tethering. I can switch to Giff Gaff at the end of 12 months.

I have found tethering to be very useful when I'm away for the weekend, or for a conference. I would like to have that option.

You can't tether on GiffGaff 'goodybags' BB, it's against t&c. The only way to tether would be to have a sepearate sim and buy one of their 'gigabag' data plans.

From 6th Nov, you will be able to tether on their new plans. The current £10 plan with unlimited data will become £12. The £10 plan will come with 1GB data & include tethering.

 

[bigboss]

http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Blog/Upcoming-goodybag-and-tariff-changes/ba-p/6203900

 

[daveh75]

Ah, yep just seen the changes.

 

[bigboss]

Just had a chat with Phones4U. They only offer 24-month contracts. So that's out then.

EE will call me back to confirm free wireless charging plate offer. They've told me that the handset has been delayed by 2 weeks (which works for me well).

This is what is said on Phones4U website, indicating that it's a Nokia promotion rather than Phones4U:

Free Wireless Charging Plates Terms & Conditions

Entry is via online only. 1. The Free Wireless Charging Plate offer only applies to customers who have purchased a qualifying Nokia Lumia 820 or Nokia Lumia 920 promotional handset available through any P4U store, online or call centre between 02/11/12 and 31/12/12. 2.Open to residents of the UK and Republic of Ireland aged 16 or over, excluding employees and their immediate families of Nokia UK Ltd and P4U, its agents and anyone professionally connected with the promotion. 3. Opening date for applications is 16/11/12. Closing date for receipt of applications is midnight 30/01/13. 4. The offer is subject to availability. Customers are only eligible to redeem once per Nokia Lumia 820/ 920 purchased, while promotional phone stocks last. No cash alternatives in whole or in part. 5. The offer can be redeemed by visiting www.nokiafreecharger.com, 14 days after purchase and entering the unique code printed on this sticker and IMEI number which came with the phone (found on the side of your Nokia box). Customers must then complete an online form containing their name, address, mobile phone number, email address, date of purchase and date of birth. 6. The Free Wireless Charging Plate will be sent within 28 days of valid application. Only applications that adhere fully to the terms and conditions are valid. The Promoter reserves the right to verify any application. 7.The Promoter accepts no responsibility for entries that are misdirected, lost, delayed, damaged or corrupted during delivery to or from the Promoter due to any computer malfunction, virus, bug, delay or other reason whatsoever. 8.The Promoter reserves the right to amend or withdraw the promotion in whole or in part without prior notice or compensation if circumstances make this unavoidable. By participating in this promotion consumers agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. 9. In the event of any dispute the decision of the Promoter will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. The law of England and Wales shall apply to this promotion. 10. The promoter is Nokia UK Ltd, 2 Kingdom street, London W2 6PY (no correspondence to this address please). In the event of queries, please call the helpline on 0843 308 7877.

 

[fr0g]

I'd say be careful about selecting too low data. I'm in Sweden on an unlimited plan and have auto-upload from the camera wi-fi or data, use Spotify mobile and use Youtube mobile, so 500MB wouldn't last me a day sometimes

But of course your usage may be totally different.

 

[bigboss]

If there was an unlimited plan, I wouldn't bother about anything! I'm always conscious & careful about my data. My phone is connected to the wifi network at home.

I usually use about 100-150MB data per month, increasing to 250MB or so if I tether it to my iPad when I'm in London for the weekend, for example. I've never got even close to 500MB.

Of course, usage habits will change when data speeds get faster. I'll reconsider my options then. For now though, 1GB should be more than enough.