Oh wise STW knowledge-meisters, I seek your wisdom....
Myself, Mrs Binners and the two Binnerettes have all had our mobiles on contract with Sky for the last couple of years. It was part of our broadband/tellybox package so we got a good deal.
We've now left Sky for our telly and broadband and we're out of contract on our mobile package. We could carry on with them, but they told us he new price and it came into the "HOW MUCH?!!!" category. We've concluded it's a punishment beating for not having telly or broadband with them any more.
So I need a family mobile contract for the 4 of us. Who are you using?
We've all got our own phones, so I just need SIM only deals. As the Binnerettes are 18 and 20 and at Collage and Uni, they're always steaming and use loads of data. Me and Mrs Binners are old duffers and the only thing we steam is Radio 4, so with our Sky package we could transfer our unused data to the girls, so that worked out well.
Another consideration is that they're both off traveling in the summer, so roaming charges are going to be an issue (thanks for that one, Brexiteers!). I know some contracts include no roaming charges.
What've you got, oh wise ones? Your advice, as always, is appreciated....
Smarty with 10% off all individual SIM prices for >1 SIM?
We are just doing similar, mostly thanks to O2's shocking customer service, we've pretty much decided on GiffGaff or Lebara mobile.
I'm with Smarty, can't fault it. Existing customers, such as myself, will be able to give you a referral code, though of course I can't post that here so whatever you do don't DM me or ping me on Faceache.
What I did for a 'family' package was switch my partner with my referral code, you could rinse and repeat for others.
They currently have an offer of £24GB for 7/month, other packages are available. If I touched a tenth of that I'd be surprised. Plus if the Binnerettes are in academia then they can rarely be too far from Wi-Fi, surely?
Collage and Uni, they're always steaming
That's kids for you – go to uni and spend their student loan in the student union bar.
But I'd recommend GiffGaff – zero contract deal (per sim card) is £15 a month for 150gb of data (£12 a month on an 18 month contract).
As the Binnerettes are 18 and 20 and at Collage college and Uni, they're always steaming
Yup, that fits for students
(Damn, beaten to it by John while I was typing)
was happy enough with smarty, but they didnt do free roaming so left for Lebara which does (euro-land anyway)
me and mrs punk pay around a tenner each month for more data than we can shake a stick at, and no extra cost from our greek travels. no lengthy contracts either, its month by month so if it doesnt suit then just go elsewhere.
i may or may not be able to supply a referral code if contacted.
was happy enough with smarty, but they didnt do free roaming
They do free roaming within the EU.
on an 18 month contract
Smarty is a 1-month contract.
Smarty is a 1-month contract.
Yeah, GiffGaff do contract-free too, but it is a little more expensive.
Smarty say - "Subject to our fair use limit, you can use up to 12GB of data each month out of your monthly allowance. If you need more data, you can buy a data add-on". That may be enough for you, I find I tend to use more data than usual when I'm away.
My other half has Lebera, and although she can call Europe any time and roam without issues, she almost never has signal in the UK.
I'm on 1p Mobile (runs off EE - £10 for 50gb) and it's been excellent & I don't have any limit in Europe as long as I'm not really silly - fair fair usage policy is reasonable. I was on GiffGaff (who like Sky use O2s network, £10 for 20GB) but I was often out of network.
It all depends on usage, and what network work in your area really.
This website is really useful https://www.simsherpa.com/
I can give you a referral code for 1p if you'd like.
They do free roaming within the EU.
Smarty say - "Subject to our fair use limit, you can use up to 12GB of data each month out of your monthly allowance. If you need more data, you can buy a data add-on". That may be enough for you, I find I tend to use more data than usual when I'm away.
ahhh looks like they include it now then, they definitely didnt a year or so ago as that was the only reason we switched, we were happy enough apart from that.
I was on GiffGaff (who like Sky use O2s network, £10 for 20GB)
It was 20gb but just this week they have doubled the allowance.
From what I can see if you're paying more than £10 per month on any network, you should be getting about 50gig a month, which for me is way way more than I actually use. I never hit 20 with GiffGaff, but they only let me use 5 gig in the EU when I travelled which was an issue. I switched because I wanted better reception which is really subjective but EEs network is usually pretty good for that.
The Lebara deal I posted above is a rolling monthly contract - no long term commitment.
You will not find a better no commitment deal for £3 a month for 100gb for 8 months.
All 4 of us on Lebara due to the free roaming (up to 20gb). Very easy to switch packages via the app if you need more / less data.
Giffgaff don't do a family plan - you need individual accounts for each family member, which I find a bit of a pain tbh for our 3 kids.
Seems quite decent though, although sometimes I get an odd whining sound from the back seat area of the car when coverage dips a bit.
Smarty say - "Subject to our fair use limit, you can use up to 12GB of data each month out of your monthly allowance. If you need more data, you can buy a data add-on". That may be enough for you, I find I tend to use more data than usual when I'm away.
How?
Genuine question, I can't fathom it. Do you just never use Wi-Fi?
We use Lebara for 4 of us. Money Saving Expert have the best discounted deals, some, as above at silly prices for 8 months. I switch out to any other provider at the end of the 8 months, using the PAC code, then switch back for another stint on Lebara. MSE offer different deals every couple of weeks. Currently the best is the 100gb for £3. Mental.
My current Lebara deal is £2.10 a month for unlimited calls/text and 35gb. It works about at less than a tenner a month for all four of us. There is a bit of a hassle with PAC codes every 8 months, but it is well worth it for the savings.
I never get anywhere near 35gb, except when on holiday, and Lebara EU roaming is capped at 30gb, so I don't pay for more.
When I'm in Europe the hotel wifi isn't always great, or doesn't accept multiple devices, or I'm just out and about lots I tend to get through a lot. 12gig is still good amount. At home I'm usually below 10.
For me it's more about actually getting a bar of signal when I want to. That Lebara deal looks the best gig/£ and their terms are good, I just find the Vodafone network doesn't work well in my area. Sounds like it is working well for others though, but could be wise to check before changing.
We're all on ID mobile, got the kids sim only deals for £10 a month I think for 80gb (and rolls over), and EU roaming is good (capped at 32gb or something). Never seem to have any issues with getting a signal.
Just checked and its 100gb for £10 p/m or 60gb for £8 at the moment, rolling monthly deals.
Thanks very much for the advice everyone. Much appreciated. It looks like Lebara is the way to go. I'm going to get us 4 SIMS ordered.
Thanks again
Anyone tried SPUSU? I'm looking to switch from EE at the moment, but ideally looking for a provider who uses their network.
I’ve not used them but they look good on paper. Looks like some really good sub £10 offers - £6.90 for 20 gig is tempting for sure.