Mobile phone providers

[magpie seanie]

Sorry if there's a thread on this but I did a quick search and found nothing.

Am currently out of contract (disgruntled to put it mildly with my curent provider O2) and looking for a deal. I prefer bill monthly. Tesco Mobile looks ridiculously cheap - what's the catch?

[north aontroim gael]

Any particular issue with O2?

Have used them for about 5 years now and they have by far the best signal where I live and have always found them to be reasonable in relation to cost.

[Denn Forever]

Sorry if there's a thread on this but I did a quick search and found nothing.

Am currently out of contract (disgruntled to put it mildly with my curent provider O2) and looking for a deal. I prefer bill monthly. Tesco Mobile looks ridiculously cheap - what's the catch?

What exactly do you need?  Smart phone or direct phone?

[Crumpet]

Giff Gaff runs off the o2 network. I have had no problems and the support is good.

http://giffgaff.com/index/offer

If you going for it, I have a referral code.

[Muzz]

Try this - http://www.billmonitor.com/

[armaghniac]

A lot of the posts here are of dubious help, as the offer little info in relation to services actually available where I imagine Magpie Seanie wants them.
Tesco are cheap and run on the O2 Ireland network. Questions like this need some indication of whether you use a lot of data, calls to mobiles, calls to landlines and whether you do a significant amount of roaming. 

[laoislad]

Changed from 02 to Vodafone last month. Like yourself had bad experiences with 02.
€55/month with unlimited texts/calls  to any network and landline and 2gb data.

[magpie seanie]

Every dealing I have with O2 has been painful and then when you smash your phone you find out the the insurance you are paying €6 a month for means "entitled" you to pay €35 to get "your claim processed" which in my case meant they "fixed" my phone. Technically that is correct but it broke again 2 hours after I got it back so I just fixed it myself with a bit of tape. OK - this is an insurance company issue moreso than O2 but still - it's a product they sell me. Then there's their fuckin website!!!!!

I make a moderate volume of calls/texts and would use a lot on the data side. Current package gives me 250 mins/250 texts & not sure on data but it's loads, costs €40 per month. Think I can do way better than that.

[The Biff]

This is a link to an official ComReg site for the ROI.  I cant vouch for it checking all of the latest plans from each Operator, but it should give you a truly independent comparison.

http://www.callcosts.ie/mobile_phones/Mobile_Calculator.123.LE.asp

Comreg.ie actually has quite a few good subsites regarding home phones, broadband, roaming charges, etc.  Worth a look in the knowledge that the info or advice is proper independent (and No, I don't work for ComReg).

[lawnseed]

still with 02. in the south Armagh area they have the best coverage. beware of the 02 shop in Armagh and also the one in cookstown i'm not sure whats going on there but when I went to up grade I was told there was a compulsory new automatic 50p charge for taking a call while roaming or making a call while roaming. this would send my bill sky high since i'm in an area where the fone switches back and forth frequently. I told the o2 shop lad the problem and it was "ahh well you have to pay it". bullshit I went outside and phoned 02 this is an option its not compulsory you can still pay just for the minutes you use. got a new phone online from o2. btw you can buy refurb I-fones and blackberrys from o2 online for about £45 when they are in stock. this has to be cheap

[All of a Sludden]

I prefer bill monthly.

Pre pay deals are excellent at the minute, I have been using Meteors €30 a month deal for the last few years. You get free calls to any network and landlines, which includes northern landlines if you use the 048 prefix instead of 0044. 10c per minute to UK numbers including mobiles and it is free to receive calls while abroad. There is a data allowance which I don't use and you have to pay for texts, even to your own network, but I rarely text.
The €30 credit usually lasts for about six weeks, so when you consider that my bill was over €100 per month, it is quite cheap.

[comethekingdom]

I prefer bill monthly.

Pre pay deals are excellent at the minute, I have been using Meteors €30 a month deal for the last few years. You get free calls to any network and landlines, which includes northern landlines if you use the 048 prefix instead of 0044. 10c per minute to UK numbers including mobiles and it is free to receive calls while abroad. There is a data allowance which I don't use and you have to pay for texts, even to your own network, but I rarely text.
The €30 credit usually lasts for about six weeks, so when you consider that my bill was over €100 per month, it is quite cheap.

Does '048' work in place of 0044 for uk mobile numbers?

[armaghniac]

Does '048' work in place of 0044 for uk mobile numbers?

No. The 048 is a replacement for the 028 area code. This is no distinct number range for mobiles in the North, something the layabout nationalist politicans don't ever seem to have thought about.