Anyone with Tesco mobile?

andy_fozzy

andy_fozzy

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Hi all, hope everybody is well...

Anyone use Tesco mobile?
I have a few of the in-laws use them and they swear by them (but they are all numpties!!) so I'm looking for some honest opinions.
What I'm keen to find out is what the network coverage is like, what the 4G coverage is like (do they do 4G???)
I've heard they have some good monthly deals, but they do need to be very good for me, I'm quite fussy!

My contract ends next month with Three, and I'm looking around for a better deal.
I have a pretty cheap deal with Three, and to upgrade to a decent phone they want HUGE amounts of money...

Cheers
 
I use tesco and for me they are good. They use o2 as the provider. I have used them for years. I have an iPhone 5 on a sim deal £10/month 1000 mins talk 5000 txt half gig of data. They also give you a cap I have set min for £10/ month for when i am out of the country. I can get 4g when it's available. Hope that helps
 
Where I am 3 coverage beats O2 hands down by a long way into a cocked hat everyday with a Y in it.
 
Thanks chaps.
I was aware that they use O2, so does that mean the network coverage is as good as O2?
Sounds promising so far!
 
Yep, the network coverage IS O2.

If you want to test it, get them to send you a payg sim with a tenner credit on it and use that for a couple of weeks to see if it's up to the task.
 
Steep said:
Yep, the network coverage IS O2.

If you want to test it, get them to send you a payg sim with a tenner credit on it and use that for a couple of weeks to see if it's up to the task.
Click to expand...

Awesome idea, I might just do that. Thanks for the idea!
 
YW :) it's how I did it when I left GiffGaff for Three earlier this year.
 
Comfortably Numb said:
I read that if you 'search for networks' on your phone they are listed in order of strength, normally, so you can judge who's good in your area. HTH
Click to expand...

Nice, never thought of that!
Ironically, 3 came out on top with O2 second from the bottom!!!
 
In my experience, and I do sell mobiles and tariff plans, O2 coverage is probably the worst there is these days. I used to consider their coverage pretty good some ten years ago but they seem to have stood still whilst the others have overtaken them. Anyone else think this?
 
I was with O2 then GiffGaff for years until I got fed up of never having a decent data connection anywhere i wanted to use it. The company I used to work for used O2 and every van had a second payg phone on EE/Orange as a backup because the O2 signal was so unreliable. The company I work for now uses Vodaphone and they are barely better.
when I was testing for signal the results for three were so much better I thought it must be a mistake but it wasn't, so far I've never not had a decent signal anywhere I've tried in the Highlands. Of course this might mean nothing at all since you probably don't need a good signal in the Highlands.
 
I use a dual-sim gizmo-thingy with a '3' sim in it - as a backup to my EE (partnered) sim. I can't remember when I last had to switch to '3' in the UK but probably five or six months ago. The 3 sim is great overseas for data which is the main reason I have it.
 
2blue4u said:
In my experience, and I do sell mobiles and tariff plans, O2 coverage is probably the worst there is these days. I used to consider their coverage pretty good some ten years ago but they seem to have stood still whilst the others have overtaken them. Anyone else think this?
Click to expand...
Well that certainly is a spanner in the works!!
In all fairness, I'm most impressed with 3 's coverage.
If I had a choice I would probably stay with them, but they want to change my fantastic tariff for a not so good tariff, for more money each month and a crappy handset (well not what I want at least).
 
Let's not forget that Telefónica has agreed to sell O2 to Hutchison Whampoa meaning it will be merged into 3.
 
andy_fozzy said:
Well that certainly is a spanner in the works!!
In all fairness, I'm most impressed with 3 's coverage.
If I had a choice I would probably stay with them, but they want to change my fantastic tariff for a not so good tariff, for more money each month and a crappy handset (well not what I want at least).
Click to expand...

Could you not just stay on your existing tariff or lower as Sim only and buy the phone of your choice?
 
lostsoulal2 said:
Could you not just stay on your existing tariff or lower as Sim only and buy the phone of your choice?
Click to expand...
Sure, it's an option to consider. I've currently got the Galaxy S4 and I'd like to go for an S6 perhaps, but the prices of an S6 even second hand are too high at the moment.

Or I could just stop being greedy and be happy with the S4!!
 
andy_fozzy said:
Sure, it's an option to consider. I've currently got the Galaxy S4 and I'd like to go for an S6 perhaps, but the prices of an S6 even second hand are too high at the moment.

Or I could just stop being greedy and be happy with the S4!!
Click to expand...

That would be the compromise solution and then wait a "few" months as no doubt the S6 will drop to more reasonable levels :). It is frightening how quickly phones will lose their value after typically only 9 months.......:mad:
 
lostsoulal2 said:
That would be the compromise solution and then wait a "few" months as no doubt the S6 will drop to more reasonable levels :). It is frightening how quickly phones will lose their value after typically only 9 months.......:mad:
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Seen this happen so many times now.
What bothers me the most about all this is the data on tariffs. I have a 3 tariff currently with unlimited data, unlimited texts and I think about 300 minutes per month (and I can use the data whilst roaming in the EU). All this for just £28 per month, so I'm pretty reluctant to give this up - pretty much all newer tariffs now have capped their data allowances and all you can eat data tariffs are loadsa ££££'s

I don't even use that much data TBH, but it's nice knowing that I'm not going to over spend on data, should I use allot in a month.
 
There's the thing Andy, you say you don't use the data but you're paying for it anyway. My 3 contract is 200 minutes + 2gb data for £11 a month and I don't come close to that in actual usage. If one month you do happen to go over on data you can buy extra, it costs more then but you'd only pay that if/when you need it for as much as you need.
 
Steep said:
There's the thing Andy, you say you don't use the data but you're paying for it anyway. My 3 contract is 200 minutes + 2gb data for £11 a month and I don't come close to that in actual usage. If one month you do happen to go over on data you can buy extra, it costs more then but you'd only pay that if/when you need it for as much as you need.
Click to expand...
A real good point indeed...
But then some of the tariffs I was looking at in town today were giving say, 1 gb of data and unlimited calls, which is no good to me. I probably don't even use 10 minutes of calls a month!
So with one of these newer tariffs surely I'm paying for the calls, and wasting 99% of the allowance each month?
Whereas if be better off with more data and less calls.... which none of the providers seem to do.

The lad in the 3 store actually said himself today that data is where they make their money.
Calls and texts cost naff all these days and they simply cannot charge for texts and calls anymore.
They are finding it each much easier to charge for data....
 
andy_fozzy said:
Absolutely. Seen this happen so many times now.
What bothers me the most about all this is the data on tariffs. I have a 3 tariff currently with unlimited data, unlimited texts and I think about 300 minutes per month (and I can use the data whilst roaming in the EU). All this for just £28 per month, so I'm pretty reluctant to give this up - pretty much all newer tariffs now have capped their data allowances and all you can eat data tariffs are loadsa ££££'s

I don't even use that much data TBH, but it's nice knowing that I'm not going to over spend on data, should I use allot in a month.
Click to expand...

If that tariff suits you, then try to negotiate a reduction to a SIM only tariff. But 3 do a Monthly contract - 200 minutes Unlimited, texts Unlimited data at £20.00 per month and would think you could get a similar tariff for less with a bit of searching?

To get most of what you have look at Giffgaff's PAYG tariffs, Only UK though - for example you can get, Unlimited UK minutes, Unlimited UK texts Always On UK data ( Speed restriction applies after 6gb) Free to giffgaff numbers. Then buy a monthly 3 contract as & when needed for EU roaming?
 
Steep said:
I was with O2 then GiffGaff for years until I got fed up of never having a decent data connection anywhere i wanted to use it. The company I used to work for used O2 and every van had a second payg phone on EE/Orange as a backup because the O2 signal was so unreliable. The company I work for now uses Vodaphone and they are barely better.
when I was testing for signal the results for three were so much better I thought it must be a mistake but it wasn't, so far I've never not had a decent signal anywhere I've tried in the Highlands. Of course this might mean nothing at all since you probably don't need a good signal in the Highlands.
Click to expand...

Just to show how patchy these things are, I don't live too far away from Hugh and have just tried the earlier advice of searching for available networks. Results (currently in my kitchen!) are O2 first, vodafone second, 3 third, then EE and EE. Go figure! I'm on Tesco but have been toying with getting a dual sim phone for going to other areas in the Highlands.
 
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Trouble with GiffGaff is they use the O2 network as well although once again this may not be a problem if the network is good in the areas you want it. That three tariff of 200mins/unlimited/unlimited sounds like a good choice if Andy could get moved onto it.
 
Oddly enough, where I tend to use my mobile data most is in Tesco carparks :D, well theirs and lots of others too.
 
Very happy with Tesco's tenner a month deal with my Z3. Get 4G all over the place.

Of course, that doesn't mean it will work for you where you live ;)
 
I use Tesco pay as you go. Been trouble free for years. Last I knew was that Tesco use the O2 network.
 
At the end of the day the SIMs themselves are not the issue with cost its the handsets. You want one of the most expensive handset on the market so you have to pay for it :-)

like it or lump it, on the SIM only jobbie though the VirginMedia ones tale some beating and available on 30days rolling contract and they use EE
 
lostsoulal2 said:
If that tariff suits you, then try to negotiate a reduction to a SIM only tariff. But 3 do a Monthly contract - 200 minutes Unlimited, texts Unlimited data at £20.00 per month and would think you could get a similar tariff for less with a bit of searching?

To get most of what you have look at Giffgaff's PAYG tariffs, Only UK though - for example you can get, Unlimited UK minutes, Unlimited UK texts Always On UK data ( Speed restriction applies after 6gb) Free to giffgaff numbers. Then buy a monthly 3 contract as & when needed for EU roaming?
Click to expand...

Excellent idea, thanks for the advice which I shall certainly consider.
 
Steep said:
Trouble with GiffGaff is they use the O2 network as well although once again this may not be a problem if the network is good in the areas you want it. That three tariff of 200mins/unlimited/unlimited sounds like a good choice if Andy could get moved onto it.
Click to expand...

'Tis certainly a good contract which I'm loathed to give up really. If I could get it even cheaper I'd be even happier!
But then I'd have to pay allot more for a new handset as and when I needed one, so cost - wise I probably wouldn't be much better off!
 
If that's a 24mth contract you're looking at, Andy, it's gonna cost you £672!

If you did the deal Hugh was suggesting, you'd pay £264, leaving £408 for the phone of your choice. Maybe worth considering?
 
Comfortably Numb said:
If that's a 24mth contract you're looking at, Andy, it's gonna cost you £672!

If you did the deal Hugh was suggesting, you'd pay £264, leaving £408 for the phone of your choice. Maybe worth considering?
Click to expand...

I may have lost the story line a bit here!!
Which are you referring to?! :D
 
Ah okay I got it now!! If I stay on my £28 a month contract THEN I pay £672...

Damn! Definitely worth considering Hugh's advice then.

Thanks
 
Depends on the bundled phone but 24 month packages aren't that much more expensive sometimes.

Going back to the 3 sim only tarrifs, the unlimited data for cheap is still there on a 12 month. They've restricted tethering capacity now which you'll pay for.
 
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