Hello,

What companies offer a PAYG mobile package for a smartphone in Britain,
e.g.

- a month-long one
- with 10GB of data and unlimited voice calls and SMS

without requiring that a customer

- grants a direct debit authority
- installs an app, or
- changes their phone number?

I am looking for a company that (always through their website)

- accepts debit card payments on account, and then
- lets you allocate e.g. �10 or some other amount to buy such a package
- always makes the expiry date of the package clear whenever you log in
to your account.

Three used to do all of this, and theoretically they still do, although
it seems in practice they don't.

After "disappearing" all the money in my "account" in December at the
time of the blackouts, they so graciously re-credited it when I
complained to a senior bod. (Going into one of their shops brought no
joy. The guy said the company's zeroing of my account was probably to do
with hotspotting but I should chat with one of his colleagues online to
find out.)

But now it seems impossible in practice to buy a one-off monthly 10GB
pack from them in the old way, because when I try to allocate �10 for
their 10GB offering, their software says I've got to get a new number.
When I asked them, they told me there is another way to do it, but this
involves installing an app, which I'm unwilling to do.

Do any of Three's competitors offer something similar to what they used
to?

TIA

H

Anon Line <anonline@tuta.io> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> What companies offer a PAYG mobile package for a smartphone in Britain,
> e.g.
>
> - a month-long one
> - with 10GB of data and unlimited voice calls and SMS
>
> without requiring that a customer
>
> - grants a direct debit authority
> - installs an app, or
> - changes their phone number?
>
> I am looking for a company that (always through their website)
>
> - accepts debit card payments on account, and then
> - lets you allocate e.g. £10 or some other amount to buy such a package
> - always makes the expiry date of the package clear whenever you log in
> to your account.
>
I think idMobile satisfy most of your requirements.

--
Chris Green
·

On Fri 05/01/2024 12:58, Chris Green wrote:
> Anon Line <anonline@tuta.io> wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> What companies offer a PAYG mobile package for a smartphone in Britain,
>> e.g.
>>
>> - a month-long one
>> - with 10GB of data and unlimited voice calls and SMS
>>
>> without requiring that a customer
>>
>> - grants a direct debit authority
>> - installs an app, or
>> - changes their phone number?
>>
>> I am looking for a company that (always through their website)
>>
>> - accepts debit card payments on account, and then
>> - lets you allocate e.g. £10 or some other amount to buy such a package
>> - always makes the expiry date of the package clear whenever you log in
>> to your account.
>>
> I think idMobile satisfy most of your requirements.
>

GiffGaff may do so as well.

On 05/01/2024 13:23, Woody wrote:
>
> GiffGaff may do so as well.
GiffGaff allow numbers to be ported in, and allow you to top up using
non-recurring debit card payments (or if you can find someone who sells
them, O2 vouchers). You can buy bundles, which last a month, with your
credit (or directly). They call bundles Goodybags.
They now offer incentives for allowing recurring payments by giving you
more data per month if you commit to auto-renewing, and also offer
longer contracts.
The closest to your figures for non-renewing bundles is 25GB for £12. I
don't know that amounts to in Lira. I thought that was a dead currency.
UK SMS and voice are "unlimited", but the SMS has rather a broad
definition of business use.

David Woolley <david@ex.djwhome.demon.invalid> wrote in
news:un92fn$63fp$1@dont-email.me:

> On 05/01/2024 13:23, Woody wrote:
>>
>> GiffGaff may do so as well.
>
> GiffGaff allow numbers to be ported in, and allow you to top up using
> non-recurring debit card payments (or if you can find someone who
> sells them, O2 vouchers). You can buy bundles, which last a month,
> with your credit (or directly). They call bundles Goodybags.
>
> They now offer incentives for allowing recurring payments by giving
> you more data per month if you commit to auto-renewing, and also offer
> longer contracts.
>
> The closest to your figures for non-renewing bundles is 25GB for £12.
> I don't know that amounts to in Lira. I thought that was a dead
> currency.
> UK SMS and voice are "unlimited", but the SMS has rather a broad
> definition of business us
> Attachment decoded: untitled-1.txt

Thank you, Chris, Woody, and David. I will check out IDMobile and GiffGaff.

Why do you mention lira?

H

Anon Line wrote:
> Why do you mention lira?
Because you had a dodgy encoding in your original message "Ł"

On 05/01/2024 12:46, Anon Line wrote:
> Hello,
>
> What companies offer a PAYG mobile package for a smartphone in Britain,
> e.g.
>
> - a month-long one
> - with 10GB of data and unlimited voice calls and SMS
>
> without requiring that a customer
>
> - grants a direct debit authority
> - installs an app, or
> - changes their phone number?
>
> I am looking for a company that (always through their website)
>
> - accepts debit card payments on account, and then
> - lets you allocate e.g. Ł10 or some other amount to buy such a package
> - always makes the expiry date of the package clear whenever you log in
> to your account.

1p mobile ? Uses EE's network, I read mostly good things about them.
Yoy can port your number in.

https://www.1pmobile.com/

On Fri 05/01/2024 17:00, Mark Carver wrote:
> On 05/01/2024 12:46, Anon Line wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> What companies offer a PAYG mobile package for a smartphone in Britain,
>> e.g.
>>
>> - a month-long one
>> - with 10GB of data and unlimited voice calls and SMS
>>
>> without requiring that a customer
>>
>> - grants a direct debit authority
>> - installs an app, or
>> - changes their phone number?
>>
>> I am looking for a company that (always through their website)
>>
>> - accepts debit card payments on account, and then
>> - lets you allocate e.g. Ł10 or some other amount to buy such a package
>> - always makes the expiry date of the package clear whenever you log in
>> to your account.
>
> 1p mobile ?  Uses EE's network, I read mostly good things about them.
> Yoy can port your number in.
>
>
> https://www.1pmobile.com/
>

The only catch with 1p mobile is that you have to make a top-up of £10
at least every 80 days - that is the only way of keeping the number
going, they don't work on a chargeable event every 3/6/9 months like the
others.

Woody <harrogate3@ntlworld.com> wrote:
> On Fri 05/01/2024 17:00, Mark Carver wrote:
>> On 05/01/2024 12:46, Anon Line wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> What companies offer a PAYG mobile package for a smartphone in Britain,
>>> e.g.
>>>
>>> - a month-long one
>>> - with 10GB of data and unlimited voice calls and SMS
>>>
>>> without requiring that a customer
>>>
>>> - grants a direct debit authority
>>> - installs an app, or
>>> - changes their phone number?
>>>
>>> I am looking for a company that (always through their website)
>>>
>>> - accepts debit card payments on account, and then
>>> - lets you allocate e.g. Ł10 or some other amount to buy such a package
>>> - always makes the expiry date of the package clear whenever you log in
>>> to your account.
>>
>> 1p mobile ?  Uses EE's network, I read mostly good things about them.
>> Yoy can port your number in.
>>
>>
>> https://www.1pmobile.com/
>>
>
> The only catch with 1p mobile is that you have to make a top-up of £10
> at least every 80 days - that is the only way of keeping the number
> going, they don't work on a chargeable event every 3/6/9 months like the
> others.
>
>
>

Every 120 days, not 80. So basically a minimum of £30/year (give or take)

David Woolley <david@ex.djwhome.demon.invalid> wrote in
news:un92fn$63fp$1@dont-email.me:

> On 05/01/2024 13:23, Woody wrote:
>>
>> GiffGaff may do so as well.
>
> GiffGaff allow numbers to be ported in, and allow you to top up using
> non-recurring debit card payments (or if you can find someone who
> sells them, O2 vouchers). You can buy bundles, which last a month,
> with your credit (or directly). They call bundles Goodybags.
>
> They now offer incentives for allowing recurring payments by giving
> you more data per month if you commit to auto-renewing, and also offer
> longer contracts.
>
> The closest to your figures for non-renewing bundles is 25GB for £12.
> I don't know that amounts to in Lira. I thought that was a dead
> currency.
> UK SMS and voice are "unlimited", but the SMS has rather a broad
> definition of business use.

Thanks for this.

Giffgaff say here

https://www.giffgaff.com/help/articles/guide-to-goodybags

that

"You can check your remaining goodybag minutes and expiry date via My
giffgaff in the giffgaff mobile app or by dialling 43430 then option 2."

The words "My giffgaff" link to a webpage, so this looks promising given
that I don't want to install an app. But whether there should be a comma
after "My giffgaff", which would make using the web another route in
addition to using the app, is unclear. I'm kinda feeling distrustful of
telcos after my experience with Three, who say you can do things via the
web but then it turns out that you can't (any more).

GG also look promising in that they allow packs to be queued. Even 10GB
is much more than I usually use in a month. My preferred way of going
about things is to leave a few months' worth of credit in the account
and to queue up the next pack a week or two before the existing one
expires.

H

Tweed wrote:
> Woody wrote:
>
>> The only catch with 1p mobile is that you have to make a top-up of £10
>> at least every 80 days - that is the only way of keeping the number
>> going, they don't work on a chargeable event every 3/6/9 months like the
>> others.
>
> Every 120 days, not 80. So basically a minimum of £30/year (give or take)
Some PAYG SIMs are good for people who send a single text every few
months and want to stretch £5 of credit over a few decades; OTOH
1pmobile works out well for people who do actually make a 'normal'
amount of calls/texts ...

On Sat 06/01/2024 00:31, Anon Line wrote:
> David Woolley <david@ex.djwhome.demon.invalid> wrote in
> news:un92fn$63fp$1@dont-email.me:
>
>> On 05/01/2024 13:23, Woody wrote:
>>>
>>> GiffGaff may do so as well.
>>
>> GiffGaff allow numbers to be ported in, and allow you to top up using
>> non-recurring debit card payments (or if you can find someone who
>> sells them, O2 vouchers). You can buy bundles, which last a month,
>> with your credit (or directly). They call bundles Goodybags.
>>
>> They now offer incentives for allowing recurring payments by giving
>> you more data per month if you commit to auto-renewing, and also offer
>> longer contracts.
>>
>> The closest to your figures for non-renewing bundles is 25GB for £12.
>> I don't know that amounts to in Lira. I thought that was a dead
>> currency.
>> UK SMS and voice are "unlimited", but the SMS has rather a broad
>> definition of business use.
>
> Thanks for this.
>
> Giffgaff say here
>
> https://www.giffgaff.com/help/articles/guide-to-goodybags
>
> that
>
> "You can check your remaining goodybag minutes and expiry date via My
> giffgaff in the giffgaff mobile app or by dialling 43430 then option 2."
>
> The words "My giffgaff" link to a webpage, so this looks promising given
> that I don't want to install an app. But whether there should be a comma
> after "My giffgaff", which would make using the web another route in
> addition to using the app, is unclear. I'm kinda feeling distrustful of
> telcos after my experience with Three, who say you can do things via the
> web but then it turns out that you can't (any more).
>
> GG also look promising in that they allow packs to be queued. Even 10GB
> is much more than I usually use in a month. My preferred way of going
> about things is to leave a few months' worth of credit in the account
> and to queue up the next pack a week or two before the existing one
> expires.
>
> H
>
>
The comma error could be because GiffGaff is half owned by the Spanish
PTT Telefonica?

On Fri 05/01/2024 21:17, Tweed wrote:
> Woody <harrogate3@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>> On Fri 05/01/2024 17:00, Mark Carver wrote:
>>> On 05/01/2024 12:46, Anon Line wrote:
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> What companies offer a PAYG mobile package for a smartphone in Britain,
>>>> e.g.
>>>>
>>>> - a month-long one
>>>> - with 10GB of data and unlimited voice calls and SMS
>>>>
>>>> without requiring that a customer
>>>>
>>>> - grants a direct debit authority
>>>> - installs an app, or
>>>> - changes their phone number?
>>>>
>>>> I am looking for a company that (always through their website)
>>>>
>>>> - accepts debit card payments on account, and then
>>>> - lets you allocate e.g. Ł10 or some other amount to buy such a package
>>>> - always makes the expiry date of the package clear whenever you log in
>>>> to your account.
>>>
>>> 1p mobile ?  Uses EE's network, I read mostly good things about them.
>>> Yoy can port your number in.
>>>
>>>
>>> https://www.1pmobile.com/
>>>
>>
>> The only catch with 1p mobile is that you have to make a top-up of £10
>> at least every 80 days - that is the only way of keeping the number
>> going, they don't work on a chargeable event every 3/6/9 months like the
>> others.
>>
>>
>>
>
> Every 120 days, not 80. So basically a minimum of £30/year (give or take)
>
Oops, my mistake.

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote in
news:kvshakF5vbgU2@mid.individual.net:

> Tweed wrote:
>
>> Woody wrote:
>>
>>> The only catch with 1p mobile is that you have to make a top-up of
>>> £10 at least every 80 days - that is the only way of keeping the
>>> number going, they don't work on a chargeable event every 3/6/9
>>> months like the others.
>>
>> Every 120 days, not 80. So basically a minimum of £30/year (give or
>> take)
>
> Some PAYG SIMs are good for people who send a single text every few
> months and want to stretch £5 of credit over a few decades; OTOH
> 1pmobile works out well for people who do actually make a 'normal'
> amount of calls/texts ...

What is a normal amount?

My usage per month is something like this:

* data: maybe 1-4 GB;
* calls: 0-1 received, 0-1 placed;
* texts: ~10+ received, all to verify my ID; 0 sent;
* some Whatsapp chat use: for this I mostly use the laptop, but
sometimes this requires that I verify using the smartphone; and when I
use the smartphone on its own it's usually on wifi; but I probably use
Whatsapp on the smartphone on the mobile phone network 1-2 times a week.

Happy to continue to pay ~�10 per month for this, so long as I don't
have to grant a direct debit authority, change number every month, or
allow installation of an app.

H

On Sat, 06 Jan 2024 00:31:41 +0000, Anon Line wrote:

> "You can check your remaining goodybag minutes and expiry date via My
> giffgaff in the giffgaff mobile app or by dialling 43430 then option 2."
>
> The words "My giffgaff" link to a webpage, so this looks promising given
> that I don't want to install an app. But whether there should be a comma
> after "My giffgaff", which would make using the web another route in
> addition to using the app, is unclear. I'm kinda feeling distrustful of
> telcos after my experience with Three, who say you can do things via the
> web but then it turns out that you can't (any more).

You can do it via the web of giffgaff. I see it every time I log into a
giffgaff account.

Anon Line <anonline@tuta.io> wrote:
> Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote in
> news:kvshakF5vbgU2@mid.individual.net:
>
>> Tweed wrote:
>>
>>> Woody wrote:
>>>
>>>> The only catch with 1p mobile is that you have to make a top-up of
>>>> ֲ£10 at least every 80 days - that is the only way of keeping the
>>>> number going, they don't work on a chargeable event every 3/6/9
>>>> months like the others.
>>>
>>> Every 120 days, not 80. So basically a minimum of ֲ£30/year (give or
>>> take)
>>
>> Some PAYG SIMs are good for people who send a single text every few
>> months and want to stretch ֲ£5 of credit over a few decades; OTOH
>> 1pmobile works out well for people who do actually make a 'normal'
>> amount of calls/texts ...
>
> What is a normal amount?
>
> My usage per month is something like this:
>
> * data: maybe 1-4 GB;
> * calls: 0-1 received, 0-1 placed;
> * texts: ~10+ received, all to verify my ID; 0 sent;
> * some Whatsapp chat use: for this I mostly use the laptop, but
> sometimes this requires that I verify using the smartphone; and when I
> use the smartphone on its own it's usually on wifi; but I probably use
> Whatsapp on the smartphone on the mobile phone network 1-2 times a week.
>
> Happy to continue to pay ~£10 per month for this, so long as I don't
> have to grant a direct debit authority, change number every month, or
> allow installation of an app.
>
> H
>

Probably comes down to the best network where you want to use your phone.
GiffGaff is on o2, 1p mobile on EE. O2 is suffering congestion problems in
some locations because they’ve somewhat oversold their network capacity to
virtual operators.

Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:
> Anon Line <anonline@tuta.io> wrote:
> > Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote in
> > news:kvshakF5vbgU2@mid.individual.net:
> >
> >> Tweed wrote:
> >>
> >>> Woody wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> The only catch with 1p mobile is that you have to make a top-up of
> >>>> ֲ£10 at least every 80 days - that is the only way of keeping the
> >>>> number going, they don't work on a chargeable event every 3/6/9
> >>>> months like the others.
> >>>
> >>> Every 120 days, not 80. So basically a minimum of ֲ£30/year (give or
> >>> take)
> >>
> >> Some PAYG SIMs are good for people who send a single text every few
> >> months and want to stretch ֲ£5 of credit over a few decades; OTOH
> >> 1pmobile works out well for people who do actually make a 'normal'
> >> amount of calls/texts ...
> >
> > What is a normal amount?
> >
> > My usage per month is something like this:
> >
> > * data: maybe 1-4 GB;
> > * calls: 0-1 received, 0-1 placed;
> > * texts: ~10+ received, all to verify my ID; 0 sent;
> > * some Whatsapp chat use: for this I mostly use the laptop, but
> > sometimes this requires that I verify using the smartphone; and when I
> > use the smartphone on its own it's usually on wifi; but I probably use
> > Whatsapp on the smartphone on the mobile phone network 1-2 times a week.
> >
> > Happy to continue to pay ~£10 per month for this, so long as I don't
> > have to grant a direct debit authority, change number every month, or
> > allow installation of an app.
> >
> > H
> >
>
> Probably comes down to the best network where you want to use your phone.
> GiffGaff is on o2, 1p mobile on EE. O2 is suffering congestion problems in
> some locations because they’ve somewhat oversold their network capacity to
> virtual operators.
>
.... and idMobile is on Three, so you can choose your network! :-)

--
Chris Green
·

On Fri, 5 Jan 2024 18:50:51 +0000, Woody <harrogate3@ntlworld.com>
wrote:

>On Fri 05/01/2024 17:00, Mark Carver wrote:
>> On 05/01/2024 12:46, Anon Line wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> What companies offer a PAYG mobile package for a smartphone in Britain,
>>> e.g.
>>>
>>> - a month-long one
>>> - with 10GB of data and unlimited voice calls and SMS
>>>
>>> without requiring that a customer
>>>
>>> - grants a direct debit authority
>>> - installs an app, or
>>> - changes their phone number?
>>>
>>> I am looking for a company that (always through their website)
>>>
>>> - accepts debit card payments on account, and then
>>> - lets you allocate e.g. ?10 or some other amount to buy such a package
>>> - always makes the expiry date of the package clear whenever you log in
>>> to your account.
>>
>> 1p mobile ?  Uses EE's network, I read mostly good things about them.
>> Yoy can port your number in.
>>
>>
>> https://www.1pmobile.com/
>>
>
>The only catch with 1p mobile is that you have to make a top-up of £10
>at least every 80 days - that is the only way of keeping the number
>going, they don't work on a chargeable event every 3/6/9 months like the
>others.

I believe you can add a top-up for a year in advance, so you don't
need to top-up again for another 12 months.

Chris in Makati <mail@nospam.com> wrote in
news:fvslpit73m877tfn12og109gcku285cigr@4ax.com:

> On Fri, 5 Jan 2024 18:50:51 +0000, Woody <harrogate3@ntlworld.com>
> wrote:
>
>>On Fri 05/01/2024 17:00, Mark Carver wrote:
>>> On 05/01/2024 12:46, Anon Line wrote:
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> What companies offer a PAYG mobile package for a smartphone in
>>>> Britain, e.g.
>>>>
>>>> - a month-long one
>>>> - with 10GB of data and unlimited voice calls and SMS
>>>>
>>>> without requiring that a customer
>>>>
>>>> - grants a direct debit authority
>>>> - installs an app, or
>>>> - changes their phone number?
>>>>
>>>> I am looking for a company that (always through their website)
>>>>
>>>> - accepts debit card payments on account, and then
>>>> - lets you allocate e.g. ?10 or some other amount to buy such a
>>>> package - always makes the expiry date of the package clear
>>>> whenever you log in to your account.
>>>
>>> 1p mobile ?� Uses EE's network, I read mostly good things about
>>> them. Yoy can port your number in.
>>>
>>>
>>> https://www.1pmobile.com/
>>>
>>
>>The only catch with 1p mobile is that you have to make a top-up of �10
>>at least every 80 days - that is the only way of keeping the number
>>going, they don't work on a chargeable event every 3/6/9 months like
>>the others.
>
> I believe you can add a top-up for a year in advance, so you don't
> need to top-up again for another 12 months.

IDmobile seem to offer
60GB at �10/m, ~ 720GB at �120/y; and
120GB over 12m for �6 for first 3m and then �12/m, ~ 120GB at �126/y.
This is unless the 120GB is per m, but they don't say that.

https://www.idmobile.co.uk/sim-only-deals

H

Chris Green <cl@isbd.net> wrote:
> Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Anon Line <anonline@tuta.io> wrote:
>>> Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote in
>>> news:kvshakF5vbgU2@mid.individual.net:
>>>
>>>> Tweed wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Woody wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> The only catch with 1p mobile is that you have to make a top-up of
>>>>>> ֲ£10 at least every 80 days - that is the only way of keeping the
>>>>>> number going, they don't work on a chargeable event every 3/6/9
>>>>>> months like the others.
>>>>>
>>>>> Every 120 days, not 80. So basically a minimum of ֲ£30/year (give or
>>>>> take)
>>>>
>>>> Some PAYG SIMs are good for people who send a single text every few
>>>> months and want to stretch ֲ£5 of credit over a few decades; OTOH
>>>> 1pmobile works out well for people who do actually make a 'normal'
>>>> amount of calls/texts ...
>>>
>>> What is a normal amount?
>>>
>>> My usage per month is something like this:
>>>
>>> * data: maybe 1-4 GB;
>>> * calls: 0-1 received, 0-1 placed;
>>> * texts: ~10+ received, all to verify my ID; 0 sent;
>>> * some Whatsapp chat use: for this I mostly use the laptop, but
>>> sometimes this requires that I verify using the smartphone; and when I
>>> use the smartphone on its own it's usually on wifi; but I probably use
>>> Whatsapp on the smartphone on the mobile phone network 1-2 times a week.
>>>
>>> Happy to continue to pay ~£10 per month for this, so long as I don't
>>> have to grant a direct debit authority, change number every month, or
>>> allow installation of an app.
>>>
>>> H
>>>
>>
>> Probably comes down to the best network where you want to use your phone.
>> GiffGaff is on o2, 1p mobile on EE. O2 is suffering congestion problems in
>> some locations because they’ve somewhat oversold their network capacity to
>> virtual operators.
>>
> ... and idMobile is on Three, so you can choose your network! :-)
>

Another vote IDmobile here. The 30-day SIMs are great and offer data
roll-over so if your data usage is mostly low per month with the odd month
of higher demand it's perfect.

I pay by DD, but it looks like they also accept debit card:
https://community.idmobile.co.uk/paying-your-bills-114/paying-your-mobile-phone-bill-44858#Can+I+pay+my+bill+by+credit+or+debit+card?

Number porting works like any other provider.

Chris Green <cl@isbd.net> wrote in
news:ma4o6k-eegu1.ln1@esprimo.zbmc.eu:

> Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Anon Line <anonline@tuta.io> wrote:
>> > Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote in
>> > news:kvshakF5vbgU2@mid.individual.net:
>> >
>> >> Tweed wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> Woody wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>>> The only catch with 1p mobile is that you have to make a top-up
>> >>>> of ֲ£10 at least every 80 days - that is the only way of
>> >>>> keeping the number going, they don't work on a chargeable event
>> >>>> every 3/6/9 months like the others.
>> >>>
>> >>> Every 120 days, not 80. So basically a minimum of ֲ£30/year
>> >>> (give or take)
>> >>
>> >> Some PAYG SIMs are good for people who send a single text every
>> >> few months and want to stretch ֲ£5 of credit over a few decades;
>> >> OTOH 1pmobile works out well for people who do actually make a
>> >> 'normal' amount of calls/texts ...
>> >
>> > What is a normal amount?
>> >
>> > My usage per month is something like this:
>> >
>> > * data: maybe 1-4 GB;
>> > * calls: 0-1 received, 0-1 placed;
>> > * texts: ~10+ received, all to verify my ID; 0 sent;
>> > * some Whatsapp chat use: for this I mostly use the laptop, but
>> > sometimes this requires that I verify using the smartphone; and
>> > when I use the smartphone on its own it's usually on wifi; but I
>> > probably use Whatsapp on the smartphone on the mobile phone network
>> > 1-2 times a week.
>> >
>> > Happy to continue to pay ~£10 per month for this, so long as I
>> > don't have to grant a direct debit authority, change number every
>> > month, or allow installation of an app.
>> >
>> > H
>> >
>>
>> Probably comes down to the best network where you want to use your
>> phone. GiffGaff is on o2, 1p mobile on EE. O2 is suffering congestion
>> problems in some locations because they’ve somewhat oversold their
>> network capacity to virtual operators.
>>
> ... and idMobile is on Three, so you can choose your network! :-)

Are there any advantages to that? Or do you mean that I know I'd get the
same coverage?

H

Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> wrote in news:unj6rh$1veg4$1@dont-email.me:

> Chris Green <cl@isbd.net> wrote:
>> Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Anon Line <anonline@tuta.io> wrote:
>>>> Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote in
>>>> news:kvshakF5vbgU2@mid.individual.net:
>>>>
>>>>> Tweed wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Woody wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The only catch with 1p mobile is that you have to make a top-up
>>>>>>> of ֲ£10 at least every 80 days - that is the only way of
>>>>>>> keeping the number going, they don't work on a chargeable event
>>>>>>> every 3/6/9 months like the others.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Every 120 days, not 80. So basically a minimum of ֲ£30/year
>>>>>> (give or take)
>>>>>
>>>>> Some PAYG SIMs are good for people who send a single text every
>>>>> few months and want to stretch ֲ£5 of credit over a few decades;
>>>>> OTOH 1pmobile works out well for people who do actually make a
>>>>> 'normal' amount of calls/texts ...
>>>>
>>>> What is a normal amount?
>>>>
>>>> My usage per month is something like this:
>>>>
>>>> * data: maybe 1-4 GB;
>>>> * calls: 0-1 received, 0-1 placed;
>>>> * texts: ~10+ received, all to verify my ID; 0 sent;
>>>> * some Whatsapp chat use: for this I mostly use the laptop, but
>>>> sometimes this requires that I verify using the smartphone; and
>>>> when I use the smartphone on its own it's usually on wifi; but I
>>>> probably use Whatsapp on the smartphone on the mobile phone network
>>>> 1-2 times a week.
>>>>
>>>> Happy to continue to pay ~£10 per month for this, so long as I
>>>> don't have to grant a direct debit authority, change number every
>>>> month, or allow installation of an app.
>>>>
>>>> H
>>>>
>>>
>>> Probably comes down to the best network where you want to use your
>>> phone. GiffGaff is on o2, 1p mobile on EE. O2 is suffering
>>> congestion problems in some locations because they’ve somewhat
>>> oversold their network capacity to virtual operators.
>>>
>> ... and idMobile is on Three, so you can choose your network! :-)
>>
>
> Another vote IDmobile here. The 30-day SIMs are great and offer data
> roll-over so if your data usage is mostly low per month with the odd
> month of higher demand it's perfect.
>
> I pay by DD, but it looks like they also accept debit card:
> https://community.idmobile.co.uk/paying-your-bills-114/paying-your-mobi
> le-phone-bill-44858#Can+I+pay+my+bill+by+credit+or+debit+card?
>
> Number porting works like any other provider.

A quick check at Trustpilot, av. rating / 5:

1pMobile 4.5
GiffGaff 4.1
IDMobile 4
Three 1.3

So hopefully whichever I choose out of 1p, GG, and ID, I will see a big
improvement over Three.

The rollover is an attractive function for sure.

H

Anon Line <anonline@tuta.io> wrote in news:XnsB0F46C5439813anonline3@
135.181.20.170:

> Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> wrote in news:unj6rh$1veg4$1@dont-
email.me:
>
>> Chris Green <cl@isbd.net> wrote:
>>> Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Anon Line <anonline@tuta.io> wrote:
>>>>> Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote in
>>>>> news:kvshakF5vbgU2@mid.individual.net:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Tweed wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Woody wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The only catch with 1p mobile is that you have to make a top-up
>>>>>>>> of ֲ£10 at least every 80 days - that is the only way of
>>>>>>>> keeping the number going, they don't work on a chargeable event
>>>>>>>> every 3/6/9 months like the others.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Every 120 days, not 80. So basically a minimum of ֲ£30/year
>>>>>>> (give or take)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Some PAYG SIMs are good for people who send a single text every
>>>>>> few months and want to stretch ֲ£5 of credit over a few
decades;
>>>>>> OTOH 1pmobile works out well for people who do actually make a
>>>>>> 'normal' amount of calls/texts ...
>>>>>
>>>>> What is a normal amount?
>>>>>
>>>>> My usage per month is something like this:
>>>>>
>>>>> * data: maybe 1-4 GB;
>>>>> * calls: 0-1 received, 0-1 placed;
>>>>> * texts: ~10+ received, all to verify my ID; 0 sent;
>>>>> * some Whatsapp chat use: for this I mostly use the laptop, but
>>>>> sometimes this requires that I verify using the smartphone; and
>>>>> when I use the smartphone on its own it's usually on wifi; but I
>>>>> probably use Whatsapp on the smartphone on the mobile phone
network
>>>>> 1-2 times a week.
>>>>>
>>>>> Happy to continue to pay ~£10 per month for this, so long as I
>>>>> don't have to grant a direct debit authority, change number every
>>>>> month, or allow installation of an app.
>>>>>
>>>>> H
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Probably comes down to the best network where you want to use your
>>>> phone. GiffGaff is on o2, 1p mobile on EE. O2 is suffering
>>>> congestion problems in some locations because they’ve somewhat
>>>> oversold their network capacity to virtual operators.
>>>>
>>> ... and idMobile is on Three, so you can choose your network! :-)
>>>
>>
>> Another vote IDmobile here. The 30-day SIMs are great and offer data
>> roll-over so if your data usage is mostly low per month with the odd
>> month of higher demand it's perfect.
>>
>> I pay by DD, but it looks like they also accept debit card:
>> https://community.idmobile.co.uk/paying-your-bills-114/paying-your-
mobi
>> le-phone-bill-44858#Can+I+pay+my+bill+by+credit+or+debit+card?
>>
>> Number porting works like any other provider.
>
> A quick check at Trustpilot, av. rating / 5:
>
> 1pMobile 4.5
> GiffGaff 4.1
> IDMobile 4
> Three 1.3
>
> So hopefully whichever I choose out of 1p, GG, and ID, I will see a
big
> improvement over Three.
>
> The rollover is an attractive function for sure.

Ah....1pM say:

"Any chargeable calls or texts you make, and any additional data you
use, will be deducted from your credit. Thereafter, to ensure you can
always use your phone for out of bundle calls and texts when you want
to, we will automatically top-up your usage balance with an additional
�10 (charged to your card) whenever your balance falls below �2."

https://www.1pmobile.com/data-25GB-SIM

Sounds like DD under another name.

H

On 09/01/2024 11:04, Anon Line wrote:
> Sounds like DD under another name.

It's a "continuing authority".

GG definitely allow you to not do this. They even allow you to not
store the PAN as a payment method (although they presumably store it
against the actual, historic, payments). To avoid their remembering the
PAN, you need to use the web interface, not the app. The web interface
has changed recently, so it is just possible they have changed this part
of it.

David Woolley <david@ex.djwhome.demon.invalid> wrote in news:unjhlh$213ah$1
@dont-email.me:

> On 09/01/2024 11:04, Anon Line wrote:
>> Sounds like DD under another name.
>
> It's a "continuing authority".
>
> GG definitely allow you to not do this. They even allow you to not
> store the PAN as a payment method (although they presumably store it
> against the actual, historic, payments). To avoid their remembering the
> PAN, you need to use the web interface, not the app. The web interface
> has changed recently, so it is just possible they have changed this part
> of it.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a PAN?

One of my requirements is that I don't have to install an app and can do
everything through the web.

H