Vodafone Red Connect SIM Only 12 Month Contract €25 p/m for 6 months then €35

laserlad2010

I've been with every network at this point and Vodafone are leagues ahead. The only thing against them was price.

Now Vodafone are offering a 12 month SIM only contract for €25 p/m for the first 6 months, then €35 for the remainder.

10GB data
Unlimited any network calls and texts
100 international minutes
100 international texts
Free roaming
Free 4G

I feel it's a great bargain. Definitely for the network quality it beats Meteor who I experience terrible data issues with in major urban centres never mind rural areas!

http://www.vodafone.ie/sim-only-plans//?icmp=HP-Car-Pos1-SIM-Only

DopeTech

Vodafone are getting a bit more competitive recently. Their Vodafone X plans give 3's €20 offering a run for it's money now too. I've switched back to Vodafone after not being with them for more than 10 years.

SickBoy

laserlad2010 wrote: »

Now Vodafone are offering a 12 month SIM only contract for €25 p/m for the first 6 months, then €35 for the remainder.

You should change the title to reflect €30 per month as saying €25 per month is misleading.

colm_mcm

FrostyJim wrote: »

Vodafone are getting a bit more competitive recently. Their Vodafone X plans give 3's €20 offering a run for it's money now too. I've switched back to Vodafone after not being with them for more than 10 years.

20gb is still low for those people who will use it as their only source of broadband (i.e. Lots of people!)

DopeTech

colm_mcm wrote: »

20gb is still low for those people who will use it as their only source of broadband (i.e. Lots of people!)

True. The Vodafone x weekend plan actually includes a FUP of 100gb. You get 20gb to use weekdays and then 20gb to use each weekend between 3pm Friday and 23:59 Sunday.

laserlad2010

SickBoy wrote: »

You should change the title to reflect €30 per month as saying €25 per month is misleading.

Can't as that would also be incorrect. I've updated it to give the full info that can also be found by simply reading the post.

bk

FrostyJim wrote: »

True. The Vodafone x weekend plan actually includes a FUP of 100gb. You get 20gb to use weekdays and then 20gb to use each weekend between 3pm Friday and 23:59 Sunday.

Three's FUP is 60GB a month.

king size mars bar

48 the don plan still seems better value at 20 a month.

colm_mcm

bk wrote: »

Three's FUP is 60GB a month.

And even at that, it doesn't seem to be enforced. Being top-up on 3mobile vs bill pay means you won't get stung with a huge bill for excess usage.

DopeTech

bk wrote: »

Three's FUP is 60GB a month.

Three's plan does have the advantage of being able to use more during the weekdays but if you are someone who does most of their binge watching/ downloading at weekends the Vodafone plan may work out better, Vodafones speeds are usually a lot better too but ymmv.

king size mars bar wrote: »

48 the don plan still seems better value at 20 a month.

I guess everyone is different. 8gb a month data wouldn't be enough for many.

dalta5billion

king size mars bar wrote: »

48 the don plan still seems better value at 20 a month.

48 is fine if you live in Dublin etc but it is absolutely dire out the country. You're stuck on the old O2 infrastructure and based on the multiple sudden blackspot towns where before I had perfect 3G, I can only assume Three are switching off/cannibalising some of the O2 equipment.

Saint_Mel

Same as that, I previously avoided Vodafone due to price but having made the jump on this plan after some disastrous service from 3, I've no complaints. Coverage/signal has been excellent and I'm all over the country

This is my third month on this plan as I signed up the same day the plan came out in January. If like me you travel outside the country I don't think any other provider can beat this plan.
Have had to use the customer service on a few occasions and they were really good. Plus the reps on boards are very helpful.

Toobz

FrostyJim wrote: »

Vodafone are getting a bit more competitive recently. Their Vodafone X plans give 3's €20 offering a run for it's money now too. I've switched back to Vodafone after not being with them for more than 10 years.

That's great looking but as a none student their payg offering are really poor..unless there's a loophole?

Paranoid Mandroid

Thanks Op. I should be able to make and receive calls soon, which is handy to have with a mobile phone network. That 3 network is garbage for me.

Bob24

It is a shame Vodafone doesn't have any SIM only contract for medium/heavy data users. Their data add-ons are tiny and very expensive, so if you need more than 10GB they basically don't have anything to offer at a reasonable price.

It is a shame. if that plan was including 20GB of data for the same price I would give for it, but as is to is a bit too little for me and there is no way to increase the allowance at a reasonable cost.

Bob24

Toobz wrote: »

That's great looking but as a none student their payg offering are really poor..unless there's a loophole?

Yes agreed ... the gap between this offer and their regular prepaid ones is huge.

bk

Bob24 wrote: »

It is a shame Vodafone doesn't have any SIM only contract for medium/heavy data users. Their data add-ons are tiny and very expensive, so if you need more than 10GB they basically don't have anything to offer at a reasonable price.

But you can't have your cake and eat it!

The reason their network is so good, is because they discourage heavy data users. Three's network, is just as extensive as Vodafones, but is so terrible, because their are so many heavy data users on it, thus overloading it.

Mobile networks really weren't designed for heavy data usage. People should be using wired broadband for heavy data usage.

Bob24

bk wrote: »

Bob24 wrote: »

It is a shame Vodafone doesn't have any SIM only contract for medium/heavy data users. Their data add-ons are tiny and very expensive, so if you need more than 10GB they basically don't have anything to offer at a reasonable price.

But you can't have your cake and eat it!

The reason their network is so good, is because they discourage heavy data users. Three's network, is just as extensive as Vodafones, but is so terrible, because their are so many heavy data users on it, thus overloading it.

Mobile networks really weren't designed for heavy data usage. People should be using wired broadband for heavy data usage.

Definitely agree people shouldn't expect mobile data will replace wired broadband, but I think your limit to what is a resonable amount is too low. All my use is mobile, I of course have broadband at home.

20GB is heavy enough but not something unreasonable to ask for in terms of data allowances theses days. I know for sure a company like Orange in France can deliver it for cheaper and with faster data speeds that Vodafone does here.

_Kaiser_

I was on their SIM only plan 2 years back and had massive issues when I tried to port out - is customer care still out of Egypt and do they still make it impossible to contact someone who can resolve problems?

Also, while the price is decent here, I don't see why you should commit to a 12 month contract when they're not providing hardware??

SickBoy

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Also, while the price is decent here, I don't see why you should commit to a 12 month contract when they're not providing hardware??

Good point

Phibsboro

One useful point about this contract is that they are offering the EU roaming up front and at the full amount of the home data package. None of the messing around Three are trying to do with core data and "service benefit" data that wouldn't apply for roaming. Speaking of which, does anybody know if Tesco Mobile announced how they intend to deal with the EU roaming directive?

thebackbar

Phibsboro wrote: »

One useful point about this contract is that they are offering the EU roaming up front and at the full amount of the home data package. None of the messing around Three are trying to do with core data and "service benefit" data that wouldn't apply for roaming. Speaking of which, does anybody know if Tesco Mobile announced how they intend to deal with the EU roaming directive?

Will they not be forced to do this in the summer anyways ?

Phibsboro

thebackbar wrote: »

Will they not be forced to do this in the summer anyways ?

That's my point, that they have clarified in this contract that you are getting the full home data allowance. Three are trying to circumvent the summer changes by claiming that their core data offering is only 1GB, while the rest is a "service benefit" that wouldn't be available while EU roaming.
http://www.thejournal.ie/three-eu-roaming-charges-2-3265710-Mar2017/

torrevieja

https://www.virginmedia.ie/mobile/offerdetails/

LG1234

torrevieja wrote: »

https://www.virginmedia.ie/mobile/offerdetails/

But you cant get automated texts from the likes of Ulster Bank etc which is a deal breaker

stevek93

torrevieja wrote: »

https://www.virginmedia.ie/mobile/offerdetails/

Would I be correct in saying any of these thrid party networks are running on the old o2 which hasn't been touched in years and is dying of a death outside Dublin?

bk

stevek93 wrote: »

Would I be correct in saying any of these thrid party networks are running on the old o2 which hasn't been touched in years and is dying of a death outside Dublin?

Virgin and ID are running on Three's new 4G network. Only Tesco, Lyca and 48Months are running on the old 02 network.

PAKNET

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

I was on their SIM only plan 2 years back and had massive issues when I tried to port out - is customer care still out of Egypt and do they still make it impossible to contact someone who can resolve problems?

Also, while the price is decent here, I don't see why you should commit to a 12 month contract when they're not providing hardware??

It's split between Egypt and India and yes it's as utterly shambolic as it ever was.

To make matters worse, they've also outsourced retail support so going into a Vodafone shop will just see the retail guys hitting the same non-functioning administration systems as you'll hit.

Typical example - there are three people on the Boards Talk To forum this week who ported over online but Vodafone never saw fit to send them out SIM cards! So their mobile number was ported, their existing provider service stopped working and they were left with no SIM card and no service.
Link to Thread: http://www.boards.ie/ttfthread/2057714030

And if anyone is thinking of moving to this plan and believes they can easily back out under the Network Satisfaction Guarantee, think again!
My personal recent experience: http://www.boards.ie/ttfthread/2057713769

_Kaiser_

PAKNET wrote: »

It's split between Egypt and India and yes it's as utterly shambolic as it ever was.

To make matters worse, they've also outsourced retail support so going into a Vodafone shop will just see the retail guys hitting the same non-functioning administration systems as you'll hit.

Typical example - there are three people on the Boards Talk To forum this week who ported over online but Vodafone never saw fit to send them out SIM cards! So their mobile number was ported, their existing provider service stopped working and they were left with no SIM card and no service.
Link to Thread: http://www.boards.ie/ttfthread/2057714030

And if anyone is thinking of moving to this plan and believes they can easily back out under the Network Satisfaction Guarantee, think again!
My personal recent experience: http://www.boards.ie/ttfthread/2057713769

To be honest the only reason I'd consider them again is because the 3 coverage in my current apartment is awful and at least with Vodafone you can get one of those Suresignal devices (I still have one from the last time) that amplifies the signal via landline broadband

But abysmal customer care and a 12 month contract for nothing (when you're paying them every month for network access/bundles like everyone else anyway) doesn't sit well with me.

stevek93

bk wrote: »

Virgin and ID are running on Three's new 4G network. Only Tesco, Lyca and 48Months are running on the old 02 network.

How is the coverage?

bk

stevek93 wrote: »

How is the coverage?

Well I'm with Lyca. I find it fine for my needs. Coverage around Dublin and Cork seems mostly to be fine. But then I'm a light user, only some whatsapp, spotify and maps. Don't really stream video. Only use about 1GB per month.

But then for €7.50 per month I'm getting unlimited calls and 10GB of data, so I'm very happy with the level of service for the cost.

torrevieja

LG1234 wrote: »

But you cant get automated texts from the likes of Ulster Bank etc which is a deal breaker

Can u elabroate more why wouldi want texts from them ?

_Kaiser_

torrevieja wrote: »

Can u elabroate more why wouldi want texts from them ?

Probably things like verification codes when trying to perform certain actions via online banking - PTSB for example are the same, and it's a far better system than AIB's calculator thing (which you never have on you when you need it) for example.

Bob24

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

torrevieja wrote: »

Can u elabroate more why wouldi want texts from them ?

Probably things like verification codes when trying to perform certain actions via online banking - PTSB for example are the same, and it's a far better system than AIB's calculator thing (which you never have on you when you need it) for example.

Yes for that reason a mobile network which has issue recieving text messages from online plateforms would be a deal breaker for me.

And it is not just banks: many websites/services offer two-factor authentication based on text messages, you won't receive last minute updates sent by an airline, you won't receive automated appointment reminders sent by your doctors scheduling plateform, etc.

torrevieja

LG1234 wrote: »

But you cant get automated texts from the likes of Ulster Bank etc which is a deal breaker

Hiw many networks are there that you cant get automated texts

Bob24

torrevieja wrote: »

LG1234 wrote: »

But you cant get automated texts from the likes of Ulster Bank etc which is a deal breaker

Hiw many networks are there that you cant get automated texts

I hope it has improved since then, but 4-5 years ago Tesco Mobile could't receive text messages from one of my (non-Irish) banks. I have been on O2, Meteor, and Three over the years and all of them have never completely prevented my from receiving them as Tesco did (Three will sometimes miss one of them but if I request the bank to send it a second time it works, and the other two were 100% reliable).

DopeTech

Bob24 wrote: »

I hope it has improved since then, but 4-5 years ago Tesco Mobile could't receive text messages from one of my (non-Irish) banks. I have been on O2, Meteor, and Three over the years and all of them have never completely prevented my from receiving them as Tesco I did (Three will sometimes miss one of them but if I request the bank to send it a second time it works).

All mnvos have that problem. It's one of the real deal breakers for me. If I'm paying for a service I want to know I can send and receive texts to and from whoever i want.

Bob24

FrostyJim wrote: »

All mnvos have that problem. It's one of the real deal breakers for me. If I'm paying for a service I want to know I can send and receive texts to and from whoever i want.

Yes small MVNOs would need the assistance of a global SMS hub such as this one to get full SMS capability with international networks and online SMS plateforms used by the banks and other companies: http://wholesalesolutions.orange.com/content/download/48804/1423171/version/1/file/Push+SMS+Global+eXchange+2016.pdf

But I guess a small cheapo network like Lyca sees this as too large an expense.

bk

FrostyJim wrote: »

All mnvos have that problem. It's one of the real deal breakers for me. If I'm paying for a service I want to know I can send and receive texts to and from whoever i want.

While There have definitely been issues with ID and maybe Virgin, I've had zero issues with Lyca and I've never herd of anyone having any issues with them. And I have 2fa enabled on almost every web service the supports it.

It seems to be more of an issue with the new MVNO's on Three's network, rather then the ones on the old o2 network.

loyatemu

when I was with Lyca I didn't receive half the texts that were sent to me from other networks. This was a few years back, they may have sorted it out since.

I've just left 3 for Meteor, the improvement in data coverage with Meteor is dramatic. My other half is with Vodafone and they're also streets ahead of 3 - I'd expect any of the MVNO's using 3's network to have the same issues, it's just totally oversubscribed.

ErinGoBrath

loyatemu wrote: »

I've just left 3 for Meteor, the improvement in data coverage with Meteor is dramatic. My other half is with Vodafone and they're also streets ahead of 3 - I'd expect any of the MVNO's using 3's network to have the same issues, it's just totally oversubscribed.

I've just switched from meteor to 3 to see if I could get better data coverage on my daily Dundalk - Dublin commute. Boy was I wrong! It's pretty terrible in comparison.

Do you think Vodafone would better Meteors coverage?

iggy

ErinGoBrath wrote: »

I've just switched from meteor to 3 to see if I could get better data coverage on my daily Dundalk - Dublin commute. Boy was I wrong! It's pretty terrible in comparison.

Do you think Vodafone would better Meteors coverage?

I was on Vodafone and moved to 3. Lasted a week and went to Meteor as more data allowance than Vodafone.
3 signal was terrible for me. I drive all around Ireland with my job.
Meteor signal good but not as good as Vodafone. I'll be moving back to Vodafone as the allowance is now 10gb which is plenty for me.

laserlad2010

ErinGoBrath wrote: »

I've just switched from meteor to 3 to see if I could get better data coverage on my daily Dundalk - Dublin commute. Boy was I wrong! It's pretty terrible in comparison.

Do you think Vodafone would better Meteors coverage?

I was in your position. "4G" when in reality all videos lag and loading takes ages. Vodafone in comparison is so smooth. 4G is actually 4G! Definitely worth switching.

loyatemu

laserlad2010 wrote: »

I was in your position. "4G" when in reality all videos lag and loading takes ages. Vodafone in comparison is so smooth. 4G is actually 4G! Definitely worth switching.

that's exactly what I found with 3 - phone said I was on 4g or H+ but I couldn't even get Twitter to update. This was on rush-hour trains, so their network just isn't up to dealing with large numbers of people at the same time.

Meteor I can stream videos and Spotify on the move, vastly superior (while still cheaper than Vodafone).

jenno86

Any idea how long this is running for?

laserlad2010

loyatemu wrote: »

that's exactly what I found with 3 - phone said I was on 4g or H+ but I couldn't even get Twitter to update. This was on rush-hour trains, so their network just isn't up to dealing with large numbers of people at the same time.

Meteor I can stream videos and Spotify on the move, vastly superior (while still cheaper than Vodafone).

I must correct you - I was referring to Meteor being slow!:D

PAKNET

Anyone who signs up check your first bill.

Seems to be a lot of reports both here on boards.ie and on the vodafone.ie forum that the discount is not being applied automatically.

BrendanD

Am with Virgin at the moment on a 30 day sim only planed do i have
to give notice to Virgin that I want to move to Vodaphone ?

torrevieja

BrendanD wrote: »

Am with Virgin at the moment on a 30 day sim only planed do i have
to give notice to Virgin that I want to move to Vodaphone ?

how is the Virgin Network

BrendanD

BrendanD wrote: »

Am with Virgin at the moment on a 30 day sim only planed do i have
to give notice to Virgin that I want to move to Vodaphone ?

You need to give 30 days notice that you're leaving, yes.