SMARTY mobile has unveiled its winter sale deals on a flexible one month plan.

Its latest Sim deals include 200GB for £14 (was £17) and the new 24GB plan (was 12GB) gives double data for £8.

SMARTY’s plans all come with lots of data, unlimited calls and texts, 5G at no extra cost and EU roaming included up to 12GB.

You can get a SMARTY sim card from its website, or pick up a sim from a high street store such as Sainsbury’s, Argos, Poundland, WHSmiths and McColls.

O2 is offering savings of up to £500 on a range of devices and data plans from now until December 28.

O2’s latest winter deals can be found below, as well as here.

Pay Monthly Handset offers

•       iPhone 11 64GB: Save up to £144 on 5GB and over tariffs 
•       iPhone 14 Plus 128GB: Save up to £72 
•       iPhone 14 Pro 128GB: Save up to £180 on Unlimited tariffs 
•       Google Pixel 6a: Save up to £288 on 20GB/150GB/Unlimited/Unlimited+  until 18 Jan
•       Google Pixel 7 & 7 Pro: Save up to £216 on 100GB until 18 Jan
•       Samsung S22 Ultra 128/256/512GB: Save up to £500 

Pay Monthly MBB Tablet, Laptop & Watch offers 

•       iPad Pro 12.9 6th Gen: Get for £29.25* a month, for the first 6 months. Then £42.25 per month 
•       iPad Air 5th Generation: Get for £17.25 a month, for the first 6 months. Then £30.25* per month 
•       Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G: Get from £14.99 a month, our lowest ever monthly cost 
•       Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 5G*: Get for £15 a month, for the first 6 months. Then £24 
•       Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 5G: Save up to £384 and get for £32.50 a month
•       Samsung Galaxy Watch5 4G*: Save up to £84 and get for £7.50 a month, for the first 6 months. Then £12.50 
•       Apple Watch Ultra: Get for £17.75 a month, for the first 6 months. Then £22.75 per month
•       Apple Watch SE (2nd Generation): Get for £6.75 a month, for the first 6 months. Then £11.75 per month

O2 is also offering savings on SIM only plans such as Unlimited SIM only Plus Plan from £30 per month, and the 150GB SIM only deal for £22 per month. The first three months of airtime are free.

Giffgaff has added extra data to six of its existing SIM only goodybags at no extra cost, and has introduced five new goodybags.

All goodybags include unlimited calls and texts, with prices fixed for all of 2023.

Golden goodybags recur every 30 days, but a standard goodybag needs to be activated each month. Both goodybags are flexible and allow members to change depending on data needs. 

The new tariffs from giffgaff are said to provide better value than social tariffs offered by other mobile networks.

Changes to standard goodybags

• The £8 goodybag will increase from 3GB to 4GB of data. 
• The £10 goodybag will increase from 12GB to 15GB of data. 
• The £12 goodybag will increase from 20GB to 25GB of data. 
• The £15 goodybag will increase from 25GB to 30GB of data. 
• Giffgaff will launch the £35 goodybag which will offer 150GB.

Changes to golden goodybags

• Giffgaff will launch a £6 golden goodybag offering 2GB of data.
• Giffgaff will launch an £8 golden goodybag offering 5GB of data.
• The £10 golden goodybag will increase from 15GB to 20GB of data. 
• Giffgaff will launch a £12 golden goodybag offering 26GB of data.
• The £15 golden goodybag will increase from 30GB to 35GB of data.
• Giffgaff will launch a £25 golden goodybag offering 100GB of data

Ash Schofield, CEO of giffgaff, said: “At giffgaff, we’re committed to making sure mobile bills are one less thing that people have to worry about at the moment. Our latest updates to our goodybags, plus the fact that we’ve fixed our UK prices for 2023, provides the certainty and value people are looking for right now as we head into the new year.”

Virgin Media O2 is helping people access free mobile data by adding the National Databank on the High Street through 10 O2 stores across the UK.

The National Databank was founded by Virgin Media O2 and digital inclusion charity Good Things Foundation and provides free mobile data, texts and calls.

People can access the National Databank via O2 stores and receive 20GB of free O2 data per month for up to six months.

The O2 stores taking part are in Ballymena, Broadstairs, Colchester, Hastings, Hull, Norwich, Newport, Perth, Plymouth, and Stockton-on-Tees- as these towns and cities are areas where free data will help those most in need.

Those eligible can go to a participating O2 store and ask for a 20GB data voucher, or they can access the National Databank through 650 participating community partners. 

O2 Christmas SIM cards

Virgin Media O2 is also providing one million GB of free O2 data to help people stay connected at Christmas.

New ‘O2 Christmas SIM Cards’ are now available in O2 stores nationwide and online- helping customers who need it access 7GB of free data.

The SIM card can be gifted to anyone who needs it and they can get a free O2 SIM card to enable them to use data and access the internet.

Gareth Turpin, Chief Commercial at Virgin Media O2, said: “It’s now going to be easier than ever for those in need to access the National Databank directly on the High Street via our O2 stores, so they can get online and connect to essential services – from medical appointments to applying for jobs.

“And with our additional 1 million GB of free data available via special Christmas SIM Cards, Virgin Media O2 is helping more people get the data they need, so they can stay in touch with loved ones over the festive period.”

Uswitch is offering advice on roaming fees to consumers and families who are planning to travel abroad this half-term.

Roaming fees have been introduced by a number of major and small networks, so travellers are being encouraged to check their phone contracts and ensure they don’t receive any unexpected charges.

Catherine Hiley, mobile expert at Uswitch.com has come up with some tips for consumers to follow when they travel abroad.

1. Check the costs and plan ahead, as every provider has a different price and plan for roaming depending on which country you are visiting. O2 is one of the only providers that do not charge for EU roaming. 

2. Use WiFi wherever possible as it is the easiest and cheapest way to avoid roaming fees.

3. Make sure your phone is in flight mode and data roaming is switched off when on the plane to avoid any unexpected charges while flying through different countries. 

4. Check your phone providers fair usage policy to find out how much free data you can use before you encounter extra fees. 

5. Download any films, tv shows or music before travelling so you can access entertainment on flight without connecting to the internet or using your data.

6. Beware of voicemail as some networks may charge for even listening to a voicemail on holiday.

7. Consider going SIM only if you are a frequent traveller or staying abroad for a few weeks. A no-contract or one-month rolling SIM offers plenty of data and can be cancelled any time if you do opt for a rolling SIM.

8. Roaming charges should be limited to a maximum of £45 a month anywhere in the world and your provider should let you know when you are near this limit. A roaming add-on to your plan could help you save money.

9. If going on a cruise, check if you will receive a WiFi package to avoid roaming charges when travelling at sea. At-sea services are said to be more expensive than if you were on land.

10. Consider renting a second mobile number for your phone as an internet phone service allows you to receive incoming calls and texts for free.

Network enabler CTech Group has struck a partnership with credit check specialists Experian. 

The partnership means CTech is able to integrate its application interfaces (APIs) in line with Experian’s credit checking functionality and offer the service to its retail partners. 

Speaking to Mobile News CTech Group CEO and founder Ashley Bailey said the partnership will help CTech attract more retailers.

CTech specialise in enabling retailers to sell software along with hardware through SIM Only product. Partners include Argos, Three, Vodafone, Lebara and Envirofone. 

“We’re adapting our technology to put us into more avenues and making our proposition more attractive to retailers, which are looking at offering more services,” said Bailey. 

Bailey explains that Experian’s credit checking allows customers to enjoy a quicker and more friction-less experience. 

“People who want to switch from one mobile network to another, so they can take advantage of better value SIM only price plans, need to prove their identity and pass a credit check before they can be accepted as customers.” 

Overcoming a hurdle

But collecting the necessary information can be difficult for the retailers who can sometimes lose customers during this process, says Bailey. 

“However, this verification process creates a pinch point in the customer journey because retailers either struggle to collect the information needed to connect the customer, or, because of limitations in the technology, can’t carry out the right credit check.

“We’ve developed a software as a service (SaaS) solution to this problem that will integrate our cross operator application interfaces (APIs), with Experian’s credit checking functionality and a retailer’s e-commerce systems.

“This means retailers will not only be able to perform the right identity and credit check in real-time, but also activate the SIM, without having to have multiple API integrations with each of the different operators.”

Experian head of telco, utilities, public sector and healthcare Stuart Surridge has welcomed the partnership. 

“The functionality CTech has developed will allow retailers to credit check their customers instantly and then activate the SIM within their website, without disrupting the customer journey.

“We’re excited about this innovation because now Experian’s suite of products can be used to make the buying journey as smooth as possible and reduce fraud.”

Argos will be one of the first CTech partners to use the service.

A start-up device subscription company called Raylo is hoping to provide Apple’s next iPhone via a subscription model cheaper than that of operators. It expects to unveil the model in September.

Raylo is tentatively
pricing the latest iPhone SIM-free and fully insured at £43.99 per
month for 24 months, which it may adjust depending on the price of
the device.

Consumers return the
device at the end of the contract to Raylo, which will sell the phone
to an overseas consumer market. The company claims that its price
coupled with a SIM-only deal is cheaper than the phone will be on a
contract with insurance from one of the ‘big four’ networks.

Raylo has not yet disclosed its distribution or recycling partners, but has been running a beta service since May with the iPhone XS and XS Max models.

A statement from the company read: “Apple has yet to officially announce the new iPhone. However, Raylo has the relationships in place to procure the new iPhone at launch, which we expect to be in September 2019.”

Co-founder and CEO Karl Gilbert said: “According to Carphone Warehouse, SIM-only contracts have grown to 35 per cent of the contract market and are estimated to be growing at 100,000 people per week, so we think we’re in the right space to offer a SIM-free phone with a simple online sign-up.”

He added that Ofcom’s
promotion of text-to-switch and the introduction of end- of-contract
notifications from February next year will also help draw in
customers.

More than 5,700 people have signed up to the waiting list at the time of writing.

Mobile network operators are losing more customers than they are gaining, according to a new YouGov report.

The ‘Understanding the mobile operator switching market’ report found that 12 per cent of people with mobile phone switched network provider in the past 12 months, equating to 5.6 million customers.

Throughout the last 12 months two thirds of all switchers (66 per cent) left one of the main four operators but only 45 per cent switched to a rival with the further 55 per cent of switchers running off to MVNOs such as BT Mobile (eight per cent), Sky Mobile (six per cent) or PlusNet Mobile (six per cent).

Quad play offerings have proven a lure for consumers with 13 per cent of switchers making the change, with that fi gure increasing among Sky Mobile (49 per cent), BT Mobile (44 per cent), Plusnet Mobile (27 per cent) and Virgin mobile (26 per cent).

Dissatisfaction

The report found also found that the amount of people on SIM-only plans currently stands at 27 per cent across the mobile market as a whole with that figure rising to 41 per cent among those who have already switched.

Price was highlighted as a big reason as to why people switch, with 49 per cent of Three customers moving from a contract and 27 per cent joining the network from a SIMonly deal with 38 per cent of those who switched taking a contract and 48 per cent taking a SIMO deal.

Of consumers looking to hold on to their device when their contract ends, the majority would rather move to SIM-only deals than upgrade and continue to pay more.

The report showed 47 per cent of iPhone users who have switched networks are on a contract with 43 per cent taking a SIM-only but before switching 52 per cent were on a contract and 25 per cent were on SIMO.

However, despite the pull of cheaper tariffs YouGov found that switchers pay an average of £15.60 per month compared to £14.72 on their previous network.

Other reasons for switching included a dissatisfaction with the network coverage (29 per cent) or customer service (26 per cent).

iD Mobile has claimed to launch its cheapest SIM-only monthly plan to date for £3.99 per month.

Customers will get 500MB of data, 5000 minutes and 500 text in the tariff. The rolling contract also comes data carry over, any unused data will be carried over to next month’s, a feature it claims to have been first in the UK to introduce. The tariff can also be used in 50 destinations abroad.

The Carphone Warehouse MVNO runs off the Three network, it reported in January to have hit the 500,000 contract customer milestone in January.

Dixon Carphone Group chief executive Seb James claimed in December iD Mobile had become the fastest growing MVNO in UK history, attracting 450,000 subscribers since launch.

iD Mobile has announced a new plan that combines GoTo, Shockproof and TakeAway offerings from the operator into one SIM.

The tariff from the 4G network operator from Carphone Warehouse will be launched on thursday (June 15) and will allow customers to roam free of charge in over 50 destinations in Europe.

iD Mobile general manager Adam Dunlop said: “We’re shaking up the market to offer key benefits that are uniquely available on every iD Mobile contract plan.

“Unlike other networks, we are providing these standard on all SIM Only and Handset Plans regardless of price point.

The operator, that celebrated two years of running last month, has surpassed 500 thousand customers with Dunlop adding the focus for iD is providing value and control to customers.

He said: “At iD Mobile, we passed the half a million customer point earlier this year, and as we celebrate our second birthday, this is the next step in building a network that provides even greater value and control for UK mobile customers.”