Sim-only plans are great value and they’re almost always cheaper than standard mobile phone plans. So if you’re not currently tied into a contract then you should definitely consider switching.
We’re going to do a quick review of what’s available from the Irish mobile networks and we’ll try to find out who is offering the best value. All of the plans discussed here have 30 day contracts, so they’re very flexible if you want to change.
Our Criteria
We’re going to keep things simple and base our comparisons on a person who uses on average 100 minutes talktime, 100 texts and occasionally uses data too (250mb or less a month).
Criteria: 100 minutes of talktime, 100 texts, 250mb data
But we will also have a look at some of the other plans for those who are heavier users of their mobile phones.
Vodafone
Vodafone have two sim-only plans, Simply 100 and Simply Plus. ‘Simply’ offers 100 minutes and 100 texts for €20, ‘Simply Plus’ is €40 and gives you 400 minutes and 400 texts. Both plans include free calls and texts to other Vodafone users but no data.
Simply 100 €20 + 1GB data €9.99 = €29.99
Bonus: Free Vodafone calls and texts
Vodafone’s offering is the weakest of all networks in our comparison. It’s also a shame that there isn’t a smaller and cheaper data add-on. Most users wont come close to using 1GB of data.
O2
O2 also have two sim-only plans, Simplicity and Simplicity with data. They are priced at €15 and €20 respectively, for that price you get 150 minutes and 150 texts. The Simplicity with data plan gives you 250MB of data.
Simplicity with data = €20
Bonus: The plan is 50 texts and 50 minutes over our base comparison
O2′s offering is very strong and also happens to be the cheapest plan that meets our criteria. The only slight negative is that O2 doesn’t offer free calls or texts to other O2 users. Personally, I don’t know which network my family and friends use and I don’t want to try and find out just so I can save a few quid so this doesn’t bother me.
Meteor
Meteor have a total of four sim-only plans and a large number of add-ons too, so I’m just going to summarise the interesting ones here. If you want to have a more detailed look, you’d be better off checking their website. They have two ‘Smart Lite’ plans. The first is €25 if you order online and it gives you 200 minutes, 200 texts and 1GB of data. The second is €40 online and offers 400 minutes, 400 texts and 2GB of data.
Smart Lite = €25 (online only)
Bonus: Free Meteor calls and texts. Also, The plan is 100 texts and 100 minutes over our base comparison
Meteor also have a very strong offering. It’s €5 more expensive than O2 but it’s also a bit beefier and offers extra minutes, text and data.
Three
Three have a total of eight (!!) sim-only plans, you’d better check their website if you want more info. The one that fits our needs is the ‘Mini Flex’ plan which gives us 300 flexi-units (I’ll explain what they are in a second) and free three-to-three calls for €20, we’ll also have to add the 500MB data add-on for €5. A flexi-unit is equivalent 1 minute of talktime or 2 text messages. So for example, 300 flexi-units could buy us 250 minutes and 100 text messages or 200 minutes and 200 texts.
Mini Flex €20 + Internet Mini €4.99 = €24.99
Bonus: Free three to three calls and flexi-units
A very similar offer to Meteor and equally strong, the flexi-units offer flexibility if you talk more than you text (or vice-verse). One thing to consider is that Three’s coverage still isn’t quite up to scratch in some areas.
The Others
EMobile plans are all 18 month contracts so I haven’t included them in the comparisons (all of the comparisons here are 30 day contracts). If you do a lot of calling to landlines then perhaps emobile are worth a look because they offer free landline calls. Otherwise though, emobile’s plans aren’t particularly competitive.
Tesco Mobile don’t seem to offer any bill-pay plans so they didn’t feature in this comparison.
Conclusion
Vodafone don’t offer much value in this comparison and I’m hard pressed to think of reasons why you might want to choose them. Edit: Peadar points out in the comments that Data Roaming with Vodafone comes from your data allowance, so if you want to use data while travelling it makes a lot of sense to choose Vodafone.
O2 stands on it’s own as being the cheapest plan to meet our criteria (and surpasses it too), if you rarely find yourself exceeding 150 minutes and 150 texts then this is definitely the plan for you.
If O2′s plan doesn’t quite cover your monthly minutes and texts then Meteor and Three’s plans are a bit beefier. To be honest, it probably comes down to whichever network you have more friends on (to avail of the free calls), and which network has better coverage in your area. In my experience, Meteor has a slight edge in these regards.
My Choice: O2 Simplicity with data = €20.
If you need a bit more: Meteor Smart Lite = €25 (online only).
Vodafone has two big advantages:
1) lots of people use their network, so the savings involved in free voda-voda calls can be significant.
2) Data Roaming with them abroad is mostly free. Data usage comes out of the allowance you’re already paying for and anybody who has used a smartphone knows the one time you really need that data (apart from when you’re showing off!) is when you go abroad. That’s when you want access to google maps, google translate etc. etc.
Thanks Peadar, those are very good points and I’ve edited my conclusion. If you travel a lot and use data then Vodafone seems like a good option.
Good article. I’m with 3 using a 3pay sim and it works great. I only pay €20 per month, where I used to pay 60-70 per month when I was on O2. I normally use €5 out of the 20 to buy a 500MB data addon each month. And I have unlimited any network texts all the time, and unlimited any network calls on Saturday and Sunday. So my credit only goes down if I call someone Monday to Friday.
I find the coverage better on 3 than O2 in those places where I need it-e.g. Home, work, my parents house. (I blogged about this a few months ago). I can also use my bundle SMS, data and minutes up north or anywhere in the uk without penalty. It really is hard to beat this deal.
@Finbarr: Great point about being able to use your bundled minutes/data/sms in the UK. I might try and do a PAYG version of this blog post sometime soon.
What about Just Mobile’s €18/month plan giving free calls to any network and landlines?
Or Tesco… No monthly payment, 20c/min all day to any network and landlines, and *double* credit every time you top up (making calls really 10c/min!). Other networks are profiting from the *unused* monthly credit many have left each month.