Mobile phone/sim card question.

[vickster]

Ahhh. Are you saying a new phone comes with a new sim ??
I assumed I just took the sim out of the old one and shoved it in the new one.

Depends if the new phone takes the same size SIM. If you buy a phone from Virgin and you stay with them, they’ll provide a new sim I would think. If you buy an unlocked phone elsewhere but stay sim only with Virgin, you may need to get a new different sized sim from
Virgin
If you leave Virgin altogether, a new provider will provide their SIM whether you go Sim only (and get phone elsewhere) or get a phone too. In that instance, you’ll also need a pac code from Virgin to keep your number with a new provider

Simples

 

[Dave7]

Depends if the new phone takes the same size SIM. If you buy a phone from Virgin and you stay with them, they’ll provide a new sim I would think. If you buy an unlocked phone elsewhere but stay sim only with Virgin, you may need to get a new different sized sim from
Virgin
If you leave Virgin altogether, a new provider will provide their SIM whether you go Sim only (and get phone elsewhere) or get a phone too. In that instance, you’ll also need a pac code from Virgin to keep your number with a new provider

Simples

My head hurts.
My thinking is...........phone Virgin, threaten to leave, see if I can get a good deal on a new phone.

 

[Dirk]

My head hurts.
My thinking is...........phone Virgin, threaten to leave, see if I can get a good deal on a new phone.

Buy an unlocked phone of your choice and get a deal that suits you on a SIM card from a provider of your choice. Get a PAC code from Virgin and transfer your number over to the new SIM. A lot easier than it sounds.
There's a lot of good deals around on SIM only packages.

 

[Electric_Andy]

My head hurts.
My thinking is...........phone Virgin, threaten to leave, see if I can get a good deal on a new phone.

Getting your PAC code from your old provider is 1 phone call, and should take 15 minutes when you factor in being on hold, listening to their sales pitch and them trying to keep your custom by offering you their "best" deals which you won't be interested in. But it's fairly simple. By all means get a quote for a new phone, it can sometimes work out cheaper than buying an unlocked handset from Amazon etc. Or you can do it on their website sometimes, using the online chat function. but to get your pAC code you'll need to phone them. They are obliged to do this for you so it shouldn't be a hassle. The only thing that annoyed me is that it took longer than it needed to on the phone becasue they look up a whole load of deals to try and keep you, instead of just discontinuing the contract and giving you the PAC code.

 

[classic33]

My head hurts.
My thinking is...........phone Virgin, threaten to leave, see if I can get a good deal on a new phone.

You swap networks, get the new one to sort getting your number ported over.

You stay with Virgin, but your new phone uses a different size SIM, get Virgin to swap your number over.

As said above, it sounds complicated but isn't as hard as it sounds to do.

 

[icowden]

What phone do you have currently?

It looks like you are happy with what you get from Virgin and it's just a case of deciding whether you need / want a new handset and if so what you want out of it.
If you tell us the current make, we can probably tell you what sim size you have and whether you are likely to need to change it.

It looks like their current cheapest plan is £7 per month, so your £5.50 deal is worth holding onto if it meets your needs. According to USwitch the only cheaper or comparable sim only tariffs are £4.95 with Lebara or Talk Mobile, or £5 with Three or Talk Mobile.

The threatening to leave plan does tend to work if you have been loyal to them for a while. What phone are you looking at getting?

Sometimes the Maths works out.

For example lets say you want the Sony Xperia 10 II. On a Virgin MObile tariff this is £15 for 3 years. So it will cost you £540. £198 of that is what you would have paid on the £5.50 tariff. The remaining £342 is what you are paying for the phone. The Sony Xperia 10 II can be purchased for £319.95 on Amazon, so you have paid £22 which is essentially interest payment on the invisible "loan" that Virgin have arranged with you. The benefit of going via the Virgin website and getting a new handset deal (or over the phone) is the ability to distribute the payment over 3 years rather than paying a lump upfront.

There may be some other "sweetners" rolled into the package also, depending on the phone and tariff. For example my phone had BT Sport included for 6 months (not that I had any interest in this).

 

[Dave7]

Update.
I am paying in the region of £15 per month and get loads of data stuff and unlimited calls.
Phoned Virgin and told them I was leaving. They are sending me a new phone at a reduced monthly rate of £11.00.
I am happy with that.

 

[Venod]

but to get your pAC code you'll need to phone them.

I just sent a text to a specified number, I think the message was "Pac" and I got a text back with my pac code, not sure if all companies do this.

 

[DRM]

Update.
I am paying in the region of £15 per month and get loads of data stuff and unlimited calls.
Phoned Virgin and told them I was leaving. They are sending me a new phone at a reduced monthly rate of £11.00.
I am happy with that.

Result