After being on Virgin Pay As you Go for over a year, I realised the amount I was paying for calls and texts was well over £20 per month - I had to top up on regular occasions. I didn't really feel that I was making too many calls/texts and running out was a constant worry as it's happened on a few occasions! I also knew that my phone has plenty of features such as Email, streaming video, internet and RSS feeds that I couldn't use because the internet charge was far too expensive.

** Joining O2 **

Fourtunately after seeing a few ads, I realised that there were some really good SIM card only pay monthly deals going round. I was perfectly happy with my phone - a Sony Ericsson Z710i, a very uncommon, nice looking flip-phone with all the features I wanted. I originally bought it for O2 but got it unlocked (Naughty I know!). After hunting around, I found one that seemed perfect.

The O2 'SIMplicity' deal really caught my eye. For a limited time, the 'Online 25' deal was (and still is till the end of Oct!) reduced by £5 to £20 a month. For that, you get 600 minutes, 500 texts and a free 'bolt-on' of your choice. The Bolt-ons range from unlimited texts, free O2 to O2 calls, but the one that really appealed to me was the Unlimited Web. Finally I could make use of the RSS reader, Email and Internet without a charge! Also, the contract is a 'rolling' 30 days one- so you can cancel with just 30 days notice.

I visited the O2 shop near me one Saturday afternoon to sign up. It was extremely busy and it seemed like hours until I was served! Finally I saw a friendly member of staff who signed me up, but it was a good thing I brought down my bank statement along with a debit card as this was needed to set up the account. I got the SIM card there and then- and after requesting a PAC code from Virgin, was ready to go. To be honest, I was a little skeptical- one small SIM card for £20 a month!

** Using the new SIMplicity SIM card and my experience**

After inserting the new SIM and turning on my phone I immediately received my MMS and WAP settings from O2 over-the-air. Extremely helpful and really easy- I was ready to go right away. I noticed that I had a lot better coverage under O2 than I did under Virgin. The signal strength bar is almost always full now. In addition there is often an 'E' next to the bar rather than a 'G'. After doing some research I found that 'E' stands for EDGE (2.5G), which ensures faster speeds when browsing the internet than GPRS ('G'). It's extremely useful for phones that can't do 3G, like mine, but are capable of faster speeds and the newer technology. As far as I know, no mobile networks except O2 support the EDGE technology in the UK (which I think is down to the iPhone!), but there are plenty of new and popular phones from Samsung, Nokia and Sony Ericsson that support it.

Shortly after I turned my phone on with the new SIM card I received a helpful call from O2 and I managed to get my number copied accross using the PAC code (which took about a week to activate, but was a painless process). I also learned that sending MMS (picture or video messages) were included in the monthly allowance- 1 MMS uses 4 of your inclusive texts. O2 are the only operator which do this as far as I know- all others charge extra. To me this is a major advantage. Voicemail is also free- some operators charge for it.

I tried out WAP, streaming video (from BBC news), RSS, email, browing websites, sending MMS...everything worked like a dream especially at the EDGE speeds. I realised that with my deal I could finally realise the full potential of my phone!

** Slight issues **

After about a week of being extremely pleased I found this deal, I noticed online ads that said the deal had 1000 texts. I only had 500, and whilst I wasn't being greedy in the slightest and knowing I wouldn't ever use that many, it's always nice to get the most for your money and I would have the security I wouldn't be charged if I ever went over 500. After a bit of investigating I found that the deal only applied if you signed up online, not in store. I was a little disappointed I wasn't told this, so I gave O2 customer services a ring a few days later. After a quick chat- and almost being put through to the retentions dept to cancel and re-sign up- they decided it was best to just increase my texts by 500. Perfect!

After a few weeks and my next bill the texts were still 500, so I called O2 again today to try and get it sorted. The customer services staff were extremely helpful and friendly. Fingers crossed it'll be increased by tomorrow.

Another thing I was a little disappointed at was the charge imposed on 'freephone' 0800 numbers. It's something like 30p a minute. I wish it was included as part of your allowance (even something like double the amount of mins used than normal), but I guess things are never completely perfect!

** Conclusion **

Overall, I'm extremely happy with O2. From being charged an arm and a leg for pay as you go under my old provider, I'm now paying less per month under O2 and using my phone so much more. I'm calling and texting a lot, sending MMS and not worrying about the cost. In addition, I can now browse the internet on my phone and use all its internet features for free. It's a truly amazing deal and I'm so happy I went ahead with it. In addition, the benefits like EDGE, free voicemail, and MMS included in the plan are the icing on the cake.

The 'SIM-only' contract deals seem to be all the rage at the moment, but with O2 you get the standard stuff plus so much more that the other operators just don't offer which makes it fantastic value for money. Highly recommended.

Thanks for reading!