Not writing frequently any more - work demands curtail my time!
Not writing frequently any more - work demands curtail my time!
Member since:26.07.2000
Reviews:575
Members who trust:274
Having had a contract phone with BT Cellnet for three years prior to leaving the UK, I had a quick dalliance with a Genie pre-paid tariff before changing to Orange Just Talk for my infrequent visits to Britain. Admittedly pre-paid would drive me bonkers if I had to use it the whole time as topping up seems to become the bane of someone’s life.
The main reason for choosing the Orange Just Talk PAYG solution was the fact that the SIM card doesn’t ever expire, whereas with Genie PAYG I had to keep topping up the card monthly in order to keep my card active. Whilst it had come with a large amount of free SMS messages each month, they were of course useless if I couldn’t keep the card activated without topping up monthly (sounds a bit like a monthly subscription PAYG system to me). The other reason for doing so was that the SIM card and five pounds worth of call credit cost only £18.95, which meant I could just stick it in the back on one of my old handsets and was away. Or so I thought...
Well I had to go and get the SIM card unlocked first of all and activated which required finding a payphone in Glasgow (relatively easy) and giving them my details.
At the same time I decided to give them my swipe card (see below) and debit card details, meaning that I wasn't restricted to using top-up cards (available in denominations of £10, £15, £20 and £50 IIRC) and therefore having to find top-up cards for the phone. The swipe card can be loaded with a certain amount of money (minimum £5) which can then be loaded onto the phone as call credit, although not everywhere has a swipe machine. I tend to usually top up with my debit card, which requires you to key in the amount you want to top your phone up by and then to confirm using a numerical password you have assigned when registering your phone.
I went for the Just Talk Plus tariff because of the fact that I estimate I use my phone for around 20 minutes a day when in Britain, usually to call friends whilst they are at the office to arrange that evening’s entertainment, and with a lot of them being on Orange too it made sense to get an Orange phone – all my family are now on Orange too.
The great thing with Just Talk Plus is that there is no peak and off peak time, so you don’t have to think about what time of day to call if you want to save money. The calling plan is very simple, With the first three minutes to landlines and other Orange phones being charged at 25p a minute (admittedly this is a lot more than my contract phone in Austria – I pay 8p a minute around the clock to fixed lines and all mobile networks...) but after the third minute the rate sinks to 5p per minute. This means for example that a 6 minute phonecall to a landline will cost between 90p and 30p (depending on whether you have called for three minutes or not). Text messages are also pretty reasonable at 10p a minute, with it costing 10p per minute to listen to your voicemail, which after having free voicemail in Austria was a bit annoying, although for the minimal amount of use it gets each year I can't really begrudge it. There is a standard rate of 40p per minute to other mobiles, which is a lot better than it was with Genie, where I was paying close to 75p a minute (definite rip off!) and in which instance I used to roam using my Austrian mobile onto the same network as the person I was calling, and it worked out considerably cheaper that way.
Network coverage is standard, although occasionally I found that the signal went from four bars to no bars without moving the phone and the repeat polling was slow which often meant I had to turn the phone off and then back on again in order to get a signal, although I haven’t experienced any dropped calls which can be a problem sometimes. There is also a Just Talk package with WAP although I generally tend to not bother with WAP, other than for checking the Test Match Score on Cricinfo.
Roaming is also included although you have to have supplied your bank details for this to be activated. I don’t ever turn my phone on in Austria as I have an Austrian mobile, and don’twant to incur charges for roaming on my PAYG phone. Obviously if you buy a PAYG deal other than the SIM only deal that I went for, then you’ll get a handset, with prices being competitive although more expensive than if you have got the handset with a contract phone.
All in all I would recommend Just Talk (in particular Just Talk Plus) as a good plan for light-medium users of mobile phones, especially for people who want to keep a mobile phone number yet who are not in Britain very often.
PS Handset marks don't really apply - I didn't get the handset as part of a Just Talk deal.
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All of these reviews are clearly propaganda on the part of Orange. The odd adverse comment is slipped in to make them credible but the writing by advertising professionals is obvious to anyone with a brain.
sheridans_2001 13.12.2002 09:34
I find that having a pay as you go really good but the money goes really quickly!!! Nice op.
Sheridans_2001
Advantages: 5 Free Texts a Day, £5 free talk time, a free beach bag if you're lucky! Disadvantages: Used to cost £14.99 (one off-payment), now £19.99 a year,can't use them abroad
tiggerishone 05.09.2003 (05.09.2003)
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Advantages: Great contracts on offer, good reception, good service Disadvantages: Not consistent waiting times when phoning cust services - can wait a while at peak times
bexx0907 16.10.2009 ·
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Review of Orange
Advantages: 5 Free Texts a Day, £5 free talk time, a free beach bag if you're lucky! Disadvantages: Used to cost £14.99 (one off-payment), now £19.99 a year,can't use them abroad
tiggerishone 05.09.2003 (05.09.2003)
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