Is it me or are virgins mobile contracts very pricey? Even phone's like the s2 are still £24 on there Starter pack. Other networks are giving this phone out on £15 a month.

I am only stating as im with virgin and my contract runs out soon but with prices like these, i am going to go some where else which is a shame because i have had a hassle free 2 years with them.

It's always worth asking them when you call for your PAC code, they may give you a deal if you're an existing customer.

That is a idea, i never thought about carguy.

Are networks still doing bargain retentions deals? I was under the impression that some have cut right back on it.

Virgin just seem so out of sync with other providers. When i got my samsung galaxy ace, 2 years ago i got 1gb data, unlimited text's, 250mins of call time For £14:95. Now they only offer the same, on very pricey contracts.

I find this thread a little bizarre. I changed from Virgin to Orange after 9 years, precisely because their contracts are so cheap. I do get a £5 discount for being a Virgin Media customer, but even so I find their standard deals very competitive.

My deal in November was,

S3 £19
2700 any network
U/L landline
U/L Virgin-Virgin
U/L texts
U/L data with tethering

Including insurance @ 8.99 it worked out at £36 pcm, which is £27 a month net of insurance.

Have you factored in that all Virgin Mobile contracts include insurance? This may not matter to you if you don't want insurance, as you pay the same amount even if you don't have insurance - the insurance is "free" in a sense.

A similar deal on T-Mobile with network insurance would be £9 more. Similarly with 3, although they no longer offer network insurance, so the comparative cost would depend on whether or not you wanted to take out a separate policy.


VIrgin seem to.

My mother got a retention deal of

Galaxy Ace Plus £15
2700 any network
U/L landline
U/L Virgin-Virgin
U/L texts
U/L data with tethering

At THIRTEEN POUNDS pcm - including insurance @8.99 . Or effectively FIVE POUNDS pcm net of insurance!

What was that about Virgin being expensive?

they are pricy if you want them to supply the handset. You are better of going for a sim only deal which are pretty competitive and get your own handset.

If Virgin offered you such a good deal why did you change to Orange? And how good was the Orange deal?

I thought the Virgin PAYG Big Data and Texts deal for £10 a month is a bargain (unlimted data and texts plus your credit for calls).

I am not familiar with your opinion. Because last year i got 300 free text with the top up £10 a month with Virgin Mobile PAYG, even they set up unlimited free texts and 1GB internet data when you top up £15.
And now if we compare all these offers, one will really see the same there. Unless your after a new phone then PAYG seems to suit you more.

Johnsteward!

It's not just about cost comparisons with other operators, although if you are a Media Customer you automatically get around a fiver off pay monthly tariffs anyway plus unlimited minutes to other Virgin mobiles etc - It's also about what you get for your money.
Virgin uses EE's network which has the largest number of masts.
I get superb 3G coverage as a result.

You didn't read my post properly. I changed FROM Orange To Virgin.

It was a couple of months ago since I was with Orange so I can't recall the deal exactly. It was roughly £31 pounds pcm including insurance for a free S3 with 800 mins, U/L text, 2gb data and BT openzone with two swappables. I rejected worse offers first - in other words I took a worse deal initially then changed my mind and sent the handset back, upon which they improved their offer.

Bear in mind that I'd been with them for 9 years on an old contract from the days when contracts were more pricey and even unlimited texts were unheard of. I had 300 mins and 100 texts on Orange for something stupid like £30 or £40 pounds, TBH I can't even remember what the basic price was as I always went over my limits.

Because of that it was rare that I didn't have a bill of more than £50 from Orange and often considerably more, so I was disappointed that they couldn't offer me a deal that would tempt me away from Virgin. If they'd given me U/L data alone I would probably have stayed with Orange. However I'm glad they didn't - the unbranded VIrgin handset alone is lovely and I think its a useful experience to change providers. Part of the reason I stayed with Orange for so long even though I was paying a ridiculous amount is the daunting prospect of change and venturing into the unknown. I'll be better armed next time.

That's not what you wrote:

Apologies, my bad.

To correct - VIRGIN offered me a better deal than ORANGE (at least IMO) even though I had been a high-paying customer with Orange for 9 years.

So far (after three months or so) I can thoroughly recommend Virgin, especially if you want a high-end smartphone with unlimited data.

The above deals were from VIRGIN not Orange.

Every network has their plus points and bad points. That is the great thing about the UK market. Plenty of choice for everyone and loads of MVNO's.

Pretty competitive?!? I don't see any other network (including all the other obscure ones) offering even half the amount of minutes for £12 a month that Virgin are now offering. 1200 any network minutes, 1Gb internet, unlimited texts

Yeah this s the plan I am on with a 15% student discount, haven't seen anywhere else even come close on a one month rolling contract.

Gormond, im on my phone so I cant post a link but if you go to hotukdeals website you'll see virgin are doing an excellent retention deal.

£9pm for the same deal you are on but with unl data. Plus you keep your student discount. Only requirement is you most have been with them for 3 months min. Over 10+ people have confirmed to have got it after a bit of haggling.

I moved to virgin because it was so cheap, im on a sim only deal for £10 month for the minutes text eeb im getting no one could come close, saving a fortune over contract deals

I'm with Virgin on a sim only deal. 600 minutes, 2500 texts and 2.5mb for £6.99 per month. Quite good I think but suppose there are better deals about.