Latest news with #SMARTY
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
On Universal Credit? How you can save £100s on your summer phone bill
HEADING off for some summer sun should be a relaxing break, not a source of bill-shock. But with many major mobile networks reintroducing expensive daily roaming charges for using your phone in Europe, the cost of a simple holiday can quickly spiral. 1 For a family of four, a two-week trip could add £100s in roaming fees alone. However, a little-known secret could save you a fortune. If you're receiving Universal Credit or other benefits, you could be eligible for a special 'social tariff' on your mobile plan, slashing your monthly costs and letting you use your phone abroad for free. These 'social' or 'essential' tariffs offer the same service as regular packages but at a significantly lower price. They typically come with no long-term contracts, a guarantee of no mid-contract price hikes, and two of the three providers even include free roaming in Europe. For example, O2's Essential Plan costs just £10 a month and gives you 10GB of data with unlimited calls and texts. Crucially, you can use up to 10GB of that data in the EU at no extra cost. The plan is a flexible 30-day deal, with no upfront costs or price rises. Meanwhile, SMARTY's Social Tariff provides unlimited data, calls, and texts for £12 a month. For holidaymakers, it includes EU roaming with a generous 12GB data cap. Easy ways to slash your mobile bill Like O2's offer, it's a flexible one-month plan with no annual price rises. Choosing one of these tariffs means you can avoid the daily roaming charges now levied by most major networks since Brexit. Many providers, including EE, Three, and Vodafone, may charge around £2 to £2.57 per day to use your UK allowance in Europe. That could add up to £35 to your bill for a two-week holiday. Providers like EE and Voxi also offer social tariffs, but be aware that their roaming policies may include extra charges. To apply, simply contact your chosen provider. They will ask for some basic information and carry out a quick, confidential check with the Department for Work and Pensions to confirm your eligibility before setting up your plan. The regulator, Ofcom, provides a comprehensive list of all the available social tariffs on its website. Before switching mobile plans, check if you're still in contract to avoid high exit fees. Over 33million people are out of contract, according to Uswitch, so it's worth checking if you can upgrade or switch to avoid paying more than necessary. To check your contract status, text "INFO" followed by your date of birth (DDMMYY) to 85075. You'll get a text confirming if you'd need to pay an early termination fee. These fees only apply if you're still in contract. If no fee is mentioned, you're likely out of contract and free to switch. Which mobile networks don't charge roaming fees? Asda Asda will let you roam for free in 46 European countries. You don't need to tell Asda if you're going away, you can simply carry on texting, calling and streaming as you would at home. However, customers a have a data roaming limit of up to 5GB so make sure you don't go over. After this, usage will cost 10p per MB. The provider says it will let you know when you reach 80% and 100% of your data limit. BT Mobile BT Mobile's 'Roam Like Home' offering lets its customers roam for free in 47 destinations. You can use your mobile plan allowance to use data, make calls and send texts back to the UK as well as to receive calls and texts for free when you're roaming in these zones. GiffGaff GiffGaff plans can be used in the EU and some other destinations at no extra cost. However, there is a cap of 5GB and if you go over it'll cost 10p/MB. If you're a pay as you go customer, the provider will charge you at the usual UK rates. iD Mobile Roaming comes as standard on all iD mobile phone and SIM only plans. Customers can use their UK monthly allowances of minutes, text and data in 50 destinations worldwide up to 30GB. Lebara Lebara customers can use UK plan allowances while roaming in the EU or India for no extra cost. There is a fair use cap of up to 30GB on the unlimited data plan. O2 O2 is the only major network provider that has not brought back roaming charges. If you're travelling in what it calls its 'Europe Zone' which covers more than 40 destinations, you can call text or use data like you would in the UK and for no extra cost. There is a cap of 25GB. Smarty Smarty lets its customers roam in the EU for no extra costs. If your plan includes calls and texts, they'll also work as usual. However, there's a cap on data of up to 12GB. Talkmobile Talkmobile offers free EU roaming to countries in a list of 'zone A' destinations. This includes France, Spain, Portugal and other popular European spots. Outside of these zone A countries, you'll be subjected to charges. You can check the list of countries covered by zone A on its website at There is a fair usage of 5GB or 15GB depending on when you became a customer. Tesco Mobile Tesco Mobile has once again extended its free roaming offer until 2026. That means that you can use your text, call, and data allowances at no extra cost in 48 destinations
The Sun
27-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Mobile network is giving away thousands of FREE ice creams as the weather hots up
SWELTERING Brits can claim free ice creams and ice lollies this weekend from a major mobile network. The giveaway couldn't come at a better time, with temperatures expected to climb as high as 32C on Sunday. 3 Vodafone is dishing out the freebie for a limited time, starting today. It's all within the provider's VeryMe reward programme, which customers can find in the Vodafone app. The voucher can be exchanged for a pack of ice creams or ice lollies in Sainsbury's. It's worth up to £2 - so depending on the cost of the treat you fancy this can cover the entire cost or be used to knock some money off. Only 80,000 codes are available, until midnight on Monday, so you'll have to move fast to claims yours. The voucher can only be used in store and not for purchases via the Sainsbury's Groceries app, over the phone nor at Sainbury's petrol stations. Vodafone's latest offer comes less than two weeks after the firm announced a big change affecting millions of customers. The network's merger with Three has been finalised meaning there will be a boost for everyone over the coming months. Three and its budget sub-brand SMARTY will receive a 20 per cent average speed uplift on 4G soon. And within a few months, 27million mobile subscribers across both Vodafone and Three will start to benefit from better signal with shared access across both networks at no extra cost, the new joint VodafoneThree firm claims. This will eradicate dreaded "not spots" from 16,500 sq/km of the country – the equivalent to 10x the size of London. Both brands are to remain separate with their own offers and products despite sharing network resources going forward. How to keep cool in a heatwave Most of us welcome hot weather, but when it's too hot, there are health risks. Here are three ways to keep cool according to the NHS... Keep out of the heat if you can. If you have to go outside, stay in the shade especially between 11am and 3pm, wear sunscreen, a hat and light clothes, and avoid exercise or activity that makes you hotter. Cool yourself down. Have cold food and drinks, avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks, and have a cool shower or put cool water on your skin or clothes. Keep your living space cool. Close windows during the day and open them at night when the temperature outside has gone down. Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35 degrees. Check the temperature of rooms, especially where people at higher risk live and sleep. 3
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Over 27 MILLION Brits receive huge mobile upgrade for free as Vodafone and Three announce raft of changes for customers
MILLIONS of Vodafone and Three customers are set for a huge boost to their mobile signal as the newly-merged mega network reveals its £11billion grand plans. A major improvement to services will start for more than seven million users of Three and its budget sub-brand SMARTY in just two weeks time. 2 2 Customers will receive a 20 per cent average speed uplift on 4G. And within a few months, 27million mobile subscribers across both Vodafone and Three will benefit from better signal with shared access across both networks at no extra cost, the new joint VodafoneThree firm claims. This will eradicate dreaded "not spots" from 16,500 sq/km of the country – the equivalent to 10x the size of London. VodafoneThree has confirmed that its various brands will remain separate. This not only includes Vodafone and Three, but also VOXI, SMARTY and Talkmobile which piggyback on their network kit. However, Vodafone will be the only brand for business customers. "A new era of connectivity has begun," said Max Taylor, CEO of VodafoneThree. "We will connect every nation, every community, in every corner of the UK. "We will build the UK's best 5G network with an unprecedented £11bn privately funded infrastructure project, laying the digital foundation for our country's growth ambitions." The network is pledging to bring 99.95 per cent of the population 5G Standalone - the fastest version of 5G speed around - by 2034. Brits will always have mobile phone & internet signal at home after tech breakthrough that beats Elon Musk's Starlink And by this time next year, bosses are planning to launch trials of space-based satellite mobile network coverage too to eliminate even more "not spots". Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: "I'm delighted that this huge investment is being made in mobile phone network infrastructure, better connecting people with families, loved ones and work by providing stronger, more widespread 5G coverage." BROADBAND SHAKE-UP Changes are afoot for broadband services too. Three's brand will disappear from its mobile broadband over the next 12 months and brought together with Vodafone's Full Fibre, all under the Vodafone name. The firm has announced a new partnership with Community Fibre on top of existing deals with CityFibre and Openreach. Two extra customer care centres are opening in Belfast and Sheffield as well, bringing 400 jobs back to the UK. Vodafone and Three both operate their own stores across the country but the company says it has "no planned retail redundancies". The £16.5billion tie-up makes VodafoneThree the UK's biggest mobile network. WILL PRICES RISE? Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun All these changes sound pretty exciting - but most customers will be wondering if it will cost them more. VodafoneThree says its mobile network boost comes at "no extra cost". And bosses have insisted as much to get the deal over the line for months. Vodafone's CEO Margherita Della Valle told BBC Radio 4's Today programme in December that the merger would cause "no extra costs from public funding and no extra cost for our customers". The company has had to agree to a number of legally binding commitments to win the approval of the competition regulator CMA. One of those was a cap on "selected mobile tariffs and data plans" for three years. As things stand Vodafone, Three and sub-brands VOXI, SMARTY and Talkmobile, will continue to sell their own mobile products, so it shouldn't result in less choice or competition.
