There’s a Sim price war going on at the moment, with new virtual mobile networks popping up aplenty in recent months. The big boys are doing what they can to keep their customers in a more competitive market and if you’re looking for some serious 4G data, this latest offering could be for you.
If you order one of EE’s ‘limited edition’ pay-as-you-go (PAYG) Sims* by Thursday 25 June, top up £10 credit and then claim its extra data boost via a free text message within 14 days, it’ll top you up an additional 100GB, and then another 100GB the following month.
How to get it
First off, you’ll need a phone that’s either unlocked or locked to the EE network. Note – it can be difficult and/or expensive to unlock some handsets – for more info see Mobile Unlocking.
Order one of the free Sims via EE’s site* before 11.59pm on Thursday 25 June, then once it arrives – which should be within three working days – top up it up with £10 (you can do this online, by text, or over the phone – see more details).
You’ll then have access to the pre-loaded £10 Data Pack*, which will give you an allowance of 1GB of 4G data, 50 minutes and 50 texts to use over 30 days. This is activated and deducted from your credit as soon as you’ve made a call, sent a text, or used any data. The Sim will arrive in standard, micro and nano size, so should fit into any phone.
Then, text “100GB” to 150 to claim the extra data. You won’t be charged to send the text, but doing so will use one of the 50 texts in your allowance.
The data should be added after doing this, and will last 30 days or until it runs out – whichever happens first; unused data won’t roll over to the next month. At the start of the second month your data allowance will automatically be topped back up to 100GB.
Important: You must top up, add the pack and claim the additional data within 14 days of the Sim arriving in order to qualify for the offer.
It’s probably not worth switching your contract for
As far as mobile data goes you won’t find anywhere near this much for the price, however it’s probably not worth changing to from your existing phone contract.
First of all, you’ll only get the additional data for two months – after this you’ll be left with a standard EE pay-as-you-go Sim, which is far from the best around (see our top pick Sims).
Secondly, the data pack only comes with 50 minutes and 50 texts – most likely an inadequate allowance for the majority of people. Also, the pack only lasts 30 days and it’s just your data that’s topped up as part of the promotion, so in the second month you’ll be without minutes or texts. You’d have to get one of EE’s PAYG add-ons* which aren’t great value.
If your contract’s coming to end (or has already and you’re yet to switch) and you’re holding out to start a new one – say, you’re waiting for a particular phone to come out – this could work to tide you over. We’d only recommend this if you’ll really use the data though, which is the real reason to get this Sim.
(Data) sharing is caring
This Sim is best suited to those who think they’ll need a good chunk of data over the next couple of months, or if you’re already paying for a dedicated mobile broadband plan. Essentially, it functions as a data Sim – and a great value one at that (compare it with our current Data Sim top picks).
You may want to use it to surf on a 3G/4G-enabled device directly, eg, a “Cellular” iPad or Chromebook, or you can wirelessly share the data to use simultaneously on multiple devices.
You can share a data connection using most smartphones and tablets through a practice known as tethering (EE’s confirmed you can tether with this Sim). Alternatively, the Sim will work in any (unlocked) USB dongle or a wireless hotspot device with a Sim-card slot.
This could be useful if for example you’re moving home, as you’ll most likely have to go a week or two without broadband while you wait for installation. Or if you’re going away for a long weekend and won’t have access to wi-fi (or don’t fancy paying for pricey hotel wi-fi) – though not abroad since the data won’t work when roaming.
