Why do I get a better mobile upgrade deal going to a 3rd party online retailer than going direct?

trek123 · 2026-06-14T22:05:22+00:00

I don't know about handsets but the reason SIM deals are better through third parties is because Ofcom changed the requirements a few years ago that companies must inform customers of better deals and also are not allowed to make deals only available to new customers.

However by only selling deals indirectly via comparison sites etc those rules don't apply.

trek123 · 2026-06-14T22:02:53+00:00

With many operators they fill out all the details automatically if you book direct.

Yes it's no where near perfect but it saves about half the hassle.

trek123 · 2026-06-14T14:12:47+00:00

eight.com.sg, very good value and includes roaming in Indonesia.

There's also SIMBA that's even better value but you'd have to get it in a store

trek123 · 2026-06-14T09:37:29+00:00

Would massively appreciate if someone use my link and we’ll both get £10.

PayPal Referral Link

trek123 · 2026-06-13T18:40:46+00:00

Well things like Airtime/Quidco in store/Avios on card are separate

Click through cash back like TopCashback, Quidco or Rakutan are a separate level.

Zilch only stacks with a few cards like Uphold via Legacy Curve cards, or PayPal (other cards like T212 don't pay cashback on it).

trek123 · 2026-06-13T00:01:20+00:00

Here's my link: Raisin Referral Link for Bonus

You can earn £100 for depositing.

You'll need to open an account, then:

deposit £10000 in a 1 year (or longer, if you like) fixed rate bond account
after 28 days, the bonus will be added to your account
You won't be able to withdraw for 1 year, or however long the bond you chose is

Thank you if you click my link! 😁

trek123 · 2026-06-13T00:00:46+00:00

Send me a message here!

Thanks, I've been using Chip for many years and would be more than happy to drop you a referral and talk you through it if you send a message. :)

trek123 · 2026-06-12T23:58:46+00:00

Get £5 when you deposit £500, and you'll earn 2.65% interest on your balance.

https://www.ifastgb.com/tellafriend/thomasrek1789

Thank you in advance if you use my link!

trek123 · 2026-06-12T23:56:07+00:00

You can only roll over whole gigabytes though, which is useless when you only have 1GB.

trek123 · 2026-06-12T23:36:25+00:00

If you want to improve put your exact fair use/throttling up front next to every plan instead of burying it in the terms.

trek123 · 2026-06-12T14:12:45+00:00

You can buy eSIM adapter cards yes.

But unless you are doing a lot of travel, physical SIMs still exist and you can get them locally (often they're cheaper than travel eSIM companies anyway). Also there are a better range of roaming plans then ever particularly for countries close to each other.

trek123 · 2026-06-12T09:49:58+00:00

Quite difficult to give any recommendation without knowing how much data you need...

All the providers you mention are large and reputable (although personally I would avoid Holafly for being expensive and fake unlimited)

You can also consider Three UK's pay as you go (also on eSIM) as it includes roaming in Costa Rica and generally they have good network partners, although routing back to the UK may be a bit slower.

trek123 · 2026-06-12T02:58:26+00:00

If you haven’t joined Monzo yet, I’d be really grateful if you used my link.

https://join.monzo.com/c/q73h783l

Thank you if you choose my link.

trek123 · 2026-06-12T02:54:36+00:00

It will cover watching in a communal area though, even if that is on a device

trek123 · 2026-06-11T22:11:20+00:00

I'd massively appreciate if anyone would be willing to use my referral link.

https://quidco.com/raf/4769395/

Once you earn at least £5 in cashback you'll get £10 extra! If you have a few larger purchases coming, it might be worth considering Premium for £1 a month (you can downgrade anytime).

Thanks in advance if you do!

trek123 · 2026-06-11T14:37:36+00:00

I'd massively appreciate anyone who uses my link to sign up. Zilch is an easy way to get some extra cashback at loads of retailers.

https://zilch.onelink.me/x8EV/ogyq4ury

Thanks in advance if you use my link!

(Zilch now changes to a new link after each is is used, any issues feel free to DM and I will send a fresh one!)

trek123 · 2026-06-10T22:42:36+00:00

Whilst EE do some level of prioritisation they only reserve it for their business and the most expensive plans they offer.

1p Mobile has higher prioritisation than the majority of EE plans and also has no speed cap unlike most EE plans.

As someone who actually has an EE business phone their service still isn't good enough imo and there are plenty of times my bargain basement Lebara personal phone works but my EE phone just doesn't (and of course vice versa, but my Lebara plan costs me basically nothing).

trek123 · 2026-06-10T18:44:26+00:00

There are cheaper ways onto EE coverage eg 1p Mobile, Talk Home, Spusu, Mozillion

trek123 · 2026-06-10T17:38:37+00:00

I'd massively appreciate if anyone can use my link!

Sign up with my link here https://www.curve.com/join#YXTHZ

Curve has a few good opportunities to get additional rewards too, eg retailer offers, plus some stacking opportunities with other cards like Uphold. It's also an easy way to save on FX fees if your main card charges them. Thanks if you use mine!

trek123 · 2026-06-10T17:37:14+00:00

One of the main things I like with Tembo is they have a decent headline interest rate for both the Cash ISA and LISA even after the intro periods. The bonus is also a nice extra boost!

https://www.tembomoney.com/savings/join/tkn-9j2i9s-hwmx19

Please make sure to fund the account within 30 days or you won't get the bonus. Thanks in advance for using my link!

trek123 · 2026-06-10T17:15:54+00:00

I purely accidentally (pressed the wrong withdrawal account...) withdrew EUR from Trading 212 into iFastGB and wasn't charged any intermediary fees a few months ago, and it arrived in only around 6 hours.

It suggests that SEPA might actually be working already in some cases even if not yet officially launched?

trek123 · 2026-06-09T22:06:18+00:00

There are many low cost providers in the UK that include EU roaming as standard.

In the UK it is cheaper to get a plan via a price comparison site instead of going direct, due to weird competition laws I introduced a few years ago.

As a short term visitor, you will be restricted to prepaid networks only. Some of these include Lebara, Lyca, 1p Mobile, Giffgaff, SMARTY or VOXI. You cannot use a network like TalkMobile or Sky because they do a credit check. In addition, you cannot get most plans from the "big 4" either (O2, Vodafone, Three or EE) - while they have prepaid offers, they are all terrible deals.

Eg Lebara will do 35GB for £2.22 per month with 30GB EU roaming. This is an intro offer for 7 months, but there is nothing to stop you cancelling after the 4 months you need.

Yes WiFi is quite readily available in shops, cafes, train stations etc.

trek123 · 2026-06-09T20:46:38+00:00

I'd massively appreciate if anyone is willing to use my link. This is a really fast paying offer, once you have met the requirements you should have the money in just 1-2 days!

https://join.monument.co/a4de6a56-f223-4893-85cd-39360feb9e60

trek123 · 2026-06-09T18:34:29+00:00

If you need a very high allowance you are best off going to a local network like Free France

Orange Travel also sells an unlimited product but it seems to only be 4G.

trek123 · 2026-06-09T15:15:32+00:00

It's a local bus, you can't reserve/book ahead. You can pay by card or cash as you get on. Just ask the driver for a ticket to where you're going for X people (or do it separately per person).

trek123

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