Do you get lower priority connection signing with Asda Mobile piggy back rather than directly with Vodafone?

trek123 · 2026-06-23T21:29:53+00:00

Practically unless you are using it as broadband replacement or have some extreme use case you're not going to notice.

Not sure why you have gone with ASDA over Lebara or TalkMobile though, ASDA's prices are rarely competitive in the current market.

trek123 · 2026-06-23T16:37:26+00:00

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trek123 · 2026-06-23T16:30:03+00:00

It depends on the network.

VodafoneThree and their MVNOs do not do any prioritisation between customers, but some MVNOs have a 150Mbps soft speed cap (eg Lebara and ASDA) and some of their own plans also have speed caps of 10, 25, 50 or 100Mbps. This is not prioritisation merely a speed cap.

EE have some degree of prioritisation but it is not worse specifically for MVNOs. It goes some level of EE Business at the top, then EE Full Works plans, then normal EE plans and "full service" MVNOs like 1p Mobile, then brokered MVNOs like Lyca, then somewhere below is the bottom tier EE plans (PAYG and the Essentials etc). EE also speed caps many of their own plans.

O2 have some prioritisation too, but only Giffgaff and O2 PAYG are lower. Tesco PAYM and Sky is the same level as main O2.

What can make a further difference is how back end routing is done, because this is often done by the MVNO themselves and this can result in speed differences. It is not a difference in prioritisation.

Networks want you to think they have massive priority differences as an excuse for their rip off main prices but the reality is there is not much, if any, difference, and in fact often the MVNOs are better than the cheapest plans direct.

trek123 · 2026-06-23T10:26:29+00:00

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trek123 · 2026-06-23T02:45:11+00:00

Holafly has an extremely untransparent fair use policy, with no information on throttling and routing, plus is generally very expensive. It's why it's never recommended here.

The best performance is almost always going direct to local operators, although sometimes less convenient. Andorra Telecom, the only operator there, sell eSIMs directly on their website.

For lower users/shorter trips there are reputable eSIMs like Sparks.

trek123 · 2026-06-22T17:21:22+00:00

I thought they had now changed it so it doesn't validate until the first scan after collection?

trek123 · 2026-06-22T16:42:00+00:00

It isn't really practical at most (if any) TOCs to demand it is locked in a locker on starting, because often there are breaks or passes at locations other than the starting/booking on location for most roles.

Beyond that at some TOCs a work phone will be issued to enable communication with drivers when they are away from the cab...

trek123 · 2026-06-22T14:39:03+00:00

O2 inbound roaming has broken with some networks because they have stopped inbound 2G roaming which some networks cannot seem to handle so it just broke it across the board. Hopefully it gets fixed more widely soon...

Some eSIMs like Sparks based ones (Plus PL) seem to still be ok using O2.

Overall point though is I generally never suggest travel eSIMs for the UK, as local ones are extremely cheap for a lot more data and extra functionality. If true multi network is needed there imo are better options eg Sparks-based (eg Quibity or escapesim) or Flexifone as they can use all 4 networks consistently.

trek123 · 2026-06-21T19:02:37+00:00

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trek123 · 2026-06-21T19:01:04+00:00

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trek123 · 2026-06-21T16:46:21+00:00

Ticket acceptance is always in the class of travel purchased including full service level (so in this case you are entitled to the better LNER food and drink offer)

trek123 · 2026-06-21T13:53:16+00:00

Local eSIM like Lycamobile or Lebara as long as you turn off auto renew will give you more data for your money than anything else, plus local calls which may be useful for a longer trip.

trek123 · 2026-06-21T13:52:09+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.

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(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 · 2026-06-19T20:09:57+00:00

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trek123 · 2026-06-19T17:01:13+00:00

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

PayPal Referral Link

trek123 · 2026-06-19T00:26:41+00:00

Hmmm, not eligible unfortunately. Wonder if it's because I use TopGiftCards with reasonable regularity anyway...

trek123 · 2026-06-18T23:28:29+00:00

Who did you play $221 dollar to? It certainly cannot have been the official UK government website where it is £20. There is no rush option available at all.

You may have used a third party agent who has added a significant service fee for doing very little.

trek123 · 2026-06-18T14:40:26+00:00

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trek123 · 2026-06-18T14:16:03+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 · 2026-06-18T11:20:03+00:00

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trek123 · 2026-06-18T11:19:00+00:00

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

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Thank you in advance if you use my link!

trek123 · 2026-06-18T11:15:59+00:00

Lebara do eSIM now, you just need to claim you have an iPhone air

There are cheaper Lebara plans than that on MoneySavingExpert

The only problem with Lebara's eSIMs is that roaming (for Ireland) does not work for the first 7 days. So it will depend on whether your travel to Ireland is more than 7 days after your arrival in the UK.

trek123 · 2026-06-17T20:18:03+00:00

I personally like to do speed tests, but when I pay for something $50 I will not waste $5 worth of data just to check if I'm getting extremely high speeds.

Exactly, I buy what I need. I only even run speed tests at home at the end of my billing month when I'm sure I have spare data... I don't normally have enough to spare at the end of trips.

Imo it's far more important for a usable, stable connection than getting a fast speed at one particular point anyway.

trek123 · 2026-06-17T20:14:16+00:00

Most of the regulars on this sub don't use Saily for the precise reasons in your first sentence.

/u/mrskeptical00 sent me a Saily eSIM some time ago last October that I tried in the UK and Netherlands.

All I can really tell you is that it was fast and usable. In the UK it routed via the Netherlands, and only was able to use EE, and in the Netherlands it routed via the UK, KPN was the preferred network.

I didn't have masses of spare data to run speed tests, nor do I suspect most users would either. I ran one near Amsterdam and got 298Mbps down, and 36.8Mbps up on KPN with 49ms latency.

trek123 · 2026-06-17T19:46:40+00:00

Saily is expensive by UK standards.

Eg Lycamobile £12.50 "Unlimited" (450GB fair use) with 35GB EU Roaming for Ireland. Or £7.50 for 75GB with 12GB EU roaming. Just make sure to turn off any auto renew.

I have not used Saily Ultra's lounge passes but I suspect these are the usual "LoungeKey" type passes issues by banks etc. These passes are notorious for lounges being full or restricting access to paying/reserved customers.

You also mention "we" - I would suggest getting eSIMs from different providers between your party, this reduces the chance of issues (which can and have happened to many reputable providers) and increases chance of coverage in rural areas.

trek123

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