SIM-only special 12-month deals/offers -- do they ever come up?

[GJD]

Greetings Oh Wise Ones (Genuinely! You've been a great help to me in the past!)

My 2-year contract is finishing soon at the end of November, and after looking around at the SIM-only deals to continue with O2 and with my existing phone, I'm really very underwhelmed.

My current contract was for a Samsung Galaxy S3 (which I still love and think is a fab phone): 24-month contract, 300 minutes, 500MB and unlimited texts. Just £17 a month including the phone. (This was through the Carphone Warehouse whose current SIM-deals are just as rubbish).

Looking at replacement SIM-only tariffs, the savings don't look great at the mo:
£12 -- 500 mins, 500MB
£15 -- 1000 mins, 1GB.

They are a bit cheaper than what I'm paying for the current phone+sim contract, but only a bit. 

So, I'm wondering if special deals ever come up and whether e.g. I should wait until December to get a new contract? Ideally I'd like 500 mins and 1GB data but for like right cheap, like!

Many thanks in advance!

[jonsie]

If the giffgaff deal suits you why bother trying to get a matching offer from o2?

It's o2 based anyway using their masts so go with giffgaff. 

[Toby]

Hi @GJD,

Lovely to see you back! Have you made a decision on what you'll do yet?

[GJD]

If I can get something similar with O2 then I'd rather stay with O2. I'll see if the Black Friday offers being revealed tomorrow have any decent SIM-only deals.

[Toby]

Hi @GJD,

We have just posted some great deals here. They're are more specific to devices, but worth a look

http://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Welcome-News/Kick-start-your-Christmas-shopping-this-Black-Friday-with-...

Let us all know how you get on what you decide to go for!

[GJD]

Well, this is what I ended up doing: at the end of November I went and signed up for another 12 months with O2 ...

Of course, less than a month after renewing after giving up hope of seeing any SIM-only deals in a sale around Black Friday ... up comes a SIM-only sale just now, which I've missed. I'll hold out until late Dec/early Jan next time!

I did manage to get 1000 mins, 1 GB and unlimited texts for £11.50 a month with O2 though by this method:

TopCashback >> Carphone Warehouse >> £15 a month for the above tariff >> £42 cashback which has now paid out into my bank and which I've just paid into my O2 account (so that it actually goes to reducing my mobile bill instead of going on beer).

£15 x 12 months = £180 -- £180-£42 = £138 = £11.50 per month over 12 months

I can vouch that TopCashback worked and paid out -- it's definitely worth considering if like me you were reluctant to ditch O2 and go with giff gaff etc.

Pity I've missed that elusive sale though -- could have got and extra 1 GB a month for just £1. Bah! But the equivalent of £11.50 a month is better than £15.

[MI5]

Sounds good to me.....

[jonsie]

It certainly pays to do your homework

[Curr946]

Never tried these cashback sites. Might look at then the next time im upgrading.