The best mobile phone service in the UK???

I need to get a mobile phone and not sure which is the best provider in the UK. It seems in the US there's more competition and plans are cheaper. Whats the best in the UK? Should I go for Pay as you go or contract? If I choose contract which company is better, etc.?

Thanks for your help!!

Have a look at the Link (www.thelink.co.uk) - you can compare prices and I got a really great deal on a really nice phone there.

I did pay-as-you-go for the first year I was here as I really didn't use it much, but as I started having to top up more and more often I switched to a contract phone. Also, you'll need a bank account, etc. before you can go contract. I used Vodafone first and it was fine, but I live in the suburbs and found the service could be spotty and was actually non-existent inside our house for some reason. Now I'm on Orange and I love it - great coverage and two-for-one cinema tickets every Wednesday! My dh is on 3 which is a new network so he got a really good deal, but his coverage is spotty.

It's best to shop around as the companies offer different deals all the time and different outlets offer different deals for the same company. As well as the Link, Carphone Warehouse is another place to look.  ALso, there are some deals you can get online but not in the shops and vice versa. I was with Orange for 4 years (contract) but had so many bad experiences I left and am now with T Mobile.  With T Mobile you can do a mix of contract and pay as you go which works well for me. 

I started out for a few months with pay-as-you-go, which was a good idea...just got the cheapest phone and a decent plan (Carphone Warehouse).  Once I got settled, I went with Orange - they work the best at my work and had a good plan.  Remind yourself of one thing - you don't have to pay for any calls made TO YOU...so you won't need as many minutes as you had in the States.  I also use the phone less for calls and much more for texting over here.

I too am with T-Mobile and am happy enough with the plan but my only problem is my reception will konk out on me in certain places, such as in my house. I can't get reception in the living room (ground floor) but can get reception in my bedroom (second floor).

Yes I sometimes have problem with T Mobile reception too.  My husband is on T Mobile as well and for some reason when we phone each other one of us quite often can't hear the other!

I am with T-Mobile and I was in the USA I love them....

The only place we have had troubles with reception in the SW is actually in the bottom of hills or out in the moors.

I just like them for their customer service.

If at all possible go contract, Pay as you go are OK if you don't use your phone much and recieve call more than making them.  The reason for this is that they are inflating the prices to try and convert everybody to contract as they make vert little money from Pay as you go.

I'm on Vodaphone with work and it seems OK, however before that I was on O2 and I personally think that was better.  Speaking to my friends Orange gets rave reviews.

Steve

With Orange you do get good reception and they have some nice extras like the cinema tickets but they have the very worst customer service of any organisation I've dealt with in the world.  And that includes in Sudan. 

I'm on Vodafone pay as you go and don't have any complaints.  I definitely receive more calls that I make and really only text now...maybe 3x a week? 

DH is on Orange pay as you go and, again, has no complaints.  He pretty much only calls me and might send a text or two, so it doesn't really pay to go on a contract basis.   The free Orange Wednesday tickets have more than paid for his phone and his topups.

How do you get the Orange Wednesday tickets?  My personal mobile is through Orange (pay as you go), is it only available to people with contracts?

I find in my house, my work T-mobile reception seems to be a bit better but overall both seem to give good coverage.

Matt

We're on Virgin pay-as-you-go and have been very happy with it.  It's been costing us about L20 per three months.  But then again we use the phones almost exclusively for texting and to receive calls.  I think that mobile coverage is actually *more* competative here than in the states.  Where I was living last (Texas/Oklahoma), there were 3 companies to choose from and no pay-as-you-go option, so I'm much happier with this arrangement.

With T Mobile you can do a mix of contract and pay as you go 

How does that work?

Well for example, I pay £15 per month on contract (and I got a free phone with the contract). For that I get 750 off peak minutes and 50 texts. Then, unlike contract only, it doesn't just let you make calls/texts outside those restrictions, you have to  top up your phone for that. I usually top it up by 10 or 15 quid a month.  It's just a way of keeping track of your spending, rather than getting a shock huge bill at the end of the month. When I was on contract only I would just call and text away and then find my bill would be £60 or £90 or something.

that sounds a good idea!