Tesco Mobile is a joint venture virtual network between Tesco and O2. In both 2008 and 2010 Tesco Mobile was named the number one pre-pay mobile service provider according to the JD Power and Associates UK Mobile Telephone Customer Satisfaction Survey. Although Tesco shares plummeted in September 2014, prior to this, they were the largest and most profitable supermarket in the UK with a long history of driving down prices. They brought this operating model to the mobile phone market with cheap supermarket-style deals as well as giving away extra Clubcard points with top-ups.
You can use 4G on Tesco Mobile at no extra cost if you're using a 4G-ready handset. This is a very good deal, 4G is much faster than 3G when you're downloading large amounts of data like videos, music, maps, or photographs. There are several options you can choose from including Tesco Mobile SIM only deals with various levels of 4G data allowance. You can get 4G data from 500 MB up to 8 GB however, since Tesco Mobile runs on the O2 network, its 4G coverage is still technically a work in progress and won't be readily accessible for everyone just yet. It's a good idea to check their coverage if you have a 4G phone before you sign up, remembering to check the locations that you are most likely to need 4G access from (work, home, etc.).
The Tesco Lite price plan offers some of the cheapest Pay As You Go rates with texts from Tesco Mobile priced at 4p each and calls at only 8p per minute. With that kind of deal you can really save a lot on your monthly phone expenses. They also offer great data bundles and text bundles from just 1p per text and £2 per week for data.
Tesco Mobile provides a feature that enables you to control the volume of calls, texts, and data you can make by setting a limit. This helpful feature is called Capped Service. Setting up a limit on your mobile usage will help you control your phone bills.
Tesco Mobile lets its customers connect their Clubcard with their mobile account, so that's another advantage for Clubcard members. The customers can get triple points on a pay monthly contract.
There is no unlimited data option with any Tesco Mobile deal and even if you sign up for the 4G service, you will still get limited data. The highest data allowance you can choose for your 4G service is 8 GB, which is quite significant and enough for most consumers. If you are a heavy user though, that's all you can get, so if you need to download a lot of HD videos you're still going to reach the limit really soon.
The restriction also applies for calls and texts. So in case you haven't set your limit with the capped service, there will be extra charges per text and per minute once you go over your monthly allowance.
Despite all the restrictions, Tesco is still one of the best virtual networks that offers great value for your money. They offer many great deals on data, calls, and texts. With a feature that can help you manage your mobile budget you will save even more on your mobile expenses. So overall, Tesco Mobile is a good mobile provider especially if your area falls within their 4G coverage, because you can get the service at no extra cost.
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