Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

Virgin are releasing a new PAYG tariff on 1st April 2009 - & no its not an April fools joke

Sim Cards are going to free of charge - with free delivery if you call into the call centre - 0845 6000 789 - 97p delivery charge if ordered online. Sim cards available to order from today.

Top & get part of new tariff

Top up by £20, £15 & £10 throughout the month & get the following benefits the next month

£20 and get unlimited free texts* - plus free unlimited web access**

£15 and get 600 free texts and unlimited web access for just 30p a day***

£10 and get 300 free texts and unlimited web access for just 30p a day***


Standard Call Charges
Calls to landlines, virgin mobiles & other networks - 20p
All texts - 10p

*Fair usage policy 3000 texts
**Fair usage policy 1GB
***Fair usage policy 25mb per day

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

OK so how is it "free unlimited web access" when theres a 1gb cap??? I'd say that should read "1gb Free web access"

Also "unlimited web access for just 30p a day" also isn't unlimited, theres a 25mb cap...

Thirdly, theres not "unlimited free texts" either because theres a 3000 text limit

Sorry to rain on your parade there :)

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

20p a minute flat rate! what a rip off.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

I think its a tariff pointed at texters rather than people that phone. As for £20/month I'd rather go for O2's Simplicity Tariff with 400 texts and 200 any net minutes + free o2 to o2 calls (but many of my mates are on o2).

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

yawn

i spot a deal & share with ppl & get criticised (only post no1) i do agree it is aimed at texters mainly

1. Any company has a right to protect itself & its staff (lets face it the people who would suffer from any high costs incurred would be the staff who would find themselves made redundant in the following efficiency drives) from people who would take advantage of an unlimited deal.

tbh i think that the absurdity would occur if someone needs to send more than 100 texts every day of their life.

Who would take advantage of a unlimited text deal of over 3000 texts? The genuine customer? Doubtful due to the high number. A text spammer who has just bought a list with 2 million mobile numbers on it & the software to mass send sms? Yes highly likely. Result of this would be fine for network provider for creating a package which allows this sort of mass spam at no real cost. Other result lots of really annoyed people who keep getting spam texts

2. Virgin=20p flat rate
o2=25p
orange=20p
vodafone=20p
t-mobile=20p

3. o2 simplicity is a sim only pay by dd (need to pass credot score, set up a credit limit) deal - not PAYG
for your £20 you in effect get 100 mins & 3000 texts

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

virgin used to be good value for payg they should stick to the basics cheap calls and cheap texts i do feel a 20p a minute flat rate is far to high for pay as you go on any network not just virgin

Asda mobile is 8p a minute flat rate and 4p a text granted you dont get anything free but it is cheap and sticking to the basics.

if people want a text package contracts are usually better esp sim only ones.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

will asda mobile continue to use mobile as a loss leader once they have built up their customer base?

agree what you say about monthly contracts, but the fact remains that most uk mobile's are still PAYG. fact also remains that biggest growth in PAYG, market over last 3 years is in top up & get promotions

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

I have no idea what they will do but if asda do put the prices up then people can switch just like some people may switch away from virgin payg to get a better deal at the moment and then in a years time may switch back depending on what is on offer at the time.

I agree growth is in pay as you go and pay as you go will continue to grow now due to the credit crunch and people no longer being able to afford contracts in some cases

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

sorry no if they put unlimited in that's what it should be i see no problem with the prices as long as they call them what they are limited with set amounts

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

well oft, ts & asa all disagree with you & they are the ones who decide what is lawful & what isn't - if u disagree you should take it up them

---------- Post added at 17:39 ---------- Previous post was at 17:36 ----------

yeah, but virgin's payg propostition is still growing & that is before the new tariff, which is better than the old PAYG even if you don't include the top up & get - lets face it they were charging 40p a min for calls to other networks

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

as it happens virgin has had a few of its adds already rapped for being unclear

heres an example http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008...sa.advertising

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

That has nothing to do with Mobile data and 'Unlimited'

All mobile networks use 'Unlimited' with a FUP qualifier

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

you will find that what virgin are classing as fair usage is pretty standard with other mobile networks

for example the 3000 texts with vodafone

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

O2 have a FUP of 200Mb a month for their 'Unlimited browsing' bolt on for their PAYG tarrifs

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

I see Virgins version of unlimited shows its ugly face again :LOL:

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

You mean the same unlimited as all other Mobile companies use - and that is also has a better FUP that others?

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

Yep,

Oh come on i am only jumping on the band wagon and having a go at it because its Virgin :)

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

Well... If you're a virgin media customer too, you get unlimited, free virgin to virgin calls aswell.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

I'm not going to just criticize VM on this latest "unlimited" claim, as far as I can see all the other phone companies and a lot of other ISPs make this ludicrous claim.
Its down to Ofcom to put a stop to this misleading practise, I can't see why they don't put out reasonable guidelines for the companies to stick to if they want to sell a "unlimited" service.
I would imagine in most peoples minds unlimited is just that, unlimited or as much as you want, if they have a FUP or likewise then its not unlimited, they should say "up to" whether that be 50GB a month or 500GB a month why on earth can't Ofcom make this clear to them, I mean its pretty simple isn't it?
IMO this is a hangover from the days of slow speeds when the companies really could offer an unlimited service, but those days are long gone.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

I wasn't just criticising VM (as I've always had good dealings with them) or their term of "unlimited" - because - it DOES apply to all mobile companies!

When theres a limit - be upfront about it, if VM start being upfront then I think people would have more confidence in them if they stated what the limits were.

Question to put out-there: What does the term "Unlimited" mean to you?

If you had a car warranty that said "Unlimited Mileage" would it mean "truely unlimited" or "10,000 mile per year maximum"?

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

sigh


of course it has to do with it

its misleading i complain just as much about any company using the word unlimited and then limiting it

and to quote my mother "just because everyone else jumps in front of the bus doesnt mean you have to"

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

Anyone notice that the term Unlimited is used freely and is acceptable on data products such as telephone calls or internet useage?

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

In the world of telecoms/date unfortunately it probably does

If you advertise a 1Gb a month limit you are just going to get people going to someone else for 'Unlimited data' even if the FUP might be 500Mb

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

virgin mob and virgin media are totaly crap for the money u pay take o2 sim only deals £20 a month n u get 600 mins 1200 texts n unlimited bolt on like landline call's and wot do you get from virgin mob for the same price

Virgin £20 Text £ 20.00 300 2000
Virgin £20 Talk £ 20.00 450 450

and virgin media fone prices aint came down to for they talk unlimited call plans like £7.95 and Unlimited evening and weekend UK landline calls
£3.45 a month

bt prices are talk unlimited call plans £4.85 and for the Unlimited evening and weekend UK landline calls £0 and you get 0845 n 0870 numbers for free yes ppl free

so how can virgin media n virgin mobile get away with it

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

But that's the point I was trying to make earlier, the regulator should impose rules that "all" the phone companies and ISPs have to abide by.
As you say Ben no one company is going to take this on board for precisely the example you have quoted above, surely the ball is firmly in Ofcom's court at this time over the "unlimited" claim.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

Thats just like Orange Dolphin Pay As You Go only difference is, Virgin's Voicemail is free and customer service is better whilst,Orange is up to 15p per minute to access answerphone.

Addict is a good pay as you go option but for heavy users of voice and video calling I would recommend a pay monthly tariff from 3,Vodafone or Orange.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

i feel 20p a minute flat rate on any network is a rip off so in that case orange is a rip off to. Well done to virgin not charging for voicemail though credit to them for that.

For heavy voice users who would wish to go on contract i would recommend 02

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

I have a feeling the Addict tariff is pretty much spot on for Virgins PAYG cutomer base

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

i take back the bit about well done to virgin for not charging for voicemail as i have just seen that on the addict tariff voicemail is charged at 20p a call.

I really dont think any network should charge to access voicemail

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

why not? It costs the networks a lot of money to operate voicemail. T-Mobile charge virgin for every customer to access voicemail - by sharing this cost with customers virgin are able to offer better deals to customers.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

virgin aint offering any good deals for pay as you go or any of they pay monthly contract's

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

I always thought the 10 quid 300/300 monthly was a great deal, had to move onto o2 for web-access but its a great deal for people who just use mins and texts.

But now for 20 quid a month, it's not a bad deal really, apart from the minutes you get for PAYG, 1gb of web a month is decent, considering that most users don't even use 100mb, I use about 300 on o2 for my iPhone.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

On PAYG £20 in a month would give you 3000 text messages, 1GB of data & 100 mins - i would say thats pretty damn fine myself

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

in my opinion if some one was going to be spending £20 a month on their top ups they would be better of on a contract either sim only or one with a handset.

what i was saying was on any network i feel 20p a minute flat rate is to high esp for those who can perhaps only afford to top up their phones by £5 a month.

20p cross network is not bad that seems quite fair but to land lines and same network i feel it is to high.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

There are far more ppl on PAYG in the UK than contract & sim only. There are a variety of reasons for this such as wanting to be in control of their usage & costs, not wanting a credit limit, credit scoring reasons etc, etc.

If you look at the market shares on PAYG you would note that the 5 with by far the largest market share all have similar charges (around the 20p mark). The company with by far the largest market share og the PAYG market is o2 who charge 25p flat rate. What all of these companies have in common is that they all run a top up & get incentive. These top up & get incentives have driven customers to these deals.

As far as voicemail is concerned, Virgin have been losing a lot of money keeping this as a free feature for their customers - T-Mobile charge Virgin quite heavily for this & Virgin need to share that cost with their customers if they are going to run the top up & get incentives that customers have been asking them for. The vast majority of Virgin PAYG customers who have gone to other networks have cited that they are leaving due to Virgin did not having top up & get features. Basically Virgin are giving customers what they are asking for.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

There they go again, lying to us..

NO WAY will I even consider anything like this, especially from virgin

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

What have they lied about?

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

Turned off my vm voicemail callers can try again or text me - 20p is a rip off because VM used to trumpet their free vm - a quick check reveals that:

3 - free
Asda 8p
Family mobile 9p
vodafone, tmob and tesco 10p
orange, O2, Talkmobile 15p

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

Its Free on all tariffs, hoave you checked your Voicemail box number? You maybe dialling your own mobile number which means you will be charged standard rates, your voicemail box number should start like this +44061

Therefore if your mobile number is 07953-966-066 then your voicemail box number would be +440617953966066

By the way Vodafone voicemail is charged in accordance to calling a landline or Vodafone mobile,so on Vodafone Simply plan, you will be charged 20p per minute, by the way, T-Mobile are planning to increase voicemail to 15p per minute, and 3 Voicemail on Pay Monthly comes out of your minutes.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

Voicemail on the Addict Tarriff isn't free

---------- Post added at 15:35 ---------- Previous post was at 15:34 ----------

see www.virginmobile.com/addict

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

It says 20p per call,thats still cheaper than Orange,Vodafone and T-Mobile which they charge per minute. O2 901 costs 15p per call,so its nearly the same as O2.

For some reason though,I switched to the Addict tariff last week and have 3p left on the sim, Voicemail is still free!!! I use it for when my pay monthly allowances run out.

Its a good pay as you go deal but pay monthly is the place to go for best deals.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

m419 - VM's Addict Tarrif at 20ppm all calls and 20p per VM is very much one of the worst pay as u go tarrifs - much less attractive than the previous daily bonus tariff. I don't see how you can say it's a 'good deal' - you must work for VM...

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

All depends what you use it for I suppose. Worse for voice mins.

Better for Texts and Web access than people like O2 - Which would cost over £30 a month in top ups to get unlimited texts + £7.50 for the Web Bolt On. That makes Virgin £17.50 a month cheaper than O2 for those

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

To get unlimited texts and web you'd need to top up £20 pm - at that level of spend you really should be looking at a contract. In anycase good business sense suggests that VM need to make their tariffs attractive to talkers as well as texters.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

Unless of course your PAYG demographic hardly make any Voice calls?

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

True but they more likely to make calls if the tariff is cheaper. Vm would also attract more talkers. I accept there is a balance between an attractive tarrif where no profit is made and it being too expensive which makes many keep their mobile for 'emergencies only'. Hotels eventually worked this one out...

The mobile companies need to work out that they are in the enviable position of possibly being a single supplier for all comms (voice/email/text/internet) - at BOTH home AND mobile. They just need to stop milking customers for services such as internet access and calls to other mobiles. O2 have the right idea with their top up £10 and get 500mins from home and a flat £7.50pm for internet - unfortunately their mobile call rates aren't great.

I just make the point that VM are not considering the bigger picture with their tariffs. With the addict tariff tehy've concentrated on teenagers who text and ignored the talkers - What do I care I am now with Asda and pay 8ppm for calls and 4p for texts.

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

The unlimited txts - is that just virgin - virgin or virgin - any?
Also, do you get the £20 as call credit or is it £20 in, free texts and £20 out..?

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

1) It is to all mobiles

2) Its £20 to use as you wish - but as you get unlimited texts and web that only really leaves calls ;)

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

Quick comparison for those who think this tariff is the worst in the Pay As You Go market:

Vodafone simply plan: All calls to UK landlines and UK Mobiles including Vodafone numbers: 20p per minute, Voicemail is 20p PER MINUTE. ALL texts cost 12p

Orange Racoon: 15p per minute to all UK Mobiles and Landlines,Orange answerphone costs 15p per minute, ALL texts to ALL networks including orange cost 10p.

Orange Dolphin plan: Exactly the same as Virgin's addict tariff but voicemail costs 10p per minute and is not a flat rate unlike Virgin's which works out more expensive.

T-Mobile: 20p per minute for the first 2 minutes of calls then 10p after that, calls to voicemail are 10p per minute and all texts cost 10p each.

Take5: All calls to all networks and landlines cost 35p per minute,voicemail costs 35p per minute, you get 5 free mins and 5 free texts everyday plus texts cost 10p. Virgin's Daily Bonus tariff beats this and calls cost no more than 15p per minute and offers 5 free mins and texts with free voicemail!

The only network that beats Virgin is 3 t be honest upon £25 top ups.

Other benefits from Virgin Mobile and 3:

24 hour customer service
Free voicmail on some tariffs
Cheap Mobile internet!

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

Asda - 8ppm calls to any network mobiles & landlines, 4p texts, internet 20p p/mb (cheapest for casual internet use that I have found)

Talkmobile - 15ppm calls for 1st 3 min, then 8ppm, 10p texts, internet 50p per day (up to 10mb) PLUS FREE voicemail

Tesco - 20ppm calls/20p texts but offer up to triple credit so works out under 7p. Also have monthly plan 400mins or 800texts for £10

Family mobile - calls 9 ppm, texts 4ppm, internet 80p/mb - usefully has the advantage of 'Family Budget' so you can set caps on the kids spending and itemised billing.

ALL beat VM easily

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

they wont even unlock your phone when your 12 month price plan runs out vodaphone unlocks your hand set for you this is how tight virgin are they want you to pay £15 for unlocking your fone

Re: Virgin's New PAYG Tariff - Addict
 

VM unlocked my phone for free without any argument. Others have even been supplied with uinlocked phones from VM.