Tablet & Smartphones: How to Spot The Best Sim Only Deals
As the mobile technology that we use has evolved, the role of the sim only deal has changed. Just a few years ago, the best sim only deals basically presented the cheapest way to run a mobile phone. Rather than committing to a long running monthly contract, sweetened by the subsidised provision of a desirable and up to date handset, a cheap and basic mobile could be run at a fraction of the cost of a full contract by using a pre-paid sim card. The smartphone and the tablet have now shifted the goalposts – so just what should you be looking for, from specialists in the market like giffgaff.com, when you search for the some of the best sim only deals?
Before we look at the way that sim only deals can be used to access data from the internet, it is probably worth giving a brief mention to the use of sim only deals to cut the cost of calls and other services while you are still under contract for a phone provided by a network. By using a code to ‘unlock’ the mobile or smartphone from the network sim card, the device can then be used with a different sim. This can allow those going abroad to buy and use a cheap local sim card, rather than face the original network roaming charges, which can save a lot of money if you need to make calls whilst out of the country.
giffgaff offer sim-only deals, which can save you money both at home and abroad
Unlocking a smartphone to use a cheap sim only deal can also help heavy data users avoid overcharging from the original network if they find that they regularly exceed the data limit on their contract. This brings us on to the nuts and bolts of the best sim only deals for smartphones and, in particular, tablets.
Tablets require the use of a sim card to connect to the internet when out of range of Wi Fi hotspots. Data only sim deals can provide this connectivity, and such packages can also be used with the dongles that can be plugged into PCs and laptops to provide wireless internet access. In both cases it is of course necessary to receive a sufficient signal from the mobile data network providing the service.
The best sim only deals for data usage will allow those with smartphones to engage the tethering feature of the device without charging an additional fee, over and above the basic cost of the data bundle. Tethering allows a smartphone connected to the mobile data network to basically become a Wi fi router, supplying bandwidth to nearby devices (such as a tablet or laptop). For more information about how the (currently widely ignored) tethering feature on modern smartphones works, try looking here.
