ASDA Mobile - Cheap PAYG with Excellent Customer Service! (Asda Mobile Network)

Member Name: Argon

Product:	Asda Mobile Network
Date:	11/08/09 (81 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, flat rates, backed up with excellent Customer Service.

Disadvantages: ASDA Mobile Website is a bit lacklustre - but functional.

I was keen to leave my "old" network (Vodafone), and was searching for a suitable alternative when I found ASDA Mobile.
There is plenty of simplistic information available on their website:
www.asda-mobile.com

Essentially, the fact is that this is a Pay As You Go service, with a flat rate of 8p/minute to UK landlines and mobiles. It costs 4p per text message sent (in the UK).
There is additional information on their pricing available on their website, which I won't bore you with - That's not the idea of this review (plus tariffs do change over time, so to ensure that the information is up to date, I'd recommend checking that the pricing details haven't changed).

Like any PAYG or contract, it's worth considering exactly what you spend.
Putting it simply, ASDA Mobile have a flat rate, with no hidden extras.
Work out how much you use your mobile each month, and cost that against what you are paying. Networks are operating "SIM only" 30 day contracts now, which do offer good value, but if you don't use all of the minutes/texts that you have paid for, then what equates to 10p/minute might be more like 15p/minute.

ASDA Mobile doesn't offer any "extras" (such as "bonus" texts, when you top up), just a cheap rate. Web access costs 20p/MB, which is pretty reasonable too. I wouldn't use it for watching videos on YouTube, but a quick check of Google/email/weather won't cost more than a few pence!

Customer Service (based in Scotland) is fantastic! Everyone that I have spoken to has been courteous, professional and knowledgeable. I really can't fault them at all.

I had trouble getting the web/WAP settings right on my handset - the information is there on the ASDA Mobile website, but there was no way I could figure out which IP address went where on the phone... So I gave ASDA Mobile a call late on a Friday afternoon: They admitted that the link to Nokia's website wasn't much use, and they assured me that they would send me an email that would take me step by step through the process. I wasn't expecting much, but the email arrived on Saturday evening! I followed the instructions, and it worked perfectly!

ASDA Mobile piggybacks on the Vodafone Network. It gives exactly the same coverage (both 2G and 3G), so if there aren't any other locally available networks, and for whatever reason you don't want to bother with Vodafone - then ASDA Mobile is a great option.

ASDA now do a whole range of unlocked handsets on their website. An ASDA SIM costs 47p, but it's free if you buy it in-store and ask for a £5 top up to be put on it at the checkout (which is well worth doing).
Registering details with an ASDA Mobile Colleague on the phone costs 25p per call (which is included on the SIM), and it's worth doing this first to get the credit put onto the SIM, otherwise you won't have enough credit to ring them and set up the top up card - forcing you to call an 0845 number from a landline...

ASDA Mobile's website isn't great. It IS simple, but there really is only the most basic of information on there (T&C, prices, etc.), but it does have all the information that you're likely to need.

If the 8p/min, 4p/text rate suits your usage, and the Vodafone network works well for you, then I'd recommend ASDA if you are Pay As You Go - it is excellent value and has excellent customer service.

Summary: Excellent coverage (through Vodafone), and worth considering if you are on PAYG.