The Best Bill Pay Plans in Ireland
Looking for a new bill pay plan? Here are the very best plans out there right now.
Published 04/07/18
Three: For the Data Hungry
It's no surprise that Three provides some of the best bill pay plans on the Irish market. It is the king of all you can eat data after all. If you require lots of data, Three should be your number one choice. All of Three's bill pay plans give you 60GB of data to enjoy, a significantly larger sum than on any other bill pay plan in Ireland. Three's €30 Mini Flex Max is brilliant for those who use very little calls and texts. You still get 100 "Flexi Units". To me, these "Flexi Units" are pointless and make the plans more confusing for people. One Flexi Unit equals one call minute or two text messages. The reason this is particularly deceiving is the fact that calls and texts use the same allowance, rather than traditional plans where call and text allowances are separate.
Don't choose Three if you plan to travel abroad frequently. The network limits its customer's data allowance in the EU to a fraction of the domestic allowance. All of Three's bill pay plans lock you to the network for two years, an excruciatingly long period of time if you're unhappy with your service. Three's network has come a long way, now providing the second largest footprint of 4G coverage and second fastest 4G speeds behind Vodafone. There are, however, many people who still experience regular issues with the network. If you require a constant connection, I wouldn't choose Three, look to Vodafone.
Three officially forbids the use of your phone as a hotspot, you may incur significant charges if you decide to use this feature. This is a huge disappointment for many, especially considering you have unlimited data. You get unlimited calls to Three customers on all of the plans. Three has its own loyalty programme, 3Plus, which is arguably the best out there. You can use the 3Plus app to avail of discounts in many shops, win tickets, and more. It's similar to Vodafone's service but more developed.
Don't choose Three if you plan to travel abroad frequently. The network limits its customer's data allowance in the EU to a fraction of the domestic allowance. All of Three's bill pay plans lock you to the network for two years, an excruciatingly long period of time if you're unhappy with your service. Three's network has come a long way, now providing the second largest footprint of 4G coverage and second fastest 4G speeds behind Vodafone. There are, however, many people who still experience regular issues with the network. If you require a constant connection, I wouldn't choose Three, look to Vodafone.
Three officially forbids the use of your phone as a hotspot, you may incur significant charges if you decide to use this feature. This is a huge disappointment for many, especially considering you have unlimited data. You get unlimited calls to Three customers on all of the plans. Three has its own loyalty programme, 3Plus, which is arguably the best out there. You can use the 3Plus app to avail of discounts in many shops, win tickets, and more. It's similar to Vodafone's service but more developed.
Vodafone: You pay for Quality
There's no other way to say it, Vodafone's bill pay plans are easily the most expensive on the Irish market and offer the least in return. I still think it is perplexing that the company has yet to catch up to the times with its bill pay data allowances. The data allowances are just too small. The company should look to its own pay as you go Vodafone X plans for inspiration here. I don't believe Vodafone is too worried about its data allowances, however, as these plans have made Vodafone the most profitable mobile provider in Ireland. I think these allowances will remain miniature until the company is forced to offer more.
On the contrary, Vodafone's bill pay plans are excellent for those that love to call and text. Each plan offers unlimited texts to any network and unlimited calls between Vodafone customers. Red Connect and Red Connect Super, as shown above, offer international minutes and texts. Choose Vodafone if you plan to roam abroad, it is the only Irish network that allows customers to use their full domestic allowance across the EU at no extra cost. Also, Vodafone is the only Irish network to provide international 4G roaming.
Of course, Vodafone has to have some unique selling point to justify its expensive plans, and it definitely does. The company boasts the fastest 4G speeds in Ireland, the largest 4G footprint and the most reliable network. Vodafone continues to win awards for the supremacy of its network. People are willing to choose Vodafone's bill pay plans because, in many cases, it is the only network that provides good coverage in their area. To me, the quality of a network is the most important factor when deciding which plan to choose. As I like to say, a plan is only as good as the network its on.
Red Connect and Red Connect Super give customers Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile included in the price. Vodafone also provides Secure Net, a service that analyses your internet traffic to protect you from viruses and sensitive content, but I assume most people ignore this. The plans lock you to Vodafone for two years, a costly two years if you're unhappy with your service. But that's unlikely, ComReg's statistics show Vodafone has the lowest number of complaints relating to service issues.
Vodafone's MyVodafone app is incredibly useful for checking your allowances, topping up and making use of Vodafone's reward programme, called Fantastic Freebies. Every few days you have the opportunity to participate in competitions for new devices, tickets to rugby matches and more.
On the contrary, Vodafone's bill pay plans are excellent for those that love to call and text. Each plan offers unlimited texts to any network and unlimited calls between Vodafone customers. Red Connect and Red Connect Super, as shown above, offer international minutes and texts. Choose Vodafone if you plan to roam abroad, it is the only Irish network that allows customers to use their full domestic allowance across the EU at no extra cost. Also, Vodafone is the only Irish network to provide international 4G roaming.
Of course, Vodafone has to have some unique selling point to justify its expensive plans, and it definitely does. The company boasts the fastest 4G speeds in Ireland, the largest 4G footprint and the most reliable network. Vodafone continues to win awards for the supremacy of its network. People are willing to choose Vodafone's bill pay plans because, in many cases, it is the only network that provides good coverage in their area. To me, the quality of a network is the most important factor when deciding which plan to choose. As I like to say, a plan is only as good as the network its on.
Red Connect and Red Connect Super give customers Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile included in the price. Vodafone also provides Secure Net, a service that analyses your internet traffic to protect you from viruses and sensitive content, but I assume most people ignore this. The plans lock you to Vodafone for two years, a costly two years if you're unhappy with your service. But that's unlikely, ComReg's statistics show Vodafone has the lowest number of complaints relating to service issues.
Vodafone's MyVodafone app is incredibly useful for checking your allowances, topping up and making use of Vodafone's reward programme, called Fantastic Freebies. Every few days you have the opportunity to participate in competitions for new devices, tickets to rugby matches and more.
Eir: Perfect for those that binge Social Media
Eir's bill pay plans are also great for calling and texting. Each plan gives you unlimited texts. The best plan costs €40 on a 24-month contract. There's plenty of data available on all but the cheapest plan. Eir zero-rates services such as YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp and Snapchat. The use of these services does not eat into your data allowance. It is a very neat feature for Eir customers, even if it does raise concerns of violating Net Neutrality. Using services such as Netflix, or any service not included, will eat into your data allowance.
Eir limits your domestic data allowance abroad, avoid choosing Eir if you plan to travel frequently. If you're a sports fan, you can enjoy free Eir Sport on three of the plans. Hayu, a streaming service, is included free for six months. Eir customers can also take advantage of WiFi Calling, particularly useful if coverage is poor in your home.
With Eir, you can expect good 4G coverage, similar to Three's network but behind Vodafone. Don't be surprised if you have to battle slow speeds as 4G speeds have collapsed dramatically on the network in recent months. Eir's 3G network is also shockingly poor, significantly smaller than that of Three or Vodafone. The network's coverage map is ridiculously inaccurate, don't rely on it if you are researching the coverage of Eir's 4G network.
If you're already an Eir customer, perhaps you have Eir Broadband, you'll receive discounts on your bill pay plan for the first six months. See below for these discounts.
Eir limits your domestic data allowance abroad, avoid choosing Eir if you plan to travel frequently. If you're a sports fan, you can enjoy free Eir Sport on three of the plans. Hayu, a streaming service, is included free for six months. Eir customers can also take advantage of WiFi Calling, particularly useful if coverage is poor in your home.
With Eir, you can expect good 4G coverage, similar to Three's network but behind Vodafone. Don't be surprised if you have to battle slow speeds as 4G speeds have collapsed dramatically on the network in recent months. Eir's 3G network is also shockingly poor, significantly smaller than that of Three or Vodafone. The network's coverage map is ridiculously inaccurate, don't rely on it if you are researching the coverage of Eir's 4G network.
If you're already an Eir customer, perhaps you have Eir Broadband, you'll receive discounts on your bill pay plan for the first six months. See below for these discounts.
Bonus: Tesco Mobile
Tesco Mobile's bill pay plan is arguably one of the best out there, giving you 15GB of data, and 500 minutes and texts. However, Tesco Mobile customers remain limited to using Three's 3G network and have no access to 4G. For many, this is unacceptable. Tesco Mobile limits your domestic data allowance while roaming in the EU.
