Getting tired of your existing mobile service provider and looking for a perfect alternative? Well, then Tesco Mobile might do the job for you!! Driven by the tagline “Every Little Helps”, this network provider is launched to help customers with a range of flexible options.
Tesco Mobile was the first supermarket to step into the mobile marketplace with the aim to bring revolution. With excellent services and valuable extras, it has made a name for itself and survived the cutting-edge competition.
This telco provider is an MVNO, operating on the O2 network. Its parent network company covers 99% of the UK population, so rest assured that you’ll get strong mobile coverage when opting for the O2 network.
Moreover, Tesco Mobile also promises no mid-contract price increase and thus customers can enjoy their network plans without having to worry about the sudden hike. However, not every glitter is gold and the same applies to Tesco Mobile as well.
While it offers flexible sim-only deals and good transparency, what mainly pushes it back is its high roaming cost and long waiting times for customer support. Wondering whether you should switch to Tesco Mobile or not? Keep scrolling the page and find the in-depth information about Tesco Mobile Reviewshere.
The guide entails everything about this MVNO, including its plans, customer service, international calls, and roaming, so you can make an appropriate choice.
Pros and Cons
Before you get into the Tesco Sim Card or its network coverage, let’s find a quick overview of this mobile service provider to get a better understanding. Here, we have outlined the major pros and cons of this MVNO to showcase its up and downsides. Check them out here.
Pros
- Excellent and massive SIM-only deals
- Good customer satisfaction scores
- Fast 5G at no added cost
- Good network coverage
- Additional Perks
Cons
- High roaming costs
- Long wait times for customer support
Tesco Mobile Plans
Now that you are aware of Tesco Mobile’s pros and cons, it’s time to move on to the Sim-only plans and deals offered by this telco provider. There is no dearth of mobile plans when it comes to Tesco and you can easily pick the one that suits your budget and needs.
Depending on the handset you choose, Tesco provides 12 and 24 months contracts. Scroll down the page to know more about Tesco sim card plans and make an appropriate choice.
Data allowance | 12 Months Contract | 24 Months Contract |
2GB | £7.50/mo | £7.50/mo |
12GB | £11/mo | £10/mo |
30GB | £15/mo | £11/mo |
60GB | £17.50/mo | £15/mo |
100GB | £20/mo | £17.50/mo |
Unlimited | £30/mo | £17.50/mo |
All mobile plans offered by Tesco Mobile offers unlimited minutes and texts, works on 4G and 5GB (depending on your device), and offers EU Roaming. The lowest one starts with 2Gb and can go up to the unlimited; hence, you can pick the option that suits you the best.
While Tesco Mobile doesn’t offer affordable family plans like its competitors, consumers can take out several contracts on a single account and select a family perk like additional data, a discount on some phone insurance, and more. Additionally, this telco provider also earns some points over others for freezing price features while you are on a contract, so you don’t get a surprise bill at the end of the month.
This freezing price is widely appreciated by the users, owing to which it scored the third-best result for value for money in the Mobile Network Awards survey. Have you consumed all data value before the month-end? Worry not as Tesco offers text and data bundle add-ons, so you can use your plan freely. Their add-ons offer you the flexibility of selecting from recurring or once-off plans, based on your needs.
If you choose recurring add-ons, then they will automatically be added to your allowance every 28 days. Once Off add-ons, on the other hand, are ideal whenever you need a text or data boost. Tesco offers three Recurring add-on plans, including
- £5: 1GB Data
- £8.51: 5GB Data
Tesco Pay As You Go Sim
In addition to the Sim-only contracts, Tesco Mobile also offers PAYG plans to facilitate the users. Pay-as-you-go plans are no-contract deals, which means that you won’t have to sign up with Tesco Mobile for long terms, like 12 months or 24 months. These plans come in the form of Rocket Packs or bundles, and customers can pick the one that caters to their budget, .
Tesco offers four bundles or Rocket packs to choose from. Keep scrolling the page to find more about these plans here.
Data | Minutes and Texts | Price |
20GB | 5000 minutes and 5000 texts | £10 |
25GB | 5000 minutes and 5000 texts | £15 |
50GB | 5000 minutes and 5000 texts | £20 |
100GB | 5000 minutes and 5000 texts | £30 |
Getting a bundle is simple and beneficial. All you have to do is pick the Rocket Pack with the data you need and then order your free SIM. Go to the My Account section, add your Rocket Pack, and set up the payment. This Rocket SIM packs last a month and the best way to pay is to set up a recurring payment. Your account will be debited each month so you don’t have to face any trouble.
Tesco Network Coverage
Still, wondering – Is Tesco Mobile good or not? Before you jump into any decision, make sure to check the network coverage and speed offered by this telco provider. Speaking of Tesco Mobile, it is an MVNO, running on the O2 network, which further covers around 99% of the UK’s population on 4G.
In addition to incredible 4G, O2 is also rolling out the 5G services to ease the customers; however, like other networks, it is not as widely available as 4G. The best thing is that customers can easily use 5G coverage on all their plans at no additional cost.
While Tesco Mobile offers a good network connection and uninterrupted data speed, it’s always good to use their live status check to find out what’s going on in your area. The network connection can be affected by several factors, including location, buildings, weather, and many more.
Hence, consumers are suggested to check the network coverage available in their residential area before making the final choice. Like all other networks, Tesco also has some blind spots in rural and coastal areas, therefore, it is recommended to check coverage to make the best out of your deal.
Overall, Tesco Mobile offers great network connection and uninterrupted services, which further makes this telco worth giving a try.
Tesco Mobile International Calling
Wish to connect with your family members living abroad? Get the Tesco Sim Card and make calls and send texts to numbers based outside the UK with ease. However, unlike other telcos available on the market, the international calling facility isn’t included in your monthly allowance or Tesco sim-only contracts; hence, you will be charged each time.
Speaking of the costs to call abroad with Tesco Mobile, it is around 19p per minute to call and 6p to text a mobile or fixed line in their Home from Home countries, including Austria, Denmark, Croatia, Bulgaria, San Marino, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, French Guiana, Lithuania, Monaco, Finland, Republic of Ireland, and more.
However, if you want to call other than Tesco’s Zone 1 countries, then it will cost £1 a minute to call and 20p to text, any time of the day. The list of Zone 1 countries includes Australia, Bahamas, Chile, Cyprus, Gambia, Saudi Arabia, United States of America, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Japan, Jamaica, Hong Kong, Ghana, British Virgin Islands, Thailand, Egypt, Turkey, Zimbabwe, South Africa, etc.
Text messages to all other international mobiles cost 20p a text; however, calling charges may vary from one country to another.
If making international calls is a key feature for you, you may consider other alternatives such as Lebara Mobile and Lycamobile, both provide free international calls to dozens of countries.
Tesco Mobile International Roaming
Planning to travel abroad with Tesco Mobile? Well, you’ll be glad to know whether you’ve opted for PAYG plans or sim-only contracts, you can easily use the Tesco Sim Card in more than 100 counties worldwide.
If you are traveling to Home From Home Destinations, texting or calling UK mobiles and landlines or using data allowance will be taken from your monthly plan, or it means it is free to roam in Home From Home Destinations, which includes EU and Beyond, up to 48 countries and regions.
Tesco Mobile Home From Home Destinations list:
For the rest of 2022, no extra charges 48 destinations in the EU and beyond. You can use your phone just like you do at UK, at no extra cost. There is nothing to do to activate this function. When you get to these destinations, simply use your phone as normal.
Austria | Latvia |
Azores | Liechtenstein |
Belgium | Lithuania |
Bulgaria | Luxembourg |
Canary Islands | Madeira |
Croatia | Malta |
Republic of Cyprus | Martinique |
Czech Republic | Mayotte |
Denmark | Monaco |
Estonia | Netherlands |
Finland | Norway |
France | Poland |
French Guyana | Portugal |
Germany | Reunion |
Gibraltar | Romania |
Greece | San Marino |
Guadeloupe | Slovakia |
Guernsey | Slovenia |
Hungary | Spain |
Iceland | St. Martin |
Ireland (Republic of) | St. Barts |
Isle of Man | Sweden |
Jersey | Switzerland |
Italy | Vatican City |
Your Tesco mobile is already set up to work while you are traveling outside the UK. Just switch it on and it will connect to a local network automatically; however, if that doesn’t happen, you can do it manually too
Additionally, it is free to receive messages while you are abroad, and listening to your voicemail comes out of your allowance when you are in Home From Home destinations.
You can also roam in destinations outside Home From Home Destinations, however, the price can be high. You can also check roaming costs in our free Tesco Mobile app on Android or iPhone.
In any case, it is suggested to check the call, text, and data charges from abroad to the UK before you travel abroad to avoid any surprises later on.
You can learn more info about Tesco international roaming here.
Customer service
Before you make the conclusion from Tesco Mobile Reviews, it is advised to check the customer service and satisfaction scores to avoid any further hassle later on. If you are searching for a network with great customer service, Tesco has you covered.
This MVNO is one of the highest-rated networks when it comes to customer satisfaction. According to the Ofcom survey, a majority of its customers are pleased with its mobile reception and widely appreciate its customer support efforts. And on service review site Trustpilot, Tesco Mobile scores 4.5 out of 5, an excellent service.
Tesco Mobile offers multiple ways through which you can connect to them. Customers can either reach Tesco customer care and tech support by dialing 0345 301 4455 or 4455 (from their Tesco Mobile) or initiate a web chat to resolve their query. In addition, they can also get in touch with them via Facebook or Twitter. Their agents will help you in your hour of need and take the least possible time to respond.
- Contact page
- 0345 301 4455 or 4455 (from their Tesco Mobile)
What are the alternatives to Tesco Mobile?
Frequently Asked Questions
Tesco Mobile runs on the O2 network, which covers around 99% of the population for 4G. It offers superfast connections on 5G and is quite affordable as compared to other network providers.
Yes, Tesco is one of the highly-rated network service providers among its customers. According to the industry data from Ofcom, 96% of Tesco Mobile customers are satisfied with the overall service, beating all others to the top spot.
You can easily top-up Tesco Sim Card with Tesco mobile app. Customers can either go to the My Account option on the app or call the top-up line on 4444 from their mobile. You can also dial 0345 940 0000 from a landline to get the top-up done on Tesco Mobile.
No. Unfortunately, Tesco mobile doesn’t offer a WiFi calling feature yet. In addition, you will also don’t get 4G calling, also known as VoLTE.
Yes, Tesco Mobile allows users to keep their previous number. All you have to do is go to the “Move My Number” section and follow the steps to complete the process in just a few minutes.
Final Verdict
That concludes with Tesco Mobile reviews. We hope you have now understood about this mobile service provider and decide whether it is suitable for your needs or not. All and all, Tesco offers pretty impressive deals to facilitate the customers.
With international roaming, super-flexible plans, excellent network coverage, fast 5G speeds, and top-notch customer service, this telco is worth giving a try. The added benefits of Clubcard points puts the cherry on the cake and make Tesco a value-for-money option.