When Orange was at the height of its popularity in the UK it offered a range of sim only deals to compliment its fashionable pay monthly contracts. All Orange sim only packages also qualified its customers for the Orange Wednesday promotion, one of the longest running promotional offers featured by any brand. Orange is no longer with us in the UK, after owner France Télécom agreed a merger the business with Deutsche Telekom owned T-Mobile. The merger created the EE network that we know and love today, which is still the biggest UK mobile network (though currently owned by BT).
Orange Sim Only Packages
The most popular Orange sim only deals in the 1990s were undoubtedly on Nokia handsets, not least because of the Nokia 8110’s appearance in The Matrix. However, by the time The Matrix: Reloaded came out in 2003 the franchise had switched to using Samsung handsets in the film, perhaps heralding the beginning of Nokia’s demise. Orange took the opportunity to market its sim only deals before the films, using the world’s best handset’s appearance in one of the highest grossing films in a generation to promote its deals thanks to the company’s Orange Wednesday promotion. And the day in which Orange ran its adverts before the biggest blockbusters of the era? Why, Wednesday of course. Orange called its sim only plans “Just Talk”, which only required customers to top up once every six months. The uptake in Orange sim only plans was huge, as was the numbers taking out pay monthly deals. It was an advertising masterstroke from Orange, and one that endured on with Meerkat Movies long after Orange became EE.
Orange Pay As You Go Sim Only Plans
Orange gave its Pay As You Go plans funky names such as Raccoon, Canary, Monkey and Camel, which is thankfully a feature that subsequent company EE has opted not to continue. Despite the uber cool names, the Orange PAYG packages were actually some of the best and cheapest PAYG offers you could find. Orange incentivized the regular top up of its PAYG plans by offering rewards for topping up your phone credit. The EE PAYG deals that the company features today offer similar incentives, though they often involve rolling over unused data from one month to the next when you top up a minimum amount.
Orange Sim Only Plans In Detail
Don’t let the funky names fool you. The Orange PAYG packages were well thought out and offered incentives to users to top up their credit. The Monkey package started at £5 and included rewards such as free texts and access to music tracks, while the Canary tariff offered customers 100 free evening or weekend texts on top of 100 free calls that came with the package. The Raccoon Orange PAYG plan offered the lowest flat rate charge of any UK operator at just 12p per minute. The Camel tariff was aimed at customers looking to make international calls, including a set amount of calls when you topped up your credit.
Tariff Information
SIM only contracts from Orange are separated into 6 categories based on the types of benefits they offer: Racoon, Canary, Camel, Panther iPhone and Dolphin. SIM only deals from Orange are usually offered as either 1 month rolling contracts or 12 month contracts.
‘Canary’ SIM only contracts are aimed towards those who text frequently and every Canary contract includes unlimited texts. Both monthly rolling and 12 month Canary contracts include a monthly allowance of free minutes, with 12 month contracts being generally cheaper than equivalent 1 month contracts.
‘Camel’ SIM only plans offer special benefits to those who make international calls. Customers who choose this tariff receive an allowance of UK minutes and texts as well as an allowance of minutes to selected international numbers.
‘Dolphin’ SIM only contracts are aimed towards users who text frequently and wish to use mobile internet. Dolphin SIM only contracts feature inclusive minutes, texts and a monthly mobile data allowance. One month contracts and twelve month contracts are available.
‘Panther’ contracts are all-rounder tariffs that are particularly suitable for smartphone users. All Panther contracts include an allowance of minutes, unlimited texts, a mobile data allowance and Wi-Fi.
Finally, iPhone SIM Only contracts designed for iPhone users and similar to Panther deals. These plans include unlimited texts, Wi-Fi and an allowance of free minutes and mobile data.
All Orange SIM only plans can be further customised by adding Extras.
Transfer Procedure
- Select your new SIM Only tariff and sign up as usual.
- Contact your current provider and ask them for a ‘PAC’, or Porting Authorisation Code. This is the code Orange need to transfer your number.
- When you have your PAC, contact Orange and give them the code along with your details.
- Orange will automatically process the transfer from there
Data Allowance
- All Dolphin SIM Only contracts include a small monthly data allowance.
- Panther and iPhone SIM Only contracts include a data allowance and WiFi access through BT Openzone.
- Customers without data allowances as standard can add an allowance as an Extraor access the internet on a pay-as-you-browse basis.