So it’s finally sorted out. Now I just have to stick with it and, after 20 minutes, stop thinking about changing things again :(. I know I loudly trumpeted here that I was leaving Vodafone because it has no 3G coverage around here. After a long time weighing which SIM cards (I had right on hand 2x Vodafone (a twin SIM), Oskarta, an O2 prepaid card, and 2x Tesco Mobile, “thanks” to my mom opening one without asking and even draining 12 CZK of credit from it) to put into which phone (LG Optimus L3 II (Dual Sim) and Nokia Lumia 520).
In the end I realized I didn’t want any prepaid cards, 1 at most, and that would of course be Tesco Mobile. Another condition was keeping my Vodafone number, either by staying with VF or by porting it to another operator. I kept wanting to use as many of those SIM cards as possible and get rid of Vodafone, but in the end it turned out exactly the other way around. As for the 2 Tesco Mobile SIM cards, I called the Tesco Mobile helpdesk and had my number transferred from my old SIM to the new one, including the credit, all settings and active services.
That got rid of the second Tesco Mobile SIM, and everyone keeps the number they know me by. Then, since as I mentioned I didn’t want prepaid cards, I dropped Oskarta and O2. If I ever need to call an O2 number, or someone needs to reach me on O2, I can put it into my old Samsung. So in the end I was left with the Tesco Mobile SIM card and 2x Vodafone. It even matched the colors of the SIM card slots in my LG, which are a blue and a red SIM card, illustrative pictures:
And Vodafone? I stopped by one of its stores and asked them to downsize one SIM card. I then put that one into the Nokia Lumia 520. The second SIM card, the full-size one, went into the LG, and I keep it switched off – I’ll only turn it on when the battery in the Lumia runs out.
Before the end of the billing period I’ll also change my VF plan to a FUP of 500MB instead of 4GB, that is, instead of Mobile Internet 4 GB I’ll take Mobile Internet 500 MB. That will be enough for the Lumia, and for the LG whenever the battery in the Lumia occasionally dies. Another advantage is that the LG will last longer, because it won’t be constantly hooked up to 2 networks, and I’ll also be able to share the FUP. When I connect somewhere around here where Vodafone has no 3G coverage and I need 3G, I’ll connect through the LG and Tesco Mobile and top up credit as needed. 1GB costs 100 CZK, with a ClubCard 50 CZK, which means that if I pay 400 CZK at Vodafone for 4GB of data, at Tesco Mobile I’ll pay 175 CZK for 1GB of Internet and then I can renew the FUP without limit for 50 CZK, but within 400 CZK that’s 4x, which gives me 5GB!
PS: At that Vodafone store I learned that supposedly, when terminating a 2-year contract, I’d only pay 20% of what I would still have owed. So I’ll probably do the math and sign up. I just hope Vodafone doesn’t change it back to 100%, or simply more than 20%; the safe bet is a plan with no commitment.