Lidl Connect vs Virgin Mobile

Is Lidl Connect cheaper than Virgin Mobile?

Over a first year, yes, by €24.12. Virgin Mobile's SIM Only costs €15 a month, €180 in the first year. Lidl Connect costs €12.99 a month with no activation fee, €155.88 a year, at its official price. Virgin does not state its price after the first 12 months.

These figures use each provider's own published price, checked on 2026-10-10. Lidl Connect is shown at €12.99, the only price in 1GLOBAL's price list; the press reported a lower launch price for the first customers, which this comparison does not assume.

What does Virgin Mobile give you that Lidl Connect does not?

Virgin Mobile is cheaper for Virgin Media broadband customers, at €9.99 a month for 12 months, and its €15 offer runs until 31 December 2026 for new customers. Phones bought from Virgin Media are already unlocked. It bundles mobile with Virgin's broadband and TV on one account.

• €9.99 a month for 12 months for new Virgin Media broadband customers, then €14.99.
• Phones it sells are already unlocked.
• One account with Virgin broadband and TV.

Is Virgin Mobile's network the same as Lidl Connect's?

Virgin Media does not name its host network on its own pages, so this site does not either. What it does say is that its mobile service currently runs on 4G. Lidl Connect runs on eir's network with 5G. Check eir's coverage where you live on ComReg's outdoor coverage map.

Lidl Connect runs on eir. Before you move from a provider on a different network, check eir's coverage at home and at work on ComReg's outdoor coverage map ↗.

How do you switch from Virgin Mobile to Lidl Connect on bill pay?

Every Virgin SIM-only plan has a 12-month minimum. Leaving early costs your monthly price multiplied by the time left, as a lump sum, plus any Freestyle phone balance. Virgin asks for 30 days' notice on 1908 and does not say whether porting counts as notice. Start the move in Lidl Plus with your Virgin account number.

1. Check your contract

   12 months on every SIM only plan. Leaving early: your monthly price multiplied by the time left in the contract, as a lump sum, plus any phone balance. See leaving a contract early.

2. Find your account number

   Your number and Virgin account number.

3. Start the move in Lidl Plus

   Choose to keep your number when you sign up for Lidl Connect. Do not cancel your old plan first: the move ends it for you when it completes.

4. Keep your old SIM in

   Keep your old SIM in your phone until the move is done: a verification code is sent to it by text.

5. Notice and the last bill

   Notice: 30 days (Freephone 1908). When the port completes: Virgin Media does not state whether porting out counts as notice. Final bill: all charges up to the date your plan ends; Virgin’s monthly bill is paper only.

What do you lose when you leave Virgin Mobile?

You lose any locked price, which Virgin guarantees only while the account and contract terms are kept, and the broadband-customer SIM price. Virgin deletes saved voicemail when the plan ends. If you are paying off a phone on a Freestyle contract, the balance is due when you leave.

• A locked price, which lasts only while the account and contract terms are kept.
• The broadband-customer SIM price (€9.99 a month for 12 months, then €14.99).
• Saved voicemail, which is deleted when the plan ends.
• Price changes on Virgin Mobile: Virgin Media does not state the price after the first 12 months on the €15 plan.

What else should Virgin Mobile customers know before moving?

With Virgin Mobile, the 12-month term decides the timing, and 4G against 5G decides whether speed improves. Virgin's own documents disagree on roaming data, and it does not say what its €15 plan costs after a year. Ask Virgin before the term ends if you plan to stay.

Virgin Mobile's code of practice and complaints process: www.virginmedia.ie ↗. 1908, then ComReg.

• Virgin Mobile’s SIM only plans are 4G; Lidl Connect includes 5G.
• The €15 offer runs for 12 months and ends for new customers on 31 December 2026.
• Virgin’s web page says 37GB of EU roaming data, its August 2026 terms say 32GB; Lidl Connect includes 50GB. (IrishSim shows the smaller figure.)
• Virgin does not name its host network on its own pages.

How much roaming data does Virgin Mobile include?

Virgin's sources disagree: its SIM-only web page says 37GB of EU roaming data, while its August 2026 terms say 32GB. This site shows the smaller figure. Lidl Connect includes 50GB a month in the EU and EEA, the UK, Switzerland, Ukraine and Moldova, with unlimited calls and texts, and no charges beyond that limit.