How To Choose A Mobile Phone Contract
May 5th 2010 14:52
Choosing a new mobile phone contract is a necessary evil when buying a new phone. Just because it can be tedious searching through reams of contracts, deals and tariffs doesn’t mean you should rush the process though. In many cases the contract will be the most expensive part of the deal!
For example, if you buy a contract that’s worth £20 a month on a two-year plan then it will cost you £480 in total. Usually the handset you get with it will be free, so it definitely pays off to shop around for the best contracts.
The Basics - Minutes, Texts and Data
The most important thing is to get a contract that covers all of your basic needs. Depending on how much you use your mobile this may only be 100 texts and minutes a month. On the other hand, you may need much more than this. Some contracts come with “units” where a text is equivalent to a minute of call-time while others will treat them separately. It’s important to know exactly what you get with your mobile phone contract before you buy otherwise you may be stuck with a tariff that isn’t right for you.
To discover which contract is the best for you it’s a good idea to work out your average usage over a calendar month. If you’re on pay-as-you-go then this will require a bit of effort as you’ll need to make a record of every time you use the phone for a call or text. If you already have a contract then you’re probably already aware of how much you require.
Also, don’t forget to think about how much data transfer is included with your contract. With mobile phones becoming more and more like mini computers you may require a larger amount of data transfer than you needed in the past. Most large websites such as Amazon, Facebook and BBC have mobile friendly versions.
Handset
The handset is obviously important – you’ll be using it every day for the duration of the contract – but that doesn’t mean you should make a decision solely on which phone is included. It’s more important to think about what features you need from a phone than it is to go for the latest and greatest model.
Free Gifts
Once you’ve decided on the basics of your mobile phone contract the next step is to find a bargain! A popular method of making your money go further is to find a contract that comes with a free gift. These gifts range from cash back to laptops depending on where you buy from. The next post on this blog will go into detail about the different gifts that are available.
For example, if you buy a contract that’s worth £20 a month on a two-year plan then it will cost you £480 in total. Usually the handset you get with it will be free, so it definitely pays off to shop around for the best contracts.
The Basics - Minutes, Texts and Data
The most important thing is to get a contract that covers all of your basic needs. Depending on how much you use your mobile this may only be 100 texts and minutes a month. On the other hand, you may need much more than this. Some contracts come with “units” where a text is equivalent to a minute of call-time while others will treat them separately. It’s important to know exactly what you get with your mobile phone contract before you buy otherwise you may be stuck with a tariff that isn’t right for you.
To discover which contract is the best for you it’s a good idea to work out your average usage over a calendar month. If you’re on pay-as-you-go then this will require a bit of effort as you’ll need to make a record of every time you use the phone for a call or text. If you already have a contract then you’re probably already aware of how much you require.
Also, don’t forget to think about how much data transfer is included with your contract. With mobile phones becoming more and more like mini computers you may require a larger amount of data transfer than you needed in the past. Most large websites such as Amazon, Facebook and BBC have mobile friendly versions.
Handset
The handset is obviously important – you’ll be using it every day for the duration of the contract – but that doesn’t mean you should make a decision solely on which phone is included. It’s more important to think about what features you need from a phone than it is to go for the latest and greatest model.
Free Gifts
Once you’ve decided on the basics of your mobile phone contract the next step is to find a bargain! A popular method of making your money go further is to find a contract that comes with a free gift. These gifts range from cash back to laptops depending on where you buy from. The next post on this blog will go into detail about the different gifts that are available.
| 81 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
