With so many people trying to save money these days, and with so many people having mobile phones, maybe a good place to start saving is with your mobile contract. There are plenty of mobile contracts on the market today, with good choices for all types of user. So how do you make sure that you get the best deal? Today we’re talking about how you can get the cheapest mobile contract that you can. So, if you’re looking to save and you have a mobile phone, here’s all you need to know about cheap mobile contracts…
Cheaper Mobile Contracts Aren’t Always Better…
The first thing that you need to keep in mind is that cheaper isn’t always better. The low end cheap contract that you’ll see generally have extremely low limits, either for calling minutes, text messages or data. What happens when you sign these contracts is that you pay a low monthly fee, but you then get hefty extra charges when you go over the monthly limits. These contracts nearly always end up costing you more than you would have paid had you simply gone for a slightly more expensive plan with higher monthly limits.
SIM Only is Cheaper than Incentive…
A SIM only contract gives you a SIM card and a calling plan, whilst an incentive contract gives you a SIM card, calling plan and free or discounted mobile phone. And SIM only contracts always end up saving you money. Just do the math. Take the monthly fee that you’ll pay on an incentive contract and multiply it by the number of months in the contract, then do the same thing for a SIM only contract that has the same calling plan.
The difference between those two numbers is the amount that you’re paying for the phone the operator is giving you. Now compare that sum to the real retail cost of the phone, and it will be higher. If you have the cash to buy a phone immediately, sign a SIM only contract, because you’re going to save.
Contract Shop Online…
All the major mobile service operators have web sites nowadays, and you can often get discounts on contracts by signing up for service online, rather than going to a retail store. Operators save money when you shop online, since running an online store is cheaper than paying for rent, staff and utilities in a retail shop, and they’re happy to pass those savings along to you for choosing to shop online. If you want the cheapest contract that you can get from a provider then you’ll nearly always find it online.
Go Longer…
Signing a mobile contract means tying yourself to one operator, and often one calling plan, for a long period of time. This makes some people uncomfortable, but there are benefits to be had from signing longer contracts. In general most companies will offer you the choice between a twelve month or twenty four month contract, with some operators going for an eighteen month option too. The longer your contract length, the cheaper your monthly fees will be. It’s worth considering going for the longest option that you possibly can.
Switch It Up…
There are lots of mobile operators on the market, which means there’s lots of competition between operators. As a customer, this is a good thing, since you can profit from the special offers that companies constantly release to try and lure new customers into signing contracts.
And if your current contract is at an end, you may find that it’s worth your while to switch operators to take advantage of a better deal. Many operators reserve their best contract deals for new customers. This isn’t true of all providers though- O2, notably, generally give you a better deal for resigning a contract than for first time signers. It is worth shopping around though, especially since new deals and tariff plans are released all the time.
And should you decide to switch, remember that you can take your old mobile number with you, you don’t need to go through the hassle of changing numbers and informing everyone in your contact list.
Choose the Right Calling Plan…
The biggest thing that can save you money on a mobile contract is simply making sure that you choose the right calling plan. A calling plan is composed of three monthly limits: one for the amount of calling minutes you can use, one for the amount of text messages that you can send, and one for the amount of mobile data you can use. All this is for one monthly fee.
But here’s the trick. You pay the same fee whether or not you use all of your monthly limits, but should you go over those limits you’ll pay expensive extra fees for using extra services. That means that a plan that’s too big will make you pay for services that you’re not using, whilst a plan that’s too small will cost you a fortune in extra fees. If you want to save money, you’re going to have to go with a plan that’s just right.
How to do that? It’s worth your time to go through some old bills and see what your average usage limits are. Or, if you can’t do that, you can try monitoring your phone use for a month or so to get some idea of what kinds of service limits you use.
Unlimited…
Unlimited contracts are those that put no limits on the amount of calling minutes, text messages or mobile data that you use. They are the most expensive contracts that mobile operators offer. However, if you’re a big phone user then you’re going to benefit from these kinds of plans, whatever the monthly charge is. Anything smaller is going to get you plenty of extra fees, so if you’re always on the phone it’s really worth just going for the biggest plan. Alternatively, choose an unlimited option for whichever service you use the most. There are plans that have, for example, calling minute and text message limits but unlimited data allowances.
Cheap mobile contracts were advertised online, so Sam Jones decided to check them out. He compared the prices using uSwitch.com and found they were great value for money