The newest and latest gadget is usually very expensive when it first comes out. Not many people have the purchasing power to own one outright, with many phones costing £400-£500. But there is another alternative for us, and that is through a mobile phone monthly contract. It has become increasingly easier in the UK to own your dream mobile phone by comparing these monthly contracts online. However, while this is good in a sense that we can afford the latest smartphone more easily, it comes with its own baggage in the form of a financial commitment. Currently, there are so many mobile phones and price plans out there; it takes a lot of time to compare them all to find which the best are. Even if you are looking for a specific mobile phone, you can still compare the prices from different networks or resellers who are all competing on selling the top mobiles out there.
Essentially, a mobile phone deal takes into account the monthly tariff and usually comes complete with a mobile handset. The phones are more often than not offered free if you sign up for an 18 month plan or a 24 month plan. Of course if you are looking for a high-end smartphone, you can expect to be tied into the contract for as long as 2 years. Because of this, it is worth taking the time over your decision. If you do not find the right offer, you may end up dissatisfied, half way into your 2 year contract.
A lot of networks do allow early upgrades before the end of the contract, which is important to consider when on a long contract. On the other hand, if the latest gadget is not really of your concern, there are many mobile phone deals with bundled features at a lower price. For example, if you use your phone for calls, you may consider the unlimited airtime or if you are a heavy text user, then an unlimited texting tariff is essential. Or if you are using a BlackBerry, iPhone or Android mobile, you should certainly consider an unlimited data/email plan, which I will refer to later. All of those options usually come at a cheaper price when you sign up for one of the deals offered within the monthly tariff.
The cheapest monthly priced tariff may be what you are looking for if you have a limited income. Sometimes you might not pass the credit check if the price of the contract is high, unless you have a great credit history. If you fail the check, maybe try a cheaper monthly plan or work on improving your credit score by other means before trying again.
It is important to consider the quantity of data being included in your monthly plan with the latest smartphones, if you want to use the full 3G functions. Most contracts these days can come with 500 megabyte to 1 gigabyte of downloads each month, with extra data costing more money. It is important to bear in mind how much data you use each month so you do not have a massive monthly bill. One way to avoid incurring extra data costs is to make sure you use free Wi-Fi hotspots which may be included in your plan. You can also use home Wi-Fi or your work Wi-Fi on many phones, and this will also speed up uploading and downloading of large data files, such as images or video.
Always check rates before going away and make sure you consider if your phone is automatically using data whilst roaming. Out of your native country, significant extra charges may cost a lot of money. You may end up paying more because of the data amounts that are not covered in your monthly plan. Many phone networks enable you to add extra data packs to your existing tariff, which can work out cheaper than paying the data costs each month.
Therefore, it is imperative to compare mobile phone deals before you make your decision. The best mobile phone deal you can get is the one that has the entire list of features you want, nothing more nothing less. You may also want it to be the cheapest monthly plan out there; these are usually around £10 a month and come with new but cheaper mobiles and less minutes/texts included in the plan. This might still work out cheaper than pay as you go so is worth looking at for pay as you go users. So, when comparing mobile deals, pick the one closest to your needs and your budget. When you find the deal after comparison, you can be sure you are getting the best price at time of purchase and can be pleased with your decision.
By Keith Horwood
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