Simple Tips for Saving Money on Your Phone Contract
Buying a mobile phone can be an expensive venture. It is even more costly if you sign a contract covering the cost of the phone. Although you do not need to pay upfront, the total cost of the phone ownership can be astonishing. Choosing a low-cost tariff and later using more than your monthly limits can elevate the prices too. Here are tips on how you can save some money on your phone contract:
Do not abandon your current phone
Do not fall for the allure of a new phone. If you are satisfied by your current phone, stick with it and negotiate a better contract or tell your mobile company that you want to go SIM-only. If you decide to buy a fancy new phone, pay for it fully. You have the opportunity to sell it later or trade in your current phone online to help compensate the cost.
Avoid paying for what you do not need
Most people using Smartphones in the UK use up to 2GB of data per month. Users who do not stream videos on 3G or 4G are not likely to go over the 1GB per month edge. Unless you are a passionate downloader or social media photo uploader, you almost certainly do not need to pay for an unlimited data plan. Choose a contract with a 2GB or 4GB limit to reduce the money you need to pay.
Monitor your data and call expenses and then find the appropriate handset for you. Many people considerably overpay on their phone contracts. Cunningly, these contracts show you deals in which you will likely get close to the limit for text and data, but at the same time taking into account the amount it will cost you to slightly exceed the limits set. You may break the limit by £1 or more, but the monthly charge is way cheaper.
Shop around
You can get a good deal from your current service supplier but normally there are better deals for new customers oppose to loyal customers. As this becomes a bigger trend, make sure to use this to your advantage while you are on the search for the best phone deals, you can always check out comparison sites to really make sure you have the best deal available for what you are looking for e.g. Broadband Choices.
Go for a lower capacity phone
Due to the high likelihood of losing files stored on your phone, you do not have to store everything on your phone. An iPhone 6 with 16GB storage will costs you £39.50 monthly with O2, with a £29.99 upfront fee. However, if you go for the same brand with storage of 48GB, it will cost you £48.50 monthly. Since the contract duration is 24 months, you will spend £876 for the 16GB storage and £1,176 for the 48GB storage. This means that you will save £288 for the lower capacity phone over the life of its contract.
Exercise your buying power
In case you are in the final days of your current phone contract, your operator will want you to be their customer for longer. If there are better deals for new clients, you can demand to be put on those tariffs. The operator might object at first, but if your contract is almost over you can tell the operator you will leave if you cannot be offered the best deals. A fancy new phone and a considerably cheaper contract that you could not afford will magically be provided if you stay.
Prioritize calls and text deals
Most mobile phone companies will tempt you to purchase their very latest mobile devices and the expensive contracts. This is why they display the 3G and 4G contract phones on their websites. They will even try to talk you into buying as much data as your money can buy. If you intend to use a few gigabytes per month, look for an older phone model that still offers you at least 5GB of data per month.
A headline phone from a year ago may suit you just fine and cost far less as well. However, software updates to Android or iOS will transform your phone anyway. You can get a £15 per month contract which lasts for 24 months, with 1GB data for a Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE. The total cost over the 24 months is £360, which is fair for a 16GB 4G phone with an 8MP camera. In case you want the latest phone models, look out for a pocket-friendly tariff and less amount of data.
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