Contract mobile phones are definitely a convenience. You tend to get a free or heavily subsidized mobile phone, and you then get the comfort of never running out of credit and just receiving a monthly bill. However, there are downsides. That phone is not free of course, rather you'll be paying for it in monthly instalments on your phone bill, which over the two year contract can add up to a lot more than the actual cost of the phone. For many people, finding the best pay as you go tariff is the key to saving money on their mobiles. So how do you go about it? Read on to find out...
- Find Out What You Need...
The key to a good PAYG tariff deal is to make sure that it matches your needs. Look at your old phone bills and find out how your phone activity is broken up, how much of the time do you spend calling, how many text messages do you send. This information will help you determine which kind of plan is best for you. If you're sending over 500 text messages a month, for example, it's probably a good idea to get a PAYG tariff that includes unlimited texting. Be warned, PAYG tariffs tend to work out as money savers only for those that plan to spend less than £25 a month. For users who regularly spend more, contract phones are still the best deal.
Not being tied down to a contract means that you don't have to spend money on your phone each month. However, it's a good idea to have a budget for the month that accurately reflects what credit you'll need. This is because a lot of PAYG tariffs offer special deals for customers who top up every month. For example, putting ten pounds of credit on your phone each month will get you unlimited internet.
- Decide Which Operator to Go With...
This decision should have two parts. First, find the operators who have plans that match your needs (they'll probably be more than one of them). Then ask around, ask your family and friends which operator they use. This is a good idea for a couple of reasons; firstly, because you'll get some recommendations, but also because many operators offer lower calling and texting prices to numbers in the same network. If you call your Mum every day, it might not be a bad idea to be on the same network as she is to get some savings for both of you.
This can take some serious time, but it's definitely worth doing. Just because you already know which network you want doesn't mean that you need to go straight to their store. There are many online sources (such as Carphone Warehouse) that offer special deals on hand sets bought with
PAYG tariffs. It may be that you end up back at your mobile service operator, but it doesn't hurt to take a look around and find out what's out there.
Phil Turner is searching for the best pay as you go tariff available to him because he hardly uses his phone at all.
