Buying a mobile phone can be a minefield, here is a basic guide of what to
watch out for.
Pay As You Go or Contract?
With pay as you go you pay for the phone and calls and there is no monthly
line rental to worry about. Having a bad credit rating is not a problem because
there is no need for a credit check and you know where you are because you pre
pay for your calls. For an average user calls can end up more expensive than
they would with a contract and you may have problems using it abroad.
A contract will have a monthly line rental charge, your phone will be subsidised
which should make it cheaper than the same phone on pay as you go, and you will
probably get a certain number of free minutes/MMS/SMS or free weekend calls
etc. You will be locked into a contract for at least 12 months and during this
time you will have to pay line rental. Typical line rentals are between £15
and £30.
A contract will be the best option for a typical user. If you won't be making
many outgoing calls or just want the phone for emergencies pay as you go could
end up being your cheapest option.
Contract |
Pros |
Cons |
- Cheaper subsidised phone.
- More international roaming support.
- Inclusive free minutes/SMS/MMS and sometimes weekend
calls and other deals.
|
Can be difficult to get with credit
problems. May need a deposit.
12-24 Month contract lock in.
Monthly fee. |
Pay As You Go |
Pros |
Cons |
- No deposit or credit check
- No monthly fee.
- No contract or tie ins.
- Cheaper for very occasional use.
- No nasty shocks you pay up front so should get no
big bills though the door.
|
More expensive phone.
Calls can work out more expensive for normal or high
usage.
International roaming can be problematic. |
Common Pitfalls
I'm afraid the first pitfall is from personal bitter experience. You sign up
with a mobile phone company and get a great phone for £50. A few weeks later
you lose the phone, no problem you think I'll pay the £50 and get a new one.
Wrong! The phone company wants customers to take contracts with them, to attract
you they have subsidised the phone. The phone may cost £350.00 but they only
charge you £50 because they are pretty certain they will make at least £300.00
from you in phone calls and line rental. So if you want to replace the phone
you paid £50 for you will have to pay full price for it which could be as much
as £350.00. So you decide to take a new contract and get the phone for £50
again, you still have to pay the monthly line rental on your old contract until
it runs out. If you lose the phone or want a more up to date phone while you
are still under contract you need to be aware that you will have to pay much
more than the phones are advertised as with a contract.
The Small print
- Many operators offer cheap deals on mobile to mobile calls this can be 2
pence or free which when compared to the usual 30 or 50 pence looks great.
These deals are usually for mobile to mobile on the same network and it's
unlikely all your family and friends are going to be on the same network.
Check the cost of calling a mobile on another network to get a more realistic
idea of call costs.
- Check the cost of voicemail retrieval, some deals actually charge to to
pick up your voicemail.
- Check there are no penalty clauses for not using your mobile enough.
- If you want to use the phone abroad check you can have International roaming
and that your phone is compatible with the network in the destination country.
Remember you will be charged for incoming calls as well as outgoing, many
people are unaware of this and get a shock when they are billed a huge amount
for people calling them.
- Ask if the handset is 'locked' some operators will lock your phone so it
won't work with any other network operator. This can be an unexpected pain,
they can be unlocked but it will probably cost you.
I hope this article has been of use, if you have any questions or further
advice for other users then contact us using this link.
