How to Find the Best Mobile Deal with No Upfront Costs

Upgrading a phone contract can be an exciting time, but it can also be expensive. Here are some tips on how to get the best mobile deal without breaking the bank or committing to a lengthy and unsuitable contract.

Best Mobile Deal

Invest Time to Save Money

Do a little research and see what contracts are out there. It can be tempting to trust your current supplier to give you the best deal, but this is unwise: mobile phone suppliers are businesses like any other and they are in the business of making money – from everyone, including you! It is nothing but sensible to see what is out there.

Latest Not Always Best (For Your Pocket)

If you are looking for an economical phone deal, then perhaps, be prepared not to have the latest phone as soon as it is released. The very newest phones tend to be the most expensive in the market and they are rarely offered in the ‘no-upfront-cost’ contracts. The phones that are included without any costs can be excellent quality devices, and they are often market tested so that any hardware issues or software bugs have been worked out and fixed in the early days of their release.

Consider the Full-Term Costs

Consider the monthly tariff you will be paying, as well as the cost of the handset. It is surprisingly easy to commit to a high monthly cost in order to make a false saving at the point of sale. There is no point ‘saving’ a few pounds initially if you are going to pay out much more than that over the length of the contract.

Speaking of contract lengths, do make a point to check the time limit on your contract – sometimes contracts can jump from one year to two years or longer. If you are certain that you are going to be happy with the phone for a long time, then it makes sense to sign a longer contract in exchange for a lower monthly price. However, if you’re going to want to upgrade within a year, then perhaps you may have to pay more per month in order to be ‘free’ when you are ready to upgrade.

Pay-As-You-Go contracts can be useful if you have to operate on a fixed budget, especially if you can get, for example, unlimited texts for topping up a few pounds per month, but they can sometimes have a different pricing structure to monthly contracts, charging more for data, texts or call time. This can mean that you burn through your top-up in a week or two, and then have to top-up again before you were intending to if you want to use your phone. Make sure you know how much you will be paying on a PAYG contract and see if it is more sensible to switch to a monthly contract.

Why Not Keep Your Old Phone?

If you already have a good phone, then consider a sim only contract. By already having the most expensive part of the contract – the phone – you can opt for a much cheaper monthly payment, or choose to ask your supplier for more data – even mobile broadband – more minutes, and more texts, all for less money per month!

Or Buy One Yourself?

A sim only contract might not seem as though it is an option if your current mobile is old, damaged or lost. But, you can still take advantage of such deals buy purchasing the new mobile yourself. Good models are available for surprisingly low prices, and you could end with a much better deal than you expect by doing this.

Image by Pixabay