Your guide to saving money whilst buying a new phone.
Are you on a contract or a pay as you go? Most people now are choosing to take out contracts on phones believing it will save them money in the long run, but are they? Most contracts now are a minimum of 2 years, that can seem a lifetime for a phone, and as many people know, the older the phone the less battery charge it holds and the more you want a new one. The technology of phones are evolving so quickly that by the time 2 years are up.
Are you on a contract or a pay as you go? Most people now are choosing to take out contracts on phones believing it will save them money in the long run, but are they? Most contracts now are a minimum of 2 years, that can seem a lifetime for a phone, and as many people know, the older the phone the less battery charge it holds and the more you want a new one. The technology of phones are evolving so quickly that by the time 2 years are up, your once snazzy new phone is not antiquated and we are eager to upgrade to the next model and happily stick with our phone provider to get the next one, but it may be worth taking a few minutes to think about if that’s really what’s going to save you money.
One of the first things to think about is, what do you actually do with your phone? I know this might sound daft but they do so many things now and talking on them actually ranks 3rd on most people’s list, if not lover. The most common use for the phone at the moment is going on the internet, so data allowance might be your top priority, do you have unlimited data? How much are the add-on bundles if you need them?, and if you don’t have unlimited data did you know you can put a cap on it so you don’t go over your data allowance and cost yourself a small fortune?
The second most popular thing is messaging, and less and less people are using the texting option in favour of the cheaper or free apps that you can use such as WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, snapchat and others. So if you spending money on sending sms, why not get one of these apps and save yourself some money. So another thing to think about, if your phone company are trying to lure you in with the promise of 500 free messages, do you really need them? Are you going to use them? And can you get a better deal without them?
So now we get to what a phone is supposed to be about, chatting to your mates. But ask yourself, who are most of your friends and family with? Never one for peer pressure or following the crowd but if you have a small group of people who are all on say 3 then it might be cheaper for you to join them, most companies offer free network to network minutes meaning that you’re not eating into your allowance and it’s costing you nothing. If you are happy with your network and don’t regularly go over your minutes then that’s fine, but if you do find yourself having to pay extra each month for that hour long conversation to your bff, then you might try negotiating the contract to include more minutes but less text so that you don’t pay for those vital Friday night planning sessions.
The final tip is not going to be for everyone as it means having money up front, in quite a lot of cases actually buying the phone outright and getting a sim only deal can work out a lot cheaper, For example if you pay £20 a month for your phone without going over your allowances once and that’s without insurance, over the life of the phone that’s £480 you will have paid, if you really want to upgrade every year or want to save money you might think about paying £200 for a phone and getting a pay only sim that will cost you a lot less. It all depends on how much you pay a month, what phone you want and what you actually do with it.
So next time your phone is up for renewal, take a few minutes to think, what am I actually paying for? And get the best deal for you.
