The mobile phone is the most popular gadget at the moment. Everyday, there is something new in terms of looks, function, capabilities, and new technologies that amazes us users. If only the new ones are initially affordable to regular wage earner gadgeteers like me I know that they would get their hands on them the moment these phones hit the shelves.
Buy Upfront
Let's take for example the Samsung Galaxy SII. When it was initially introduced it was offered at least £36 a month for 24 months contract. If you would sum up all the bills until the end of the contract, that is already a whooping £864. The best option is to buy it upfront from £402 to £459 sim free, and you can just use any pay as you go sim card to go with it. Buying upfront can save you at least £405 and upto £462. You can find these prices for a simfree Samsung Galaxy S2 only at Play.com.
Buy upfront if you want the cheapest way to own the latest mobile. Also when you are in a hurry to to buy one and you want to have the freedom of choosing which network to use, or have a plan to give it as a gift.
Buy Pay As You Go
Every mobile sites has hoard of stocks on mobile phones. And from time to time, they let these overstocks go to accommodate newer models. The best time to buy pay as you go phones is when there's a new model coming up soon. Like the example above, there is a rumour of a Samsung Galaxy 3 coming up very soon. That means the Samsung Galaxy 2 will lost it's shine when the S3 becomes available. Therefore the shops will be in a hurry to dispose of their stocks.
If you have a pay as you go phone before, you can also "upgrade" it at Carphone Warehouse. The price for an upgraded pay as you go phone will be at least £10 cheaper than buying the same item as a regular purchase and you do not need to buy any call credit with it. Check with the website your eligibility.
Buy pay as you go if you are happy with the network that the phone is connected into, and do not have the plan of unlocking it in the future. If you have plan to do this, buying it sim free is a better option. Unlocking the phone will cost you at least £15 to £20, depending on the network, and other operators let you wait until 12 months before they give you the unlocking code. Unlocking it elsewhere maybe cheaper but the success and price are not guaranteed specially when it is a new model.
Buy Pay Monthly
Pay monthly contract is an attractive way of having the latest phone. Operators can give you a subsidized plan as long as you are willing to tie up with them for at least 12 months. There are a lot of promos like cashbacks, instant cashbacks, and free gifts that you can have with the new phone. New gadgets like tablet computers, laptops, game consoles are given away with these contracts especially with the longer contracts. Another attractive feature of pay monthly phones are they are usually unlocked or sim free. Except those from 3 mobile. There are high end models like the Apple iPhone that are locked even when bought with contract. You need an unlocking code or software if you'll decide to unlock it in the future.
Here's another trick. If you are about to finish your contract, call your network customer service and ask for your PAC code. This code is needed when you wish to change between operators. Naturally, operators would want to keep you in their network, They usually offer you attractive deals only for existing customers, and from there, you can strike while the iron is hot! Haggle for the best deal. It is also best to have an idea how much is the best deal for a particular phone before calling them and haggle. The best monthly deals I have seen so far is from Dialaphone.
Here's another trick. If you are about to finish your contract, call your network customer service and ask for your PAC code. This code is needed when you wish to change between operators. Naturally, operators would want to keep you in their network, They usually offer you attractive deals only for existing customers, and from there, you can strike while the iron is hot! Haggle for the best deal. It is also best to have an idea how much is the best deal for a particular phone before calling them and haggle. The best monthly deals I have seen so far is from Dialaphone.
Pay monthly is the best method when you want a new phone and a nice gadget in one go and do not have the cash to get it upfront.
Buy From Bidding Sites
Ebay is the first place to go when you want to get a bargain. Start with the items for bid, but if you are impatient in bidding, just check the buy it now tab and I am sure you will be able to find and can get it at a lower price than buying upfront. Amazon is another place if you are not keen in bidding. Just make sure to check the ratings and comments on the sellers first before you commit to buy the items, and also beware of things that are priced insanely low.
Use bidding site if you are not in a hurry to have one. And if you are going for a used phone, these sites are a great hunting ground.
Use Comparison Sites
Comparemobiledeals.com does what it says. It compares every possible deal with a specific mobile phone. The only downside is, refurbished models are included. The prices within the search are seemed to be outdated as well. But there are updated deals as well, it might be a hit and miss search but who knows you will find a better deal
Rightmobilephone.co.uk is another mobile comparison site. This is more reliable than comparemobiledeals. It is easier to use as well. You can even search with almost any UK mobile operators. You can find the best deal in at least two clicks. If you are looking for free gifts, this is also a good site to take a look at.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
This means that they come without being attached to any particular phone network and do not commit you to a specific contract. As a result, you have to pay the full price for the handset, which you wouldn’t normally do if you got a mobile phone with a SIM card already included in it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this also means that you can then shop around for the best SIM card deal you can find. Most of the big phone providers now do offers that are based on a SIM-only premise rather than including the phone as well. This means you can decide what you want from your phone contract and get different prices from the networks to compare before making your final choice. It also means you get exactly the phone you want, which isn’t always possible if you just go to one provider to look for a phone deal.
ReplyDeleteAnother benefit for some people is that with a SIM free mobile, you are able to upgrade your handset whenever you want to rather than waiting for the end of your phone contract. Also, as your contract doesn’t have to build the price of the phone into the cost, it can help you to save money in the long run.
Your Right Executive gifts! Thanks for sharing your know-how! Love it!
DeleteApril
Thanks for the comment. I am a "haggler" and guess what? I just "upgraded" two of my pay as you go phones, one from orange( my daugther use this for school trips abroad) and from o2(I use this to call overseas with "your country" pay as you go deal). I have them both for many years, and I learned about the pay as you go upgrade from CarphoneWarehouse.
ReplyDeleteThis means the pay as you go phone you will buy from them is £10 less and you do not need to buy a top up of at least £10. So there is a saving of at least £20. I bought two Samsung Galaxy Y for £69.95 each with the upgrade. If you will buy this without an upgrade, it is £89.95. That's £79.95 for the handset and another £10 for the requires top up.