Mobile Phone Buying Guide
A Guide To Make Buying A Mobile Phone Simple
Pay Monthly, Pay As You Go or Sim Free?
Pay Monthly, meaning you will be billed on a monthly basis for the calls, texts and other services you may use. You will be signed to a legally binding contract of a minimum of 12, 18 or 24 months thus making a careful based of decision on your needs is essential. For a monthly line rental inclusive free minutes and/or SMS messages and other free services such as WAP may be included. The higher the monthly rental the more free usage you will recieve. An added incentive for the pay monthly option is free or hugely discounted handsets. Even the very latest high spec mobiles are usually free on the higher rental plans. Their are various networks to choose from all providing varied packages and offers. Networks have recently adapted to offer sim only pay monthly contracts, this is when no handset is provided however, monthly rental will either be cheaper or a great amount of free inclusive usage will be included.
Pay As You Go plans are based on the user purchasing pre-paid credit for the phone. Credit can be purchased via top up vouchers which can be purchased in most retail shops, or via credit or debit card either online or over the phone. Also certain ATM machines will allow you to top up on them deducting the money from your bank account. If you have no credit you cannot make calls or send SMS messages however you will still be able to recieve them, therefore you are able to control your monthly spending and you will not to put in a legally binding contract. However calls are generally more expensive than on pay monthly nor will you recieve large amounts of inclusive free talk time. Although some pre-pay tariffs on certain networks include a small amount of calls or texts providing that you top up a certain amount each month, which is great for the light user. Handsets on pay as you go are discounted compared to sim free handsets however not in comparison to the amount pay monthly handsets are discounted.
Sim Free handsets are mobile phones without a network connection and come factory unlocked, meaning they will take sim cards from any network (in some cases 3G sim cards may not work, mainly older phones). As you are purchasing the handset only you will be paying the full price for the handset. You would need a current pay monthly or pay as you go sim card to use the phone or you may wish to purchase a new prepay sim card seperately.
Networks
The main networks operating in the UK are:
- O2
- T-mobile
- Vodafone
- Orange
- Three Mobile (3G)
- Virgin Mobile
Each network provide UK wide coverage however service in remote parts of the country may be poor. You can check coverage within your area either on the network operators websites simply by entering your postal code or you could visit a network operators shop who will be able to provide you with this service. Coverage of 3G services such as video calling may also have limited coverage in more remote areas of the country so be sure to check the coverage in your area before purchasing.
Calls to other network providers are generally more expensive than to the same network so be sure to ask your friends and family which network they are on before deciding on a provider.
Tariffs
Next you should look at tariffs, lets face facts in this day and age most of the networks will have coverage almost everywhere so you will need another way decide which network operator to go for. Each network has 6-10 different tariffs, thats alot to choose from. Begin asking yourself questions such as:
How much do I currently spend a month on pay as you go?
How long do I spend on the phone each month?
How many text messages do I send each month?
Whats my budget? or How much can i afford to spend?
These questions will help you narrow down the best tariffs available to you, which is essential when the tariffs range from £15 a month to £75 a month. From free off-peak minutes to free anytime any network minutes.
Things to look out for:
Is the free inclusive usage to the same network and/or landlines only or are the minutes cross network. Be sure to check so you do not get caught out.
Certain networks may offer unlimited free calls or texts. However be vary of this as a FAIR USAGE POLICY always applies. For example; Orange are currently offering unlimited free texts on some of their tariffs, however the fair usage policy states a maximum of 3000 texts can be sent a month. This is still alot of text messages however always be vary so you do not get caught out.
Itemised Billing: Some networks do not include this within their monthly rental charge so your will may be a few pounds more than you expect, always ask before purchasing.
Handsets
Which handset to choose?
There are plenty to choose from so it all depends on what you want out of your phone. Some phones are great from playing music and taking pictures, others are better for more business usage such as Blackberrys and PDA’s.
Various mobile phone manufacturers to choose from:
- Nokia
- Motorola
- Sony Ericsson
- Blackberry
- Apple iPhone
- LG
- and many other smaller brands
Do be aware that if you are purchasing on a pay monthly contract you may recieve a choice of various free handsets, so be sure to choose a phone carefully. Consider asking yourself some of the following questions to help you make a more informed decision:
Do I only need a phone for calls and text messages?
Will I need to use the internet on my phone?
Will I use my phone to take pictures?
Will I play music on my phone or listen to the radio?
