DECISIONS DECISIONS

FREQUENTLY

ASKED

To switch or not to switch; that’s the question. Often the biggest savings come from moving to a completely new deal. While new rules mean it now only takes two days rather than five to port your number, it can still be more trouble than it should be. Therefore first see if you can save without switching company.

Most networks have a vast range of tariffs and five minutes spent examining your usage can save a fortune. Use the comparison websites to search for the best tariff on your existing network.

Anyone on a contract mobile phone is holstering a serious money saving weapon…. loyalty. When nearing the end of the contract, NEGOTIATE. Ask for the very best deal possible, not just on your network but any out there.

If your company won’t budge, tell it "Give me a better package or I'll leave", and you’ll be put through to the disconnections department, which internally is called "customer retentions" and has massively more discretion to offer better packages to keep you.

HOWEVER ........

Would you then really want to be loyal to company which was quite happy to take your money before at a higher rate until you threatened to leave ! Why didn't they contact you earlier, during the contract, to offer you a lower rate?

Also REMEMBER .... if someone calls YOU on your mobile while you are abroad, YOU will pay!

If you really want to take great photos, don't spend a lot of money on a camera phone, spend your money on a proper camera. OK !

Camera phones are great for a quick snap or video, but for better quality, use a better quality camera.

Same thing here as with cameras. If you really want great sounding music then get the best MP3 player with the best earphones.

Brilliant gimmick! Great for showing off! Ideal tool for "cheating" in the pub quiz. But let face it, serious browsing should be done on a decent laptop or PC.

This gimmick shoves up the price of a mobile handset, so unless you really, really need it, just go for a handset that does the basics.

Great. What did we do without texts? We phoned each other and spoke to each other !

Like most things these days texts are becoming cheaper and cheaper. If you send loads of texts then take advantage of the offers that abound. But remember that no matter how many "FREE" texts you get in a contract, you'll use more because you think they are free. If you don't use all your free texts, you bought the wrong tariff in the first place.

Try to match free minutes/texts closely to your usage. If not, go over and you’re overpaying for calls, go under and you’re overpaying for the package.
 

Which is the best handset?

This really is just down to personal preference. Some choose by colour? some choose by size? Some choose by size of the buttons? Some choose by weight? Flip or fold or slide? Do you know how to get into the camera mode? Where is the speed dial? How can I record a phonecall?

All these are  a matter of opinion. Ask 10 people and you'll probably get 15 opinions.

Just pick one you like/can afford. I guarantee that within 6 months you will be certain that no other phone could possibly replace yours ... or ...you will be wanting to upgrade to a "better/newer" model.

My personal preference is for a flip phone (so you can't accidentally make a call when the phone is in your pocket) and one with a big screen so that I can actually see the pictures. I use a Motorola V3 that I have had for about 2 years.

The aim is to re-use the comparison services this time finding out who’ll give you the biggest discount on your chosen tariff. Don’t be drawn to switching to a different tariff for a top cashback deal – let the tariff rule.

• Onecompare is the King.
  
  Onecompare* is the hands-down winner here as having found the best tariff you can then simply click on the right hand column that says “this tariff may be available with further discounts. Click here”. This then lists all the cashback deals at different retailers for specific tariffs.
  
  Better still, on top of that, Onecompare also monitors the terms of those deals for you and sends a reminder when you need to post in your cashback redemption forms; helping ensure you actually get the cashback.
  
   
• Try the others for belt’n’braces.
  
  This easy functionality for doing a cashback search on your chosen tariff isn’t matched by the other comparison services; so it’s a lot more fiddly. Yet it’s worth remembering Onecompare doesn’t give you a whole-of-market search and the others include retailers it doesn’t. The widest range is with MobilePhoneChecker*, and Moneysupermarket* is strong too.

First, ensure your network will work for you

There's no point getting the cheapest package if you can't access it. Not all networks’ connection quality is equal. Ask colleagues and neighbours what the reception is like in your regular immediate locale.

Do remember there are only actually five networks, the others are ‘virtual networks' meaning they piggyback via a main network's infrastructure, and it is this which dictates the reception received.
 

Now work out what your usage will be

The amount you will pay depends on a number of factors.

• How many calls do you make?
• Who do you call most? Often companies offer cheaper, or free, calls to their own network. So if you only call one person, chose a sim card of the same company as that one someone. If you call 100+  people, get them all to change to the same network as you ! IMPOSSIBLE ! Or choose a tariff which charges the same, irrespective of which other network you call.
• Are they peak or off-peak? Peak is usually 7am to 7pm mid-week but it may be 6am to 6pm, or 6am to 8pm, you need to know!
• What proportion are to other mobiles? Calling mobiles is much more expensive; if you do it often then a ‘cross network package', where inclusive minutes include calling mobiles, is usually cheapest.
• Total texts? Text messages are expensive. Get a ‘bundle' package if you send many, i.e. buy 120 a month at a reduced price. Also take a look at online companies which offer cheap or free texts from a computer, eg call18866.co.uk
• Roll-overs. Whether it's a month's free minutes or bundled texts, establish if they're unused at the end of the month, whether they will roll-over into the next month's allocation. The equivalent for Pay-As-You-Go users is checking how long any vouchers last.

Choosing between Pay-As-You-Go and Contract

Pay-As-You-Go means you prepay via vouchers or electronic top up. With a Monthly contract you pay a monthly fee and are billed for calls made. Unfortunately, those with poor credit histories have no choice; contract applications are usually credit scored – so PAYG is the only option.

As a rough rule of thumb, use less than 150 minutes of calls and hundred texts a month and PAYG is cheaper, as the higher call cost is offset by the lack of monthly fee though this ignores the upfront cost, which is hefty with a high-end phone as PAYG isn't as heavily subsidised as contract. It also has the advantage that there's no bill, so no shock when you realise how much you've spent. The disadvantage is that you might have NO CREDIT just when you need to make that all important call.

How many times has someone, usually a teenager, asked you to "Call me back 'cos I've got no credit!"

As well as being substantially cheaper for heavier users, because it will have ‘inclusive calls' the big advantage of contract is you can't run out of minutes, plus the phone is always accessible and always available, yet you're locked into it.

Pay as you go without a new phone

Those with an existing or old phone can buy a sim card to use in it (the Sim is the small microchip card you insert in the back, which identifies the phone to the network). Buying a standalone sim is much cheaper than getting a phone.

The only obstacle is the phone might be locked to a network, meaning switch sim and it won't work. To unlock it is both legal and relatively easy to do for free, you just plug in a code from the internet.