Tuesday, August 13, 2013

How To Choose The Best Mobile Service Contract

Mobile phone operators don't exactly make choosing a service contract easy. And with so many operators to choose from, and so many plans with each operator, it can be tough knowing which one is right for you. Today we're talking about how you choose a mobile contract to make sure that you're getting the best deal around. So, if you're in the midst of shopping for a new service contract, then read on to find out how to decide...
How To Choose The Best Mobile Service Contract
Image Courtesy: geekcurrent.com

Pay As You Go Phones are Still an Option...

First you need to decide if you really want a contract. Pay as you go phones are available, and don't require that you sign any contract at all. You just buy a SIM card and top it up with credit. The disadvantage of these plans is that when your credit runs out your phone stops working, so you'll have to track your credit use. Also, rates tend to be higher on pay as you go phones than on contracts. However, light phone users will benefit from a pay as you go plan. If you don't use your phone too much then a contract is going to end up costing you more, since you pay the same monthly price whether you use all of your calling plan or none of it. With pay as you go you only ever pay for what you use.

How to Check Coverage...

You'll need to find out which operators give you good coverage in your area. This is simple to do. Head over to the OFCOM web site and you'll find a coverage map that compares the coverage of all the major UK operators in all areas of the country. In urban areas you'll probably get good coverage with everyone, but in rural areas there are more problems. If an operator has bad coverage in your area, there's no point in signing up with them, since you'll have slow mobile data speeds and bad call quality.

Incentive or SIM Only?

Now you need to decide which kind of contract you want. There are two to choose from, incentive or SIM only. Both of these contracts will give you the service that you need, but an incentive contract will also give you a free or low cost mobile phone. The monthly cost for an incentive contract is higher than the monthly cost of a SIM only contract, which is how the operator makes you pay for your phone. Over the course of the contract you will end up paying a little more than retail price for the phone you get, though not usually too much more. If you need a phone and don't have the cash to pay for it, then you should sign an incentive contract. If you already have a phone, sign a SIM only contract. Also, if you have the cash to buy a phone immediately, then doing so and signing a SIM only contract will end up being a little cheaper.

Choosing a Calling Plan...

Whichever contract you sign you'll need to choose a calling plan. This is a set of limits for the amount of calling minutes, text messages and mobile data that you can use each month for a fixed monthly price. Choosing the right size of calling plan is important. A plan that's too big will mean that you pay for services that you don't use (since you'll pay the same monthly fee whether you use all of your limits or none of them). A plan that's too small will mean that you have to pay expensive extra fees for going over your limits. The best way to choose the right size calling plan is to look at your old mobile bills and see what your average usage looks like. Alternatively, you could track your phone use for a month or so to see what kind of plan you'll need.

How Long to Sign Up For...

Contracts come in different lengths. You'll generally be offered the option of twelve, eighteen or twenty four month contracts. Some SIM only plans will come with thirty day rolling contracts. This means that the contract automatically renews every thirty days until you tell the operator that you no longer want service. The longer your contract is the cheaper your monthly payments will usually be. This is especially true with incentive contracts, since the price of the phone will be spread out over a greater number of months. But you have to remember that once you sign a contract, it's going to be difficult and expensive to cancel it. This means that you won't be able to switch to another operator because they have better prices. It also means that should you decide to move or should your financial situation change, you might be stuck with a mobile contract that you can't afford to get out of. You'll have to balance the convenience of a short term contract with the affordability of a long term contract in your decision.

Comparison Shopping...

Once you have all the information above, you'll be able to start comparison shopping. By far the easiest way to do this is online. Find a decent mobile operator comparison web site, there are plenty of them around, just make sure it's UK oriented. You then put the calling plan limits that you're looking for into the parameter boxes, and the site will present you with a list of plans with different operators that match your needs. You can choose the plan that's cheapest with an operator that you like, remembering to make sure that it's an operator that has good coverage in your area. It's really that simple. When you have decided which plan is right for you, you have two choices. You can go to a high street branch of your chosen operator and sign a contract there, or you can go to the operator's web site and sign up online. Online prices tend to be slightly cheaper than physical store prices, but first time contract signers might find it easier to go to an operator branch and sign up.

Authro Bio:
Sam Jones daughter liked the idea of pay as you go phones.  Checking that they were the right option for her was easy with simple to use websites such as uSwitch.
Posted By: Unknown

How To Choose The Best Mobile Service Contract

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