Choosing A Mobile Phone: The Basics
Pay As You Go or Pay Monthly?Firstly you need to consider whether you will need a contract mobile phone (for which you pay a monthly fee and are tied into a contract lasting at least 12 months), or a Pay As You Go mobile phone (where you just pay for the minutes and text messages you use). Which option you go for will ultimately be determined by the level of usage you are likely to need from the phone, for example, if you will only make calls on occasion or in an emergency and rarely text, then Pay As You Go would be a more cost-efficient option for you. If you are likely to use your mobile phone on a daily basis however, calling and texting both for personal and professional use, then it will be cheaper to take out a monthly contract.
Pay Monthly ̣€“ Tariffs
If you have decided to go with a monthly contract option, you will next need to decide which tariff you want to be on. Tariffs outline the inclusive minutes, text messages and mobile internet data that are available for you to use each month. There are hundreds of tariffs out there, all varying between different network providers, so try to research exactly what you want in terms of calls, texts before committing to buy.
It is worth checking with the provider whether any unused text messages or calls can be transferred to the next month ̣€“ some providers offer this as an added incentive to choose a contract with them.
Pay As You Go ̣€“ perks
If you have decided to go with Pay As You Go, you can find many added extras to sweeten the deal even more, including for example, Orange"s 2 for 1 deal on cinema tickets on a Wednesday (exclusively to Orange customers), and some providers throw in free texts/ minutes to use when you top up your phone every month.
Mobile Phones ̣€“ cost
The difference in initial cost for the two options of mobile phones is rather substantial. Whereas selecting to commit to a 12 month contract with a provider can get you the latest handsets on the market for free, choosing a PAYG mobile phone means paying retail price for the handset, meaning you could pay upwards of ̉£100 before you have even topped up the phone.
Choosing a handset
Aside from the price of the handset (applicable to PAYG and some pay monthly contracts), another thing to consider is what features you would like on your new phone. The most popular features include: email, camera, games, video, and WiFi. The best way to search for a phone by its features is by using a mobile phone comparison site, which will have specific pages dedicated to types of phone based on the feature (i.e. touchscreen phones, camera phones).
Finally you just need to select the phone you want and click on the option to buy. The good news is that buying a phone online is quick and easy, with next day delivery now a standard option for most websites, meaning you can start exploring the functions of your new mobile phone straight away.