Choosing A Mobile Phone Contract

If you are thinking of buying a new mobile phone, the choices can seem to be endless. There are so many options, packages, tariffs and bundles to consider before you actually buy the phone. It's quite easy to look for mobile phone deals online in the comfort of your home without any unwanted pressure from salespeople. Moreover one can find better deals and compare more than you might do in store while browsing online.

But the main thing to think about is to what sort of service plan you are goin to opt for.

There are 3 types of service plans:

1. Pay monthly
2. SIM only contract
3. Pay as you go (PAYG)

Of these the first and last are quite traditional plans and the SIM only plan is the more recent phenomenon.

With pay monthly mobiles you usually sign up for a contract term of either 12, 18 or 24 months. With this contract you get a free mobile phone, which you are essentially buying on hire purchase over the contract term – after which the phone is yours to keep. The only disadvantage is that you are tied into a contract for a particular length of time, although when weighed up against the attraction of a great new mobile, most people think it’s worth it.

Pay as you go, as the name suggests, means that you pay only for what you use. The main advantage is that you are more cost conscious for the budget-minded. It lets you stay in control of your mobile phone costs: you buy credit in advance, usually a minimum of £5, and this can be done either online or in most supermarkets, shops and mobile phone stores. The disadvantage of PAYG is that the cost of calls, texts and browsing can be higher than with other tariffs.

SIM Only Contracts - The New Kid On The Block

Finally, the SIM only contracts service plan – this is where you get a SIM card and a rolling monthly plan but no phone, which means that it is similar to a contract service plan except that you can choose to end the contract with only a month’s notice, and can switch plans more easily.

One of the main reasons for the increase in popularity of these contracts is that people have realised that this is an effective way to save money whilst still staying connected. Another reason is that mobile phone companies have realised the potential of SIM Only deals in the current climate, and have subsequently improved marketing and increased awareness of these deals.

SIM Only contracts give you the liberty of maintaining just one network instead of subscribing to many all at the same time. So compare all the best SIM only contract and choose the one that suits you.

Compare the latest Vodafone SIM only tariffs