Best way to get a good deal? New to pay monthly

PocoLocoCoco

Hello,

I am looking to get a new phone. I want to go for pay monthly as I sometimes spend a lot on pay as you go.

Should I go into a shop tell them what I want and go from there? or should I go into a shop and ask what they can offer me?

Is it better to buy online? I would purchase online but I would be worried something went wrong and I would have no where to go. (I couldn't just go back to the shop)

I like the look of the Samsung Tocco Lite but I have not seen one 'in action' so I don't really know if it is for me.

I want a 18 month contract, I don't really want to go 24. I don't want to pay more than £20 a month. I want unlimited text and 100 mins any network (minimum)

Could anyone give me any advice? I am totally new to pay monthly and don't want to get ripped off.

MRC_2

Best is defiantly online as you generally get a better deal. Why don't you go to a store and just look at the options of different handsets, pick one and come home to buy.

Usually better deal if you go through 3rd party places such as Carphonewarehouse but some people prefer just to go direct to the networks. Have a look around online, plenty of information.

jweb2k

Online also means you have to deal with them online then too, which is awful if you have issues with your phone. That said, it's not much better trying to argue in a shop situation, they tend to not care if somethings gone wrong with your phone as they're just there to sell!

Read Martin's advice, don't go for "cashback" deals unless it's instant, but usually there's better deals out there than autocashback. Defnitely shop around, definitely be confident and never feel like you're backed into a corner. Alarm bells should ring if you're ever told "I shouldn't really offer you this, but as you're my first customer" etc or "as you're here today and now, i can just about do... "

The best thing is to shop around, don't buy anything that day, then go back the next day after you've had time to think. Some deals seem great at the time (£120 instant cashback - but on an 18 month contract at £35 a month, plus insurance that they force you to bundle in at "free for 2 months" isn't that great on a new phone)

Hope that helps!


Incidentally, on your first post - Tocco Lite isn't a great phone, so try it out in a shop first to see if you like it. Comes with a free PS3 online on some sites heh