"My First Contract" but what to choose?

Eau_Rouge

Hello

I'm looking to move from a PAYG phone to a Smartphone. Having done some looking around this will be a HTC Desire.
The catch is I've never had a mobile contract, I've been on O2 PAYG for the last 10 years and feel I don't really understand the world of mobile contracts.

My usage is fairly light. I rarely actually call people, easily less than 10 minutes of actual calls a month with no voice calls at all not uncommon. I text people instead but this would be in the low hundreds at most. I know this makes me a very light user.

Firstly, is a contract the best way to go, given my usage? The "FREE phone" bit is tempting me that way, but isn't it supposed to and things are never free... Would buying the phone up front and staying on PAYG with a Data allowance be an option?

If not, since I'm on O2 and haven't had any issues I think I'd like to stay put. They have, as part of their new tariffs, a 24mth £16.50 deal that should cover my usage, but would mean paying £150 for the phone. That's £546 over 2 years.

The cheapest VodaPhone deal is a free Desire but £25 a month for 24mts - £600

Orange seem unclear on how big a data allowance you get. I have a feeling it's only 250Mb but other than that the prices seem very similar to O2

Am I missing something here? Is the O2 deal about the best option for me here or is there a PAYG or other contract option I haven't seen? I guess I'm looking for reassurance really.

jbainbridge

Phone Vodafone direct and ask for a deal. I got a Desire a few weeks ago.

300mins/texts/500mb - £20/mth

Mezzo

I know it can get a bit daunting with so many deals around, but it might also be worth looking at T-Mobile:

£15.32 for 24 months gives you 100 mins, unlimited texts and I think 500mb data.
It's £120 for the phone but that works out at £487 overall.

Rusty!

You can get inexpensive smart phones and stay on PAYG if you prefer. £100 gets you a nice Android based Orange San Francisco (free to unlock & debrand), OK so it's not as good as a Desire, but if you're unsure of things, it might be a sensible option.

JJ_Egan

Desire PAYG around the £350 mark £200 over two years to cover calls data etc .

me PAYG unlocked O2 Galaxy s at £320 in store . PAYG sim from GIFFGAFF very few calls few texts only pay for them if i use them internet data which i use a fair bit 20p up to first 20MB then 20p per MB over . Thats the killer for me as opposed to paying £2- per MB over daily cap .Expecting my yearly spend to be about £25 .

jje

Eau_Rouge

Thanks for the advice guys, especially the idea that PAYG might be a viable option for me. I'll go do some sums and look at the deals mentioned above and see how it all fits together.

pimento

Let us know what you decide.

I have almost the exact same dilemma as you. o2 PAYG (was previously on an o2 contract since 1998 but they threw me off as I was such a low user). I want a Desire HD though and o2 don't do them (only the Desire).
I read on here that o2 are doing 12 month contracts for upgrades but the o2 store didn't know if upgrqding from PAYG to a contract would qualify. In an ideal world, I'd buy the handset and go GiffGaff but the handset still costs a Kings Ransom.

MissKeith

Talkmobile £18 over 24 months (£49.99 phone) 300 mins, 1000 texts, 10Gb data.

pimento

Thanks MissKeith but I don't really want a 24 month contract. I don't really even want an 18 month contract.

Unfortunately, o2 don't consider a long-time PAYG customer converting to a contract an upgrading customer, so their 12 month deals are not a starter for me. I'm really leaning towards buying the handset for £300 from Amazon and going GiffGaff.

will-he-payitoff

If you are quick you can get this http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/ £10.21 p. m.

boxingbantz

Don't get a Desire yet, the Desire S is out in a week or two. And I've just ordered it on a £25 pm contract with 300mins, unlimited texts and 500mb internet usage.