Is this a good deal?

MoonJelly

Hello All,
My husband and I have ancient Nokia phones (not smartphones, no internets access, etc.). We are on pay-as-you-go with Orange (now EE) and pay about £25-30 a month which gives us 400 free texts but very little talk time. I saw this ad by O2 offering an IPhone5 for £49 deposit and then £37 a month (24 month contract) with unlimited calls and texts and 1GB internet. My husband is on the road 3 days a week so we need phones that can take both texting and talking.

My question is: is the above a good deal? I know there is an IPhone6 coming out soon. Is this why companies are trying to make deals for the Iphone5? Or should we wait until the new phones come out? Any ideas?

grumbler

MoonJelly wrote: »

...We are on pay-as-you-go with Orange (now EE) and pay about £25-30 a month which gives us 400 free texts but very little talk time.

:eek:
You can easily get unlimited texts and 200 minutes for just £7.50 (500 for £10, 1200 for £20) on PAYG - and there probably are even better deals.

I saw this ad by O2 offering an IPhone5 for £49 deposit and then £37 a month (24 month contract) with unlimited calls and texts and 1GB internet. My husband is on the road 3 days a week so we need phones that can take both texting and talking.

My question is: is the above a good deal?

How many texts and minutes do you actually need?
With 500 minutes you can get it for £29+24*£29 on '3' and again, there can be better deals.

MoonJelly

grumbler wrote: »

You can easily get unlimited texts and 200 minutes for just £7.50 (500 for £10, 1200 for £20) on PAYG - and there probably are even better deals.

How many texts and minutes do you actually need?
With 500 minutes you can get it for £29+24*£29 on '3' and again, there can be better deals.

I see what you mean.

I was trying to get an upgrade on our phones (which are so old I can't even sell them) and get a good deal as well. I guess there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Im_just_careful

If you look at the Nokia 520 at Carphone warehouse £8.50 a month might meet your needs.

balletshoes

MoonJelly wrote: »

I see what you mean.

I was trying to get an upgrade on our phones (which are so old I can't even sell them)
and get a good deal as well. I guess there is no such thing as a free lunch.

don't be so sure - they are Nokias right? Some of the classic old mobile phones were Nokias - I loved my Nokia 3310 (circa 2000) and I'd happily have another one right now .

on a serious note - I'd take the advice by others, consider looking around for a sim package that suits your usage, then possibly buy a newer handset outright (not necessarily an iphone, if you aren't an Apple devotee there are perfectly suitable much cheaper handsets out there).

Buzby

No contract is 'a good deal' especially if it involves any commitment over 30 days minimum term.

Further, it requires you to let the supplier have unfettered access to your bank accounts (meaning YOU alone have the obligation to check each month to endure only the right amount is taken). Add to this you give permission for your financial dealings to be disclosed to a Refernce Agency, and if you do not keep to the arrangement will be 'defaulted' affecting your ability to obtain credit or other financial services.

And all for a few poxy handsets?

Buy your own handsets as SIM free and take control. It is cheaper in the long run, you don't need clairvoyance, and if your circumstances change, you don't need to worry about your reputation imploding.

grumbler

Buzby wrote: »

...it requires you to let the supplier have unfettered access to your bank accounts (meaning YOU alone have the obligation to check each month to endure only the right amount is taken).

You can cancel the DD and pay manually (although this can be a little more expensive)

It is cheaper in the long run,

Not necessarily - this depends on the handset and the usage.

MoonJelly

Buzby wrote: »

No contract is 'a good deal' especially if it involves any commitment over 30 days minimum term.

Further, it requires you to let the supplier have unfettered access to your bank accounts (meaning YOU alone have the obligation to check each month to endure only the right amount is taken). Add to this you give permission for your financial dealings to be disclosed to a Refernce Agency, and if you do not keep to the arrangement will be 'defaulted' affecting your ability to obtain credit or other financial services.

And all for a few poxy handsets?

Buy your own handsets as SIM free and take control. It is cheaper in the long run, you don't need clairvoyance, and if your circumstances change, you don't need to worry about your reputation imploding.

This is giving me a few ideas. My EE account has £41 pounds towards a new phone and I may choose to use this fund to buy a Samsung Galaxy instead. I would then switch from EE to a provider like GiffGaff which my newphew (a student on a tight budget) swears by.

redcard

MoonJelly wrote: »

Hello All,
My husband and I have ancient Nokia phones (not smartphones, no internets access, etc.). We are on pay-as-you-go with Orange (now EE) and pay about £25-30 a month which gives us 400 free texts but very little talk time. I saw this ad by O2 offering an IPhone5 for £49 deposit and then £37 a month (24 month contract) with unlimited calls and texts and 1GB internet. My husband is on the road 3 days a week so we need phones that can take both texting and talking.

My question is: is the above a good deal? I know there is an IPhone6 coming out soon. Is this why companies are trying to make deals for the Iphone5? Or should we wait until the new phones come out? Any ideas?

So you pay £30 each for PAYG, and you get 400 texts and very little talk time? Wow. Something far wrong there.

consultant31

If you're not bothered about the latest iPhone, I got an iPhone 4S with 300 mins, unlimited texts and 500 data for £25pm with Vodafone. I love the phone and the deal is perfect for me.

19lottie82

Buzby wrote: »

No contract is 'a good deal' especially if it involves any commitment over 30 days minimum term.

Further, it requires you to let the supplier have unfettered access to your bank accounts (meaning YOU alone have the obligation to check each month to endure only the right amount is taken). Add to this you give permission for your financial dealings to be disclosed to a Refernce Agency, and if you do not keep to the arrangement will be 'defaulted' affecting your ability to obtain credit or other financial services.

And all for a few poxy handsets?

Buy your own handsets as SIM free and take control. It is cheaper in the long run, you don't need clairvoyance, and if your circumstances change, you don't need to worry about your reputation imploding.

A bit OTT surely?

I have many direct debits / standing orders, such as Virgin Media, Insurance, Utilities. Most of these are on a minimum term contract, like a mobile phone.
Yes, I know there are certain obligations and responsibilities with keeping these in check, but that's called being an adult and life.

And I did get a "good deal" on my contract mobile phone.

It costs me £16.90 a month for a Nexus 4 handset with 600 minutes, 1 gb data and unlimited texts.

The handset costs £279, so that works out £5.28 a month for my line rental. Don't think you'd find that on PAYG?

Also, by having mobile contracts since I was 18, I have actually boosted my credit rating making it EASIER to achieve credit in the future.

Buying your own handset and a PAYG SIM may be right for you, but that doesn't mean it's right for everyone, myself included.