Mobiles.co.uk "free' gifts: how do they work?

walpurgis

I'm looking at ordering a phone via mobiles.co.uk and there is a dropdown menu offering a choice of "free" gifts including PS3s, iTunes vouchers, Apple TVs, Galaxy Tabs etc

According to the site's FAQ's, the gifts are absolutely free with no catches. "All you need to do is add your chosen deal with free gift to the basket."

But it also says: Getting a phone contract with a free gift means that rather than having to fork out for a brand new television, games console or tablet, you can spread the cost of this item over 24 months. No need to buy your dream tech on a credit card or loan, when your mobile phone contract offers fixed monthly payments without interest.

That doesn't sound like free to me.

I'm sure that this topic has been discussed before on MSE but it's difficult to search the forum for mobiles.co.uk because of the dots.

So, if you have any experience of these "free" gifts, could you please let me know whether it is genuine, or whether I should ignore the dropdown menu?

Thanks

JJ_Egan

You pay and usually you can buy the individual components of the package cheaper .

chanz4

never a such things as free

Andy7856

I would imagine the cost of the "free" item is hidden in slightly higher line rental charges, less minutes, a old model phone, a longer contract, or a combination of all four.

WellKnownSid

Andy7856 wrote: »

I would imagine the cost of the "free" item is hidden in slightly higher line rental charges, less minutes, a old model phone, a longer contract, or a combination of all four.

Yes, you can get a FREE iPad Air 2...
...but that's when you get a Nokia 'brick phone' on a £51 a month / 24 month 4G contract!! I wouldn't mind but the phone isn't even a smartphone...

iPad Air 2 from currys - with £20 discount = £379
Nokia 105 brick from Amazon = £16
Total: £395

Mobiles 'free deal' - total cost on a data tariff you cannot even use: £1,224

walpurgis

Thanks for all of your replies.

Andy7856 wrote: »

I would imagine the cost of the "free" item is hidden in slightly higher line rental charges, less minutes, a old model phone, a longer contract, or a combination of all four.

That's what I would have expected too, but the deal I'm looking at seems pretty good, even without the "free" gift. It's a two-year EE contract for an iPhone 6 64GB with 2GB of data for £120 upfront and £25 per month. I don't see how they can "hide" the cost of a PS3 in that (although most of the other items are worth less than £100)!

I might try and see what happens.

Cornucopia

I've had a few of these "free" gifts in the past. In fact the laptop I am typing on now was one of them.

Other posters are being a little cynical. Obviously the phone and the tariff have to make sense for you before considering the value of the "gift".

Also, when I got my laptop, the Ts & Cs said it would be delivered within 90 days of the start of the contract (and there were other conditions, too). And it was delivered then - precisely on day 90.

But I'm still using my laptop now (though the "S" in Samsung has recently fallen off), and I also still have a PS/3 that I got from Carphone Warehouse when they were doing these kinds of deals in their shops.

Futuristic

These sort of deals were more generous years ago along with redemption deals, they don't seem to be worth it these days.

mobilejunkie

Redemption deals are almost always worth it. And they are a LOT better now than 12 months ago.

WellKnownSid

EE is quite a good provider for iPhone.

Native WiFi calling is fully supported - absolutely seamless, sound quality is real HD quality - I can tell when I'm calling another iPhone on EE, it's like the other person is standing next to you.

Visual Voicemail - well I guess if you've never used it you don't know what you're missing!