Cheapest Mobile Article Discussion

Crazy_Jamie

Just called up the other day to haggle with 02 on my mother's behalf.

Previous Deal

200 minutes
400 texts
£35 a month (outrageous I know)

New Deal
400 minutes
1000 texts
Unlimited 02 to 02 calls (i.e. pretty much everyone she knows except me and my girlfriend)
30% off calls made whilst abroad
1 international text equates to 4 texts rather than charging (I believe this is standard)
Free Sony Ericsson C902
£15 a month

Not bad if I do say so myself. Apart from the odd international call there is no way in a million years that she is going to go over that.

Joto_2

Hi I'm looking for a deal for my mum and can't get my head around most of the deals.
Mum spends about £20 a month on 02 pay as you go ( i don't know how many minutes that equals), she uses the mobile peak time,doesn't text and doesn't need a super phone. She doesn't mind a contract but something simple and easy, no cash back deals etc.

I thought the Tesco mobile deal above could be a good deal but is there anything better I should consider for her. She would like a new phone but since she can only cope with the most basic functions she doesn't need a contract with the incentive being an all singing all dancing. Ideally she would like to stay with 02 so she can keep her number.
Any thoughts? Thanks

salthegal

im looking for a deal for my dad, he's a complete technophobe and can hardly programme the microwave. Ive seen you can get a motorola w156 for as little as £4 (and £10 topup), has anyone experience of these mobiles? Are they easy to use or is it worth spending more on a nokia as I hear they are the simplest?

Have seen nokia for £9.47 and £4 cheap motorola deals listed here. These prices seem too cheap to be any good, will they last?

Im basically want to know which budget mobile would be suited for a new mobile user in their 70's, his eyes arent great and he wants something simple.

:j

janebangor

I rang o2 and said,
"Before I make a decision, what is the best you can offer me? I see all these deals for t.v.'s, laptops, cinema tickets-what can you do for me right now?"

They put me straight through to the retention team and I was offered, for £20 per month (for 18 months)

600 xnet mins, unlimited texts and a free phone (I chose Samsung Tooco but there is some flecibility with choice-this was the one I wanted).
International calls reduced package too!
I also have free internet browsing on my mobile as a bolt on (but I can change this monthly should I chose to.)

PLUS: free home broadband for 12 months and £7.50 after that time. There is a£30 charge for the router which you get back on activation of broadband, or send back and they still reimburse!

My total saving: £621.90 :j

Mobile:
Orig. paying £35 per month, now £20. Saving = £15 per month, 18 months= £270
Broadband:
Orig paying £22.05 per month Broadband free for 12 months and £7.50 thereafter, so instead of £396.90 for 18months, now saving £264.60 for 1st 12 months and £87.30 thereafter (6 months) Total: £351.9

I'm pleased!! JB:rotfl:

jago25_98

I still prefer and recommend

pay as you go

for nearly everyone because:

1) You know exactly what it's costing you

2) No wasted unused minutes. No non-inclusive minutes.

3) Clearer competition & trade

4) Usually works out cheaper if you divide the `free` minutes by the cost!

5) It is debt! A mobile contract is debt because it is a contract and you have to pay it. £15/month is £180 for a 1 year contract. When you are signing up you are spending £180!

^ as you can see there are so many psychological pricing tricks involves with contracts. It takes a sharp eye to bypass them all. Some contracts I couldn't even compare even after 30mins of tapping on a calculator!

It is better to stick to pay as you go. The simplest is Asda. An alternative is Tesco but the bonus minutes is yet another way to take focus away from the price.

Crazy_Jamie

For the sake of argument:

jago25_98 wrote: »

1) You know exactly what it's costing you

Providing you stay within your contract allowances, you actually know more accurately how much a contract will cost you.

2) No wasted unused minutes. No non-inclusive minutes.

But why do the 'wasted' minutes matter if you get better value from a contract irrespective of how much you use in any given month?

3) Clearer competition & trade

How so, exactly? Price comparison websites are available for both types.

4) Usually works out cheaper if you divide the `free` minutes by the cost!

But not when you include the cost of a phone.

5) It is debt! A mobile contract is debt because it is a contract and you have to pay it. £15/month is £180 for a 1 year contract. When you are signing up you are spending £180!

That's just semantics. It's a contract for services, and falls into the same category as home phone, broadband, gas, electricity, water etc.

^ as you can see there are so many psychological pricing tricks involves with contracts. It takes a sharp eye to bypass them all. Some contracts I couldn't even compare even after 30mins of tapping on a calculator!

I'm honestly not sure what your problem was here. I recently negotiated a new contract (one that no pay as you go deal could ever beat, incidentally), and had no issue comparing contracts.

It is better to stick to pay as you go. The simplest is Asda. An alternative is Tesco but the bonus minutes is yet another way to take focus away from the price.

In my Orange retention deal I got 700 minutes, unlimited landlines, and 300 texts for £10 a month. Plus a new Samsung G600. Now even not including the phone and the unlimited landlines, dividing the minutes/texts by the cost brings me out at 1p per minute and 1p per text. If you've found a pay as you go deal with anything close to those rates, I'd love to hear from you.

The bottom line is that if you are someone who only uses a mobile phone rarely, then pay as you go is better. But depending on needs a contract is usually the superior option for those with even moderate use, and retention contracts just sweeten the deal over time.

meganluke

I have tried to choose between a contract or pay as you go. It seems easy but not for me.
I have analist my bills and i spent on my contract at the moment around 25 pounds a month. this is including line rental
and sent around 50 tekst a month
can any one help me.
thank you so much
I have been to moblilephone shops and they make me even more confused
Please can any one help
Judith

EMcG

Just called up Orange. Told them I was going to take up Virgin's £8.50 a month deal (100 mins/100 texts and a phone) and needed a code to port my number over to them.

Here's what I got;

Old Deal

Pay As You Go Dolphin
Topping up between £10-£20 a month
So between 300 and 600 texts a month

New Deal

Samsung G600
200 mins to any other mobiles a month
300 texts a month
unlimited calls to UK landlines
80MB worth of internet browsing a month

£9.79 a month for 18 months

Did I do OK?

dovobet

sounds good
what orange number did you ring please

EMcG

Dovobet,

I just called Orange customer services on 150 (pay monthly) or 450 (PAYG). I was moving from PAYG to pay monthly. The deal is called a Racoon 25 Websave Loyalty. I hope this helps.