The following article is sponsored. -Ed.
What are the best networks for a monthly mobile package?
With the recession, saving money and cutting costs has become a bigger incentive than ever for the average Briton. One area of our finances where we seem willing to spend large amounts is on our mobile phones and internet connection.
AOL Money revealed that millions of Britons overspend on their utilities and household bills, including gas, electricity, telephone and internet. With so many costs to balance, as well as the hard work and organisation which goes into changing habits to reduce the cost of our leisure and pleasure expenditure, finding the time and presence to focus on the most money-saving schemes for each utility in your life can prove overwhelming – are there enough hours in the day?!
The aforementioned AOL Money article has some tips for general cost-cutting; but what about the specific matter of mobile telephones? Monthly tariffs, if purchased at a prime time for a new model, can lock you in for a year or two without allowing you to change the price – whilst cheaper models and cheaper tariffs pop up with the same provider just a few months later.
So what’s the solution? Well, one thing we can’t expect is to simply get rich and stop caring about it! Instead, use that internet bill to good effect and search online for the best tips on money-saving monthly deals.
One good place to start is phone providers and shops themselves. Carphone Warehouse currently has some huge offers on web exclusive pay monthly deals which include smartphones from as little as £7.50 per month. Look out for the deals in which the handset comes free and you don’t have to pay anything upfront – this may tie to a contract for a little longer, but it can be worth it for more expensive models, like the Samsung Galaxy Note.
One word of warning is to be careful with very long contracts (I say that because I am stuck in one…). If you get tied in for two years, there’s nothing you can do about your tariff until that contract is up. End of story. Or you pay the rest to get rid of the contract and terminate it.
As Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert advises, going for a shorter, 12 month contract, or being happy to settle for a slightly older model, will save you money in the long and short term.
Martin Lewis rightly points out that holding out for a new contract until October or even Christmas will pay dividends – the iPhone 5 is about to come out, so the price of earlier iPhone models will go down.
