Tied into a contract and want to save money? Here are two quick tips to cut your mobile costs.
When it comes to saving money on your mobile phone bill, there's loads of tips on how to shop around both online and on the high street, and experts will always remind you to drive a hard bargain to get a new deal at the end of your contract.
But what if you're tied into a contract with months left before you can switch?
According to a survey by mobile phone comparison site Omio.com, 47% of those surveyed were using less than half of their contracted minutes, with a shocking 82% not even coming close to their monthly allowances.
So, if you're in this situation, what can you do to ensure you're getting a fair deal?
Following the paper trail
You may think that just because you signed a contract, you are tied into that price plan for the duration of the term. This is not necessarily true.
To find out if your contract provides good value for you, take a quick look at your phone bills over the past few months which will show the pattern of your calls and texts.
If you find that you use much less than you're forking out for each month, you could always switch to a cheaper plan. For example, if you make most of your calls in the evening and during the weekend, why not opt for an off-peak plan instead? This way, you will undoubtedly get more minutes for the same price or less.
Unfortunately, as the mobile phone market becomes more competitive, companies are finding ever more cunning ways to squeeze extra cash out of their customers. Increasing the amount of time customers have to wait before being able to switch to a cheaper price plan is one of them, and I have a feeling this will only increase as time goes on.
If you took out a contract today, this is the minimum amount of time you'd have to wait before you could change you price plan to a cheaper one:
Provider | Minimum Term Before You Can Downgrade |
|---|---|
Orange | At least half of the contract (e.g., 6 months for a 12 month contract) |
O2 | Nine months |
Vodafone | Nine months |
T-Mobile | One month before the end of contract |
3 | End of contract |
As you can see from the table, the length of time you have to wait before downgrading to a cheaper price plan varies considerably between providers.
Orange comes out the best for flexibility, and allows you to choose a cheaper price plan providing you have served at least half your contract.
Vodafone and O2 have a similar policy, although you will have to see at least nine months of your contract through before you can switch to a cheaper price plan.
Surprisingly perhaps, 3, which generally offers superb value, does not allow you to downgrade your price plan until your contract term has ended
It's important to be aware of these minimum limits, as they can end up causing you a big headache if you later decide want to switch plans.
Think twice before taking out a higher price plan just to get a free phone only to then be stuck with a price plan you hardly use.
High mobile rollers
But what if you regularly exceed your limit?
Well. Surprise surprise if you wish to change to a more expensive price plan, all the providers will allow you to do so without hassle at any point during your contract.
If you're looking to trade up your tariff, do your own research and don't just go for the first recommendation you receive. Whether you talk or text more, there's likely to be a better plan for which will be cheaper than paying the standard call rates.
If you regularly exceed your calls or texts, and are a T-Mobile user, one good plan I'd recommend is Flext, which, instead of a set number of minutes and texts gives you an allowance, rather like pay as you go credit, which you can use for any mixture of minutes and texts as you like.
For example, £30 a month gets you £140 worth of credit, which translates to 700 minutes, 1,400 texts, or any mixture of the two.
3's Mix and Match Plans work using a similar principle, and provide a good alternative for 3 customers looking for a better deal. In addition, if you regularly use your phone abroad, take a look at some of these options on calling while overseas.
The perks of the plan
One other thing is to ensure you take advantage of any perks your provider may offer.
For example, if you're on an Orange contract lasting 18 months or more, you qualify for `Magic Numbers', where you can talk for up to three hours a day to a nominated Orange mobile for free!
This is a handy perk if there's one special person you speak to regularly, allowing you to pay less on a monthly basis.
Whether you're nearing the end of your mobile contract or not, one thing is for sure. Contract lengths are getting longer, and I won't be surprised if 12 month terms are phased out, with 18 month contracts becoming the norm.
One other option is to go for a SIM only contract, which only requires a 30 day commitment, after which point you are free to change your price plan, or cancel it altogether.
If you don't mind trying yourself into a deal, Omio, which conducted the survey has a handy tool on its website, enabling you to check the cheapest deals on the market according to how you use your phone.
Once you get to the end of your contract, you could ask your current provider to match any deals that you can find. If they won't, then get your Porting Authorisation Code (PAC), which will ensure you can port your mobile phone number to your new provider.
After all, if you old provider doesn't give you what you want, then at least you'll know that someone else will. Either way, it's a win-win situation.
More: Slash Your Mobile Costs By 74% / Find The Perfect Mobile Phone Tariff