Get A Better Smartphone For Less

With so many handsets and contract deals to choose from, it can be hard to workout if your device is offering you the best package or whether to awitch to a different provider or phone. Read on for your guide.

AVOID THE CONTRACT

It’s tempting to max out all the features for your smartphone contract, but that won’t give you the best value. David Ludlow helps you get the right contract at the right price

Buying a new phone contract can be adaunting prospect. Looking through all the available options, you need to make sure that you buy one that will give you enough data, SMS messages and phone calls. Often, the easiest solution is to just max out everything as far as your budget will go and hope for the best.

Throw in buying a new phone on contract, and the choices vary hugely again: should you put down a massive lump sum, or go for the longer pay-off? The truth is that the right answer varies from person to person, but lumping for the most expensive contract that you can afford is rarely the right idea; going too cheap is often a false economy, too, as you’ll end up topping up every month.

Here, we’ll take you through all the choices and help you find the right phone contract for you.

PAYG OR CONTRACT?

The first question to ask is whether you should choose pay as you go (PAYG) or opt for a contract. The answer will depend on how you use a phone. On the one hand, PAYG can be attractive, as you don’t have any lock-in period and are free to switch networks as you want.

For light users, PAYG can work out well, as you spend the minimum every month but top up for those times that you need extra data or calls. The main downside is that you need a handset to work with PAYG, which invariably means buying your own. Of course, once you come to the end of a contract and you own your handset, you can switch to PAYG and keep running your smartphone for another year or two.