We spend more and more time using our mobile phones, making calls, texting, and surfing the internet. Mobile phone bills can add up, but luckily there are ways to save money. In fact, three-quarters of all mobile phone users could save an average of £200 a year!
Here are our top tips for cutting the cost of your mobile phone:
Work out your monthly phone, text and data usage
Billmonitor.com analyses your bills, showing you the minutes, texts and data you’ve used. You can see if you’re wasting money on your data, text or call allowances by not using what you pay for. For example, if you have an allowance of 300 minutes on your contract but only use 200, it’ll recommend contracts with 200-250 minutes.
Shop around
Once you know what phone you want, don’t just buy the first one you see. Shop around for the best deal. Try all the different high street shops and call your existing network to see what deal they can give you.
New or refurbished?
If you have a SIM-only contract you could buy a refurbished phone to put the SIM in. These phones have been restored to their original condition by the manufacturer and are sold at a reduced price. These phones may have a few scratches but are a real bargain.
Sell your old phone
If you already own a mobile phone but you just want an upgrade, try selling your old one on sites like mazumamobile.com, Envirofone.com or ebay. You can also trade your phone in as a deposit for your new handset.
Ask about discounts
A lot of larger employers, like supermarkets and emergency services, have negotiated network discounts for their employees. You could get as much as 30% off the contract price. So, if you work, ask the network if your employer is on their list.
Cut the cost of dialling 0870 numbers
Many companies use 0870, 0800 or 0845 for customer service lines. These numbers can cost as much as 50p per minute to call if they’re not included in your mobile package. Enter the number on www.saynoto0870.com, to find their alternative, and often free, standard landline numbers. If you have an iPhone, you can download the 0870 app which will turn these numbers into 01 or 02 numbers for you.