Getting the best mobile phone deal

You don’t want to pay more than you should, so before you choose a mobile deal, make sure you read the fine print and get to grips with what’s included. Assume nothing, and check:

• do inclusive call minutes cover calls to people on other networks?
• do you get inclusive text messages and/or mobile internet call time?
• are calls to retrieve voicemail free?
• can you buy additional inclusive ‘add-on’ minutes, texts and services to save money?
• can you carry over any unused monthly minutes, texts or services?
• can you use more than one handset on the same account? (Normally this involves a relatively low extra monthly fee, and a different phone number for each handset.)
• how much will international roaming cost and can you buy special international roaming add-on minutes?

Many mobile users sign up for far more or far less than they actually need. Don’t be tempted by hundreds of free minutes if you won’t use them – the best way to get the arrangement most suitable for you is to ask yourself:

• how much will you use your phone?
• what time of day will you make most of your calls?
• which mobile network is used by most of the people you are likely to call? And how much does this matter? (And do you even know?)
• what kind of services do you want on your mobile – e.g. mobile internet, TV, organiser, computer synching, music player?
• will you make much use of the more expensive types of calls, such as calls to premium rate services or using your phone whilst abroad?
• which networks provide adequate coverage for your area and where you expect to travel?

Note too, if your usage changes – maybe you change jobs and need to make more international roaming calls, or you aren’t sending as many texts as you thought you would – you can often have your tariff adjusted.

In addition to the nuts and bolts calling and text deals, there are more services than ever which can add considerable value to your mobile package. The mobile landscape has moved on almost unimaginably over the past 10 years and will continue to change quickly in the years to come – and the networks offer ranges of tariffs which will help you keep pace according to your needs.

Maybe you’re not interested in mobile TV but would make good use of the internet on your handset. In our other guides to mobile multimedia services, internet and other value-added services both big and small, we’ll help you understand what might be worth trying, and what might be best left alone.

Once you’re heading in the right direction with the tariff most suited to how you use your phone, you’ll need to make sure you have a phone to use.

There really are some fabulous phones around that seem to do everything bar make the tea, so ask yourself what you’ll really use. Smart phones are expensive and the newer ones often require a longer pay monthly contract (18 or 24 months). The monthly line rental will more than likely have to be one of the higher tariffs, which you sometimes won’t be able to change for three to six months.

Our mobile essentials section covers all the fancy features available on the modern handset, so you can make an informed decision on what you really want your new mobile to do.