Contract mobile phones

Contract mobile phones in depth

Getting a contract mobile phone means that you never have to worry about running out of credit or remembering to top-up your phone again.

The idea behind a mobile phone contract is that you pay a fixed fee every month for a set number of inclusive calls and minutes, as well as data bundles for access to the internet.

You pay a single monthly fee for your mobile phone contract, often by direct debt, which means that you don't even have to remember to go in to the shop to pay your bill!

Mobile phone contracts are hassle-free because you don't have to worry about sticking within the limits of those calls or texts. If you go over the prepaid mobile phone contract amount, the cost of those additional minutes or texts are simply added to your monthly bill.

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The benefits of a mobile phone contract:

Unlike pay as you go mobile plans, mobile contracts or pay monthly call plans generally include a whole range of calling and multimedia incentives thrown in. Whilst you are obliged to make a minimum payment every month to cover your line rental and cost of handset, you are likely to pay far less for your mobile calls and texts if you are on a pay monthly mobile phone plan than if you chose to pay as you go.

The beauty of mobile contracts is that you can always find one tailored to your needs. There are so many contracts available from all the mobile phone networks that you are almost certain to be able to pick the exact handset, number of inclusive minutes and texts that you want to use each month.

If you are a person who sends a lot of texts, you can sign up to a mobile phone contract that gives you a massive text bundle. You will find that you end up paying far less per text if you sign up for a mobile phone contract with texts than you would on a pay as a you go tariff.

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Maybe you're one of those traditionalists who loves to use their phone to just call people? If you love to chat, then you should make sure you find a mobile phone contract that gives you enough minutes to keep you in touch with friends and family as often as you want without breaking the bank.

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Want to find out more about contract mobile phones? Read our guide to mobile phone contracts Guide to mobile phone contracts

One of the biggest bonuses of a contract mobile phone is that you have a great chance of being able to get the handset you want for free. The latest phones do sometimes come at a small price, but in most cases it is cheaper to get hold of the handset of your choice with a contract than it is with on a pay as you go call plan.

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Contracts with freebies:

Competition for your business is high and the networks are prepared to go the extra mile to offer some great deals to get you to sign for a 12, 18 or 24 month contract.

As well as providing mobile contracts with free calls, free texts, and in some cases free unlimited data, many of the major networks offer a whole range of incentives to make their mobile contracts more appealing to customers. These include:

• Free Xbox 360
• Free Playstation 3
• Free Wii
• Free iPod Nano
• Free Laptops

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Paying monthly makes the latest phones affordable:

Whereas with a pay as you go deal you may end up paying a higher price for the latest and most sought after phones, with a mobile phone contract you can take your pick from the latest phones on the market at a much cheaper price.

Great new handsets can be literally at your fingertips from as little as £20 per month if you sign up for a mobile phone contract.

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Who offers mobile phone contracts?

Networks offering contracts include:

• Orange
• O2
• T-Mobile
• Three
• Vodafone
• Virgin Mobile