Don’t overspend on your mobile phone contract plan

A mobile phone is now one of the major costs in an adult consumers life. Often costing more than the standard monthly utility bills. For years websites and finance experts have told consumers to switch their utility deals to get the best plans. For some reason mobiles phone plans don’t get the same attention from UK consumers. They Should!

For example;

Source – https://www.ukpower.co.uk/home_energy/average-energy-bill

The annual average cost for a mobile phone contract is £46.60 per month, this makes the average annual spend on mobile phone devices £547.20 per year per UK consumer. The number of people living in the house will of course increase the number of mobile phone plans.

Cost example;

1-2 bed = 1 device
3-4 bed = 2 devices
5 bed + = 3 devices

This means the average mobile phone bill per household has overtaken general utilities. Consumers need to be more aware about how to save money and find the right mobile phone plan for them. Below are some quick tips that every UK consumer should follow to save money on their mobile phone contract plans.

1 – Do you need all that data?

The most purchased data plan in the UK is 16GB of data, but do we really need that much data when access to free WIFI is readily available in most places? The average data used in the UK is currently 4.1 GB a month. Its expected to rise to 8.9 GB by 2021 but even then, the data plans being purchased just might not be needed.

Source – statista.com

Not every consumer spends their day using up their data allowance trawling YouTube and Facebook. Understanding your mobile data requirements before signing into a contract plan will heavily influence the month tariff. Below is an indication of what 10GB of data can do for you.

Source – www.fonehouse.co.uk

By checking your last three months data usage you will see what you need to support your mobile phone usage. As minutes and texts are usually unlimited in most plans it’s the data that costs the money.

2 – Buying at the right time

The latest devices always cost more money. Every year leading phone manufacturers release their latest devices. Usually this is in August and September. At this point last years flagship handset will drop in price. Not opting for the latest device is a huge money saver and never really lets a consumer lose out on many advancements in technology.

3 – Log your contract date in your diary

Rolling contracts are a winning feature for networks. If you have opted to take out a contract plan where the device came free, then the cost is absorbed into the monthly contract plan. Once your contract is completed you will still pay the same amount but you have already paid off the phone.

Now you have two choices, upgrade to a new handset and start again with another new device. The second option is keeping your handset and switch to a sim only plan. You can get some amazing sim only prices which include unlimited minutes and texts with lots of data for under £10 per month. Remember most contracts have a 30-day cancellation clause.

4 – Sell your old handset

So many mobile phones are sat in the bedside table as backup phones. Older generation handsets are still worth a lot of money and selling your device on eBay or Gumtree is quick and simple. Don’t let wasted cash sit hidden away slowly decreasing in value the longer you wait.

5 – New customers get better deals

Growing customers is the only way any business grows. New customers always get a better deal for utility bills, SKY TV or any form of contract. Sometimes its better to part with your network and move onto to new plan elsewhere. This can seem daunting as you may have to change your number but most networks now allow you to port your contract using a PAC code.

The main element to saving on your monthly phone bill is doing your research. Every consumer can save on their next mobile phone plan if they just do their research!

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