100% Cashback
Tariff Calculator
Select Your Handset
Locate a Deal
O2
Three
T-Mobile
Orange
Virgin
Vodafone
BenqSiemens
Blackberry
LG
Motorola
Nokia
O2
Orange
Samsung
Sony Ericsson
Contact Us
site (dynamic)
site (xml)
Useful
Links
Buying
Mobile Phones Advice
Keep uptodate!
Newsletter
Advertisement
|
How to Choose Which Mobile & Network Is Best For Me?
There are a number of mobile phone networks, significantly more manufacturers and
handsets and, of course, any amount of different tariffs. With this small
guide, we hope to educate you into choosing the right mobile phone deal that is
within your budget - with a sensible phone.
Mobile Phone Networks
Currently, there are 7 major mobile phone networks in the UK - some offering some
really great offers (including
12 months free
on a 12 month contract).
O2,
Vodafone,
Three,
Orange, BT Mobile,
T-Mobile
& Virgin.
Coverage
One of the main considerations when chosing a network is coverage - are you
going to be able to make a call in the Highlands of Scotland
The best piece of advice when choosing a Network is to ask friends
and family about their experiences of a networks performance in your current area.
Because the networks are constantly building masts to improve reception, only by
going to some far out location are you unlikely not to get a reception.
Each of the networks have their own coverage map. However, they will all look
pretty similar since the coverage is similar!
Tariffs
At the time of writing, TariffCalc.com had 53 mobile tariffs in its
Tariffs Database
- and there are many more available. Named from the rather dull 200, 400 etc
to the new Orange labels of 'Panther', 'Dolphin' and 'Canary'. Tariffs usually
come bundled with a certain amount of inclusive minutes and texts every month.
With these tariffs, some of the networks allow you to carry unused minutes over
to the next month - and some do not.
A few years ago it was common place to have inclusive minutes only to the same network
(ie, Vodafone to Vodafone). However, once O2 came into operation (formerly
BTCellnet Genie) they made calls to any network as part of the inclusive minutes.
Another consideration when choosing a tariff is the inclusion of 'bolt on' texts.
For example, many of the networks allow you to purchase extra texts for a fraction
of their normal price (ie 100 extra sms for £3).
We have a number of tools that should help you to decide which tariff is best.A
Tariff Calculator,
Compare Two Tariffs
and, of course,
12 Month's Cashback Deals
Handsets
You've probably had a mobile phone before and formed an opinion of its relaibility,
rich features and durability. Because of this, many people with good experiences
often stick to the same manufacturer. Nokia users tend to stick with them
because of the ease of use of their menu system. SonyEricsson users enjoy the rich
features they provide.
Naturally, as handset improve, people start looking at memory storage, camera quality
(usually displayed in magepixels), Bluetooth/Infra Red capabilities, and of course,
recommendations. We have provided a tool that allows to you
choose a handset from many and view all
the deals available.
Before paying too much for a mobile, ask yourself whether you really need all the
features or whether you need the basics. Of course, if all you need is to
make and receive calls then you should consider
12 month's free line rental
mobiles.
Whilst the handset may not be the 'latest & greatest', they are often very good
performers. TariffCalc.com provide thousands of deals from
Nokia,
Motorola,
BenqSiemens,
BlackBerry,
LG,
SonyEricsson,
O2,
Orange
&
Samsung.
Cashback - What Is It?
Cashback is an incentive to you to purchase a certain tariff.
When you purchase a 'Free' Mobile phone and connect to a tariff, the retailer has
already purchased the mobile (we'll say £100 for example). The retailer then
receives a payment from the Network (o2, Orange etc) for connecting you to one of
their tariffs (we'll say £300). Selling mobile phones is a cut-throat market
place and competition is fierce. Therefore, rather than the retailer keeping
the £200 profit (£300-£100), they pass this back to the customer in the form of
cheque payments.
"12 Month's Free Line Rental"...
This means that the retailer will pay you back the equivalent of 12 months line
rental. The terms and conditions of each retailer should be studied carefully
since you will probably be required to send your bills at certain periods throughout
the term of the contract.
TariffCalc use reputable on-line retailers that are established and have an excellent
track record in honouring cashback. Before purchasing a contract you are advised
to carry out a search and discover whether your tarret retailer honours its promises.
Staying With Your Network
or Change?
Customer Service is one of the biggest factors for alot of users. An error
on a bill or a query on payment - if you can't get through to your network provider
you could be pulling your hair out.
Naturally, tariff charges are important to and should always be a consideration.
If you have been with the network for the minimum period (often 12 or 18 months)
then you should approach them for an upgrade/new handset. Heavier user can often
get really good deals on handsets which they try to do to deter you from going to
another network.
Also, if you're using more texts and minutes (or not using enough), don't be afraid
to ask your network that you want to change tariff. Usually they will only allow
you to do this after you have been connected for around 6 months.
My personal experience in this respect is that you will often get a better deal
by changing network and porting your mobile phone number - but check first!
Porting Your Number?
If you've decided to move network then you're probably going to want to keep your
mobile number too. To do this you often need to phone your existing company
(who will probably try and entice you to stay) and ask for the PAC (Porting Authorisation
Code). You simply inform your new network of this who will initiate the port.
They should keep you updated with progress which usually takes 4-8 days.
And What About The Spare Handset
After Upgrading/Porting?
Well, it's yours. You've paid all your bills and the phone is now yours. You
can either stick a new PAYG (pay As You Go) simcard into it or send it to
envirofone.com
who will sell it and make good use of the proceeds.
We do hope this guide has been useful. If there's anything you think we've
missed or would like added then please
contact us
(c) 2005, 2006, 2007 TariffCalc.
No reproduction of this website permitted
|