Mobile Phone Network Contracts In The UK

 

Which Handset Should I Buy?

When you finally decide to buy a new smartphone in the UK, the selection provides you with a range of choices.  Initally when you first see the phone, you may be swayed by its appearance.  Other influential factors may include what purchases your friends and family have made. Besides the physical looks, attraction & how tactile the device actually is, ease of use and a smooth transition between screens of the software loaded on the phone is another influencer.

Does the device load the website quickly, or does it take eons?  Most people like a webpage downloaded within 3 seconds maximum, so this is something to consider.

Initially you may decide to choose deciding upon the handset you want.

If however the smartphone is linked into a network contract, then you will also be tied to that deal for X amount of months.

 

What About The Network Contracts?

Network Coverage

If you live in a rural area, your decision on selecting a gsm may be affected by the networks available in your region.  Network coverage is generally good with all the main providers in the major cities, but some rural areas can get no signal, so if you buy a monthly deal on a network with no coverage, your phone will be unable to make calls / texts etc (unless you link it to a wifi signal).

Therefore it is best to check what each of the phone network's coverage is like in the area where you spend most of your time, since they may not all have the same coverage.

Contract Price

Many people may base their network buying decision based upon price.  Although price is of course a very important factor within this choice, there are also other variants to consider.

For example, I have been places where there was no Vodafone coverage, but there was some O2, and vice versa.  In this instance, it doesn't matter how many free minutes or data your provider gives you if you cannot use it!

Other influencers may include:

Family & Friends Choice Of Networks

If for example, all of your family & friends who you make most of your calls & messaging to are on one network, e.g. EE, then you may get discounted bundles to other users on the same network, so if this is the case, you can save some money each month if you choose the provider that your pals are on. 

Although this may not be quite as applicable on pay monthly contracts, it is highly useful on pay as you go, and sim only deals. This is because these prepay contracts charge you by the minute.

What Are Pay Monthly Contracts?

A pay monthly contract, or deal or plan, or bundle, or even package, are basically legal contracts between the customer & the network provider (and usually include a handset) that will run for a specific period of time, for a specified price (provided you remain within the terms and conditions of the original agreement, including usage).

Therefore if you select a 24 month contract, for example at £50 a month with no upfront fee, you will pay the network whichever you select from (EE, Vodafone, O2 or Three) which are the main networks in the UK, £50 x 24 = £1200 by the end of the 24 months at a rate of £50 each month.

These contracts are generally credit scored when you apply for the contract deal & maybe registered on your credit profile.  Therefore any missed payments will also be shown as can affect your overall credit score adversely.

You are agreeing to run the contract for 2 years if you agree to this contract.

What Are The Other Phone Contracts From The Networks In The UK?

Should your phone usage be low, or you do not think you will pass the credit score for a pay monthly contact deal, you can of course take a different route and choose a Pay As You Go or Sim Only Contract.

What Is A Pay As You Go (PAYG) Deal?

The Main Networks

Pay as you go deals are simply that.  At the outset, you will decide upon which network you want, either one of the big 4 main UK networks - 3 (Three), EE, O2 or Vodafone.

Each of these networks will have their own PAYG programme designed for customers who do not wish to be tied into a pay monthly contract, or are unable to pass the credit score.

As with all contracts, it pays to compare each of the packages on offer with each other for price, terms of the offer (does the top up expire on a set date or does it run indefinitely?).  All things are not equal with the networks.

Some will remove the phone number from their network if there is no usage in 6 months, whereas others require a topup every 120 days for example - each of these will vary from network to network and you need to check with the plan's terms & conditions on this before you agree.

Virtual Networks

Or you may select one of the smaller 'virtual networks' such as Giff Gaff, TPO, Lyca Mobile or Lebara as well as many others (see SmartPhone Networks In The UK article for a list of the current providers).

These plans are also subject to fair usage & terms and conditions, so ensure you read them to make sure you agree at the outset.

On these contracts, you will be generally charged a flat rate for each of the texts, minutes & data, over the course of each month.  Some networks also offer unlimited texts & minutes deals on Pay as you go, provided you adhere to their fair usage policies.

Add Ons

Some also offer bundles & add ons, which feature X amount of minutes, texts, data etc for a given period, for a set price (i.e. £10 for 30 days)  when the bundle will expire & the credit will be lost.

What About Sim Only Contracts?

The other option within the contracts available in the UK are the Sim Only deals.  These typically run for either 1 month or 12 months and you will generally need an unlocked phone already (unless you are sticking with the same network as the device is already locked into). 

You then simply buy a sim only card for the length of time you require, and put it into your unlocked phone.  Locked phones will generally not be able to use a sim from a different network provider as the original issuer lock it with a code to their network.

In the UK, you can however request a PAC code from the original network which enables you to unlock the smartphone.  These codes usually arrive by email, and you will need to allow around 10 days to receive the code.  You then insert the new sim into the phone (after you have removed the old one), and type in the correct code when prompted.

Sim Only Contracts will generally run for a timeframe and again are a form of agreement between yourself and the network that you will spend X amount each month for X amount of months.

So, the choice is yours, in the UK you can get yourself a simple Pay As You Go Deal, which tend to be more expensive price per minute, a Sim Only Deal or A Pay Monthly Contract.  Each of these come with it's own features & benefits depending upon your own individual usage of the phone.