The UK market is flooded with mobile service operators, and choosing between them is tough. But one of the advantages of so much competition on the market is that operators often offer special deals and great discounts to entice new customers into signing contracts. Choosing an operator might seem hard, but different operators are better for different kinds of customers. Though there are some general rules for choosing an operator that apply to everyone, there are some operators that are just going to be a clear choice if you’re looking for something specific. Today we’re talking about which operator you should choose depending on your needs. So before you get to signing that mobile contract, read this first, and know that you’re making the best decision.
The General Rules…
First up, these are the general rules for choosing an operator that apply to everyone. You do need to make sure that an operator has good coverage in your area. If you have poor coverage with a network then you’re going to get bad phone reception, which can mean that you phone won’t work at all, or that you get bad call quality or slow internet connections. You can check out coverage maps on each operator’s web site to be sure that you’ll get good reception. Secondly, you need to make sure that you choose the right calling plan. It doesn’t matter which operator you go for, if you have the wrong calling plan you’re getting a bad deal. A calling plan has monthly limits for calling, texting and data. If those limits are too high for you then you will pay for services that you don’t use, and if they’re too low then you’ll pay hefty extra charges for going over your limits. If you don’t know which calling plan to go for then it’s a good idea to get a pay as you go SIM card and monitor your average phone use for a month so that you know what kinds of limits to look for.
The Best Mobile Phone Deals on Incentive Contracts…
If you need a new phone as well as a service plan then you’ll be looking for the best mobile phone deals on incentive contracts. These are the kinds of contracts that give you free or cheap mobile phones as well as a calling plan. You do have to pay for these phones, since the monthly cost of an incentive contract will be higher than the monthly cost of just buying a calling plan. But if you need a new phone and don’t have the cash to pay for it right now, then an incentive contract will let you walk out of the shop with a phone in your hand for little or no cash. Generally, for incentive contracts the best mobile phone deals will be with O2 or Vodafone. Both these companies offer good models of phones for fair prices on incentive contracts, with O2 having a slightly wider choice of models.
The Best Data Operator…
Mobile data is the most expensive part of a mobile phone contract, and cheap contracts tend to have very low data limits. If you’re a hard core mobile internet user then you’re going to want some high limits as well as some cheap prices. The best network for you will be Three. Three has the lowest prices for mobile data on the market. Plus, their data plans are truly unlimited. Many operators have unlimited data plans but also a fair usage policy. This means that the company reserves the right to slow down or cut off your data plan if they feel that you’re using too much data. Three’s truly unlimited “all you can eat†data plans do not do this, and you can use as much data as you want.
The Best Cheap Calling Plans…
If you’re a light phone user and on a budget then you should look at calling plans from Vodafone. Vodafone tends to have the cheapest packages around, but they do have low limits on the amount of calling minutes, text messages and mobile data that you can use. These packages won’t work for heavier phone users, since although they are cheap you will end up paying lots of extra fees for using extra services and breaking the limits on your contract. But if you can keep to these low limits then Vodafone has the best prices around.
The Best Big Calling Plans…
If you’re a heavy phone user then you’re going to want a big calling plan that offers you lots of minutes, texts and data. In this case you’re going to want to look at T-Mobile. The Full Monty package from T-Mobile is totally unlimited. That means that there’s no limit on the amount of calling, texting or data you can use per month. And it’s the cheapest unlimited package around.
The Most Flexible Plans…
For some people choosing a calling plan is tough because their needs vary month by month. If this is you then you should be looking at O2. O2 have the most flexible packages around. They have plenty of monthly add on services, which means you can add extra minutes, texts or data onto your contract for a month at a time. Using O2 you can pay for a low monthly contract, but add extra services if and when you need them. This is perfect for those people that don’t have the same kind of mobile usage every month.
The Best Texting Plans…
Many operators offer good texting plans, with lots of unlimited texting available. However, the cheaper packages tend not to be unlimited. If you’re a heavy texter and you’re on a budget, then take a look at Vodafone’s SIM only packages. Vodafone offers unlimited texting with all of their SIM only contracts, even the cheapest calling plans. And if you don’t use much mobile data or many calling minutes, relying instead on text messages, then these will be the plans for you.
Sam Jones neighbour was looking for the best mobile phone deals for his whole family. With uSwitch he was able to find something to suit everybody within a few minutes.
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