Hi all, I don't really use my mobile that much. Am always aware of cost and try to text people rather than phone them. But I am paying a minimum of £35 a month with VAT, etc. Does that sound about right for a low usage phone? I have changed my tariff loads of times now and have managed to get it down from the £70 or £80 a month I was spending previously but I just wanted to know if I appear to be way off the richter scale? Is anybody out there falling on the floor in shock because they pay so little in comparison? Please let me know. Thanks.
How much is alot?
- Thread starter Rachelle
- Start date
£70 - £80 per month is certainly expensive and you've done well to get it down to £35 per month, though for a low useage phone you may find that it is possible to get it down a little further.
I think one of the most important things when it comes to contract mobile phone useage is to ensure you have enough texts and minutes in your allowance to cover you for the month. The cost of calls and texts outside your allowance could increase your bill significantly.
For my daughter's phone I am with T.Mobile. For £30 per month inc. VAT she got a top of the range handset and has an allowance of £180 per month for UK texts and calls, which I find is more than enough for her and she never goes over her allowance.
I'm currently on a pay-as-you-go mobile (though I'm looking at changing this soon), so like yourself I am always aware of cost. I recently came across a website called fishtext.co.uk that offers text messaging from your mobile phone or computer for 2p per message. I'm not sure whether there are additional charges involved, but I intend to look in to the service further.
onecompare.com is also a useful website, where you choose whether you are looking for pay-as-you go or a monthly contract, choose a handset and they will show the best offers currently available from various suppliers.
I think one of the most important things when it comes to contract mobile phone useage is to ensure you have enough texts and minutes in your allowance to cover you for the month. The cost of calls and texts outside your allowance could increase your bill significantly.
For my daughter's phone I am with T.Mobile. For £30 per month inc. VAT she got a top of the range handset and has an allowance of £180 per month for UK texts and calls, which I find is more than enough for her and she never goes over her allowance.
I'm currently on a pay-as-you-go mobile (though I'm looking at changing this soon), so like yourself I am always aware of cost. I recently came across a website called fishtext.co.uk that offers text messaging from your mobile phone or computer for 2p per message. I'm not sure whether there are additional charges involved, but I intend to look in to the service further.
onecompare.com is also a useful website, where you choose whether you are looking for pay-as-you go or a monthly contract, choose a handset and they will show the best offers currently available from various suppliers.
My last month's bill was 74p!!!!!!! That is a record low and my kids call me saddo! I have never paid more than £15 in a month, even when I was travelling a lot and calling home daily. I am on Orange, with a Virgin monthly pay what you use account paid by DD. However, I buy my phones - only updating when they are US, and going for a basic (though stylish!!!!!) model. The children have tariffs that include the phone and they can update every year - they pay for that service and £35 is about the going rate.
One of the good deals around is the 'liberty sim' by virgin. It is only a sim card to use in an existing virgin phone, costs £15 per mnth for 300 texts and 300 mins. Using that system provides enough credit bonus to get a 'cheapish' new phone each approx. 18 mnths.
Crikey - readling all your comments I realise I'm paying over the odds and something needs to be done. I will call them tomorrow (and see if I can downgrade my new phone as I can't stand it!). TracyG - I will definitely look at the sites you mentioned. Thanks all .
I too used to have bills around the £35 to £40 mark, and the odd eye-watering bill (usually when I was working away and called home a lot) In the end I switched to Three - decent enough as long as you don't have to call them.
I get 500 any network minutes/texts, and 300 inclusive minutes for calls/texts to anyone on the Three network. But to make things even better, we also use mobiles that are compatible with skype, so my wife and I can call and message each other for free, and two of my friends also use similar phones so that helps bills a lot too.
Costs around £20 per month, and since the person I call most is my wife my bills are very rarely over that.
I get 500 any network minutes/texts, and 300 inclusive minutes for calls/texts to anyone on the Three network. But to make things even better, we also use mobiles that are compatible with skype, so my wife and I can call and message each other for free, and two of my friends also use similar phones so that helps bills a lot too.
Costs around £20 per month, and since the person I call most is my wife my bills are very rarely over that.
It is supply and demand. The cost of providing the service is not directly related to the number of calls/texts being processed. Once capacity of any one link is close the limit then upgrading - at a cost - is required.
Only the network provider knows those limits. A suspicion is that many of the charges are not related to costs, but to maximising profits - as with many other businesses.
Only the network provider knows those limits. A suspicion is that many of the charges are not related to costs, but to maximising profits - as with many other businesses.
When choosing a contract phone, it is important to know what your monthly allowance covers. My daughter's first contract phone bill with T. Mobile had over £25 of additional charges, and she hadn't gone over her monthly allowance on calls and texts. It turned out that she'd been constantly calling the automated service to find out how much of her allowance she'd used, costing £1.50 per call.
