End of Contract in September... What should I do?

[Jorumian]

Hi folks,

This is my first post here, so please be gentle with me!

My mobile phone contract with O2 expires at the end of September, so I am in the position of being able to consider what to do next. However I am in a quandary as to the best option available to me.

Currently I pay £35 a month with 02, however I never use up my allocation of texts or calls each month, in fact I barely use 10% of each. I am therefore tempted to switch to a pay as you go sim card, however I noted that the prices on offer were still, in effect, pay monthly. Just a lesser sum (£15 and £20) and because of that I'd not get a new phone. I am happy with my current phone, a Sony Ericsson K800I (I believe, it's a black Sony Ericsson with some letters and numbers after its name anyway) however it bugs me that whenever I put it in my pocket and it gets knocked, it seems to switch itself onto the internet and start browsing for me.

I am not concerned about changing my provider to get a better deal, and I'd be interested to hear if anyone has heard of a good offer to tempt me to join a specific provider. I am not really interested in getting a super-duper top of the range phone, a cheap rate per month, or pay as you go offer, with some kind of incentive for me to join would be good. So if anyone has heard of any good offers, or can recommend a company who'd be able to offer me what I need, I'd be interested to hear.

Thanks

Ian

[Tony]

Ian,

All you need to do is find the cheapest deal you can. Phone up 02 and say you would like your PAC code. This allows you to transfer your number to another provider. They will then probably put you through to the retention department. If you say you want to keep your old phone then it will be cheaper.

I am pretty sure you can put Virgin sim in 02 phones, so that is another option. Asda are claiming to be the cheapest - ASDA Mobile Phones | ASDA PAYG Mobile | Contract Phones | FREE Gifts

I am pretty sure that they are a virtual provider on the 02 network too, so an Asda sim may work in your 02 Sony phone.

Let s know how you get on

Tony

[greatscotuk]

This is a great question. Few people actually take the time to shop around when their contract expires; especially when your current network insists of shoving offers down your throat to keep you on board.

My previous contract was £45.00 month, and when the contract expired, the network - I shall mention no names! - offered £5 off the contract with text and web bundles thrown in. If I wasn't the proactive person that I am ;-), that would have sounded like a great offer - even though I didn't use my full allowance.

Try MoneySupermarket. Considering these comparison sites are heavily advertised in light of the credit crunch, It's suprising that more people don't try them. I now pay £32.50, got a brand spanking new phone, and the right allowance for my usage; that's over 25% saved - marvellous.

I also tried some other features too; saved a bit on my utilities too.

Highly recommended!

[Jorumian]

Hi Tony / Greatscott

Thanks for the information and advice...

I've had a look at the Asda Pay as You go card and I must admit I am impressed. I like the fact that they have coverage via Vodafone and that their Sim Card should slot into my current phone without any problems. At only 4p a text and 8p for calls a minute as well, that is good value. That means my bill will come down from around £35 a month, to, I estimate based on my current usage, about £7 a month.

Before I decide my plans though I am going to have a look on the comparison site too and see what deals are available there. However I must admit, it will have to be a pretty decent one for me to consider based on what I found at the Asda website.

Thanks for your help guys.

Ian

[Tony]

See if 02 will match any offer you find it will save you a lot of hassle

[Jorumian]

I've spent a little time the past few days looking around the different offers. If I decide to go pay as you go, then I am going to take the Asda option that Tony put me on to.

However I've seen plenty of offers that are interesting on contract, involving free pc's, gaming systems, televisions etc. I think I will choose one of these options with another provider and see if 02 can offer me a better deal to stay with them. if not I may try other providers.

Thanks for all the help and advice, I will let you know how it goes.

Ian

[Jorumian]

Just to follow up on this...

I've decided that when my contract expires on 25th, I am going to move onto a Pay as You Go tariff with Asda as described by Tony here. Which will take care of all my mobile needs.

However I had a very good look around at the offers you can get and was astonished. It really does pay to cancel your contract, or at least call your provider and see what they will offer to get you to sign a new one, when it expires. Many companies are now offering free PS3's, WII's X'Box 360's, Laptops, Televisions and Satnav's if you choose to join them on a contract phone. This is especially pertinent if your phone's contract has expired or is expiring soon. Companies will NOT contact you to tell you your contract is up. They will just keep charging you the £X a month you pay, until you tell them different. If you are paying £30+ a month and your contract is up, then you really should get in touch with them, and see what your company will offer you to sign up to a new deal. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you can get.

However I am not getting a new contract, instead I am more interested in the Mobile Broadband Contract with Free laptop. I feel this will be much more use to me day to day than a phone contract and will mean that when I am gadding about, I can still have access to all my emails, and work if necessary. I haven't decided what I am going to go for yet and I am tempted to wait until the January sales to see if anything crops up then that is better value.