Contract or Buy Outright?

Amraam · 4 Oct 2015 at 18:09

What's the best approach these days? Do people buy handsets outright and go for sim only deals, or is better to go for a contract?

When I bought my Note 2, it was cheaper to cough up the £570 and get a sim only deal at £12pm. Now it seems cheaper to get the 6p on a contract at £32 pm and pay £50 for the handset.

I use a lot a of data, and want to go for 4G this time so it looks like it's going to cost a bit either way this time...

This is what I've found so far:

EE via CW. £31pm with upfront cost of £49.

Nexus 6P 32GB
Silver
Stock status Pre order
EE 4G - 24 months
Unlimited* minutes
Unlimited* text
5GB data
Your Pay Monthly plan will be adjusted every year by the rate of inflation‡

Works out at £818 (24x£32) + £50.

Buying the handset outright at £449, then going to Three for an AYCE 4G plan works out at £857. Three only then offer 200 minutes, no mention of texts.

Amraam · 4 Oct 2015 at 18:40

Which carrier mate?

Amraam · 4 Oct 2015 at 18:59

Kieran said:
Three.

Ah I see. Three's site has AYCE with 4G at £17. Did you get a discounted rate?

http://www.three.co.uk/Store/SIM/Plans_for_phones

koooowweeee · 4 Oct 2015 at 19:03

Will be a old price plan.

PAYG is £20 for 300 mins 3000 text and all you can eat date on 3

Amraam · 4 Oct 2015 at 19:07

koooowweeee said:
Will be a old price plan.

PAYG is £20 for 300 mins 3000 text and all you can eat date on 3

All-you-can-eat data
200 minutes
12 Months
£17.00 a month.

Seems better than a PAYG bundle?

neoboy · 4 Oct 2015 at 19:34

Just go for whatever the best deal is without having to cough up a huge upfront cost. Seems that outside iPhone most new phones can be had on low to mid £30 contracts with decent data (5GB) and reasonable upfront.

Replaced my HTC M7 with Note 3 for around £200 (well less than half actually if you count what I sold HTC for) in Feb so been on sim only since as nothing that's been out over last 6 months warrants me paying more than double and locking myself into a contract.

Do of course have a tech tickle and almost pulled a trigger on S6, but I can't go below the battery level of the Note.

koooowweeee · 4 Oct 2015 at 20:03

Amraam said:
Seems better than a PAYG bundle?

Depends on how many mins you use. PAYG gives a extra 100 mins

Amraam · 4 Oct 2015 at 20:09

koooowweeee said:
Depends on how many mins you use. PAYG gives a extra 100 mins

Very few. I currently have ACYE texts and data, and only 200 mins. I never use half that.

wesimmo · 4 Oct 2015 at 20:11

Last time I looked, the only reason I stayed with Vodafone was I get a half price "loyalty bonus" on my contract, otherwise I'd have gone to Giff Gaff or something.

But I could probably get away with 30 mins of calls and a handful of texts these days of I have enough data so i guess it depends on your usage.

Plus I'm not bothered about having the latest phone so grab them a generation behind when I see them cheap, currently enduring an LG G3 though...

SonniLombardi · 4 Oct 2015 at 21:09

Sod contract I only ever used PAYG, Three used to be £15 but gone up to £20 can't complain 4G unlimited data is great.

I've used this much data this so far between the dates!

koooowweeee · 4 Oct 2015 at 21:21

209gb ??? What have you been downloading? I think ill blame you for the price rise :-)

SonniLombardi · 4 Oct 2015 at 21:56

I think it was to compete with giffgaff unlimited goodybag as that used to be £15 too.

Yeah I won't be using that much data again, it is a bit much! I was in between home internet but that's all.sorted now.

funguST · 4 Oct 2015 at 22:55

Think i need to switch to three, currently pay £15 a month (pay&go) only gets me 1gb of data, most months that does me but when i exceed costs me £1 a day.

Are three any good network wise? They used to piggy back off of o2? this still the case? Looks like to get the unlimited data you need to be on a sim only type deal (min 12 month etc).

neoboy · 4 Oct 2015 at 23:14

Not too bad around the Tyne and Wear, haven't had any issues with anyone not being to call me or such.

koooowweeee · 5 Oct 2015 at 07:49

funguST said:
Think i need to switch to three, currently pay £15 a month (pay&go) only gets me 1gb of data, most months that does me but when i exceed costs me £1 a day.

Are three any good network wise? They used to piggy back off of o2? this still the case? Looks like to get the unlimited data you need to be on a sim only type deal (min 12 month etc).

I went from o2 to 3 and its miles better where I am and everywhere I go. (Manchester and surrounding)

You can go on pay as you go as well for the unlimited data.

EE might b worth a look if you don't use much data

Amraam · 5 Oct 2015 at 08:19

koooowweeee said:
I went from o2 to 3 and its miles better where I am and everywhere I go. (Manchester and surrounding)

You can go on pay as you go as well for the unlimited data.

EE might b worth a look if you don't use much data

I use a lot of data for Spotify and Netflix etc., but I've never sat down and worked out how much as I currently on AYCE.

I think 5GB won't be enough and AYCE is going to be a must...

EDIT: yeah looking at it, buying outright and paying a £17 monthly plan is going to be about £50 (£80 if you include the free chromecast with EE) more a year, but the ACYE data is worth it.

funguST · 5 Oct 2015 at 21:23

I've had EE before on a work phone. IT was shocking, i seemed to get 3g most places (sometimes 4g) but i could barely make a phone most of the time. Used to use my personal phone.

Might pickup a three sim and see how i go.