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Is it better to buy phone then a sim only contract or buy a phone with a contract?

  • 4 March 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 163 views
N
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I’m looking to buy a new phone and I’m not sure what the best method is.
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Best answer by Craig6 4 March 2019, 14:04

I bought an iPhone SE for £220 and then have an IDMobile SIM for £3.99/month which was cheaper than the £26.99/month over 2 years. So if you've got the cash it's generally cheaper to buy the phone outright. In my opinion......
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C
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I bought an iPhone SE for £220 and then have an IDMobile SIM for £3.99/month which was cheaper than the £26.99/month over 2 years. So if you've got the cash it's generally cheaper to buy the phone outright. In my opinion......
Gregor
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Hi @NikhilP96

I agree with @Craig6

Buying your phone upfront and going for SIM only deal can save you money as you can get more data for less. I bought my phone upfront and got 10gb data SIM only deal.

ID Mobile is selling SIM free phones as well, like have look here.

On the other hand ID Mobile tends to have cheapest contract phones on the market. For example you can get new Xperia 10 for £15.99 a month and £19.99 upfront which is very good deal, only think is you get only 500mb data with that deal which make it worth it only if you don't use mobile data that much and stick to WiFi connections or invest additional £30 for 10GB data cushion which will give you piece of mind and backup for 12 months. More info here

To conclude my post. If you want big data deal go for SIM only and pay upfront for your phone. If you don't mind little data in your bundle and you cannot afford Sin Free handset go for contract deal.
I am not iD Mobile employee but I am here to help anyone as best as I can.
S
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Userlevel 1
That does completely depend on a) if you have a specific phone in mind and b) how much you want to spend.

This is the first time I've gone for buying a phone outright and then getting SIM only deal with IDMobile. I haven't regretted it once and it's going to save me a small fortune.

I however, didn't need the latest and greatest new smartphone out there and buying up front can be very costly (likely to be more expensive in the long run with a contract but at least that cost is spread out).

I managed to get a fantastic little phone (Sony Xperia XZ1 compact) that I'm loving and an amazing mid data deal with IDMobile (I don't use half my data allowance but others will and the more data you use, probably the better off you'll be buying a handset outright and getting a SIM only deal).

Hope this helps.
T
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Userlevel 1
Indeed usually it is cheaper to buy outright (or use a 0% credit card, if you can't afford the upfront cost) and get a SIM Only plan.

Occasionally it is cheaper to buy a phone with a contract, but it completely depends on what you want so you have to just add up the minimum term and monthly cost, plus any initial cost. It's really important to remember to switch to a SIM Only plan after the contract ends or you'll be esentially paying for the phone you've already paid off.

The only other thing I'll add is some networks do give additional extras with certain types of plan with a phone, e.g. sports streaming etc. iD's feature is "Data Boost" which means you have 50GB data to use anytime across 36-months above your standard monthly allowance - it isn't avaliable on their SIM Only plans.

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