Mobile Phone Upgrade

[mathare]

My contract is up on my phone and has been for some time. I currently pay around £25 a month for 100 anytime minutes and some texts. I don't use all the minutes and they keep rolling over. I send maybe 40 texts a month. The amount I currently pay is the most I really want to pay.

Can anyone suggest the best way of getting a decent upgrade deal? I have spoken to my network (Vodafone) and they have offered me a couple of deals but before I just take one of those I thought I should shop around.

I went into Phones4U and met a pushy salesman who wanted me to take out a new contract (presumably because of the commission he then gets). The Carphone Warehouse were better but still encouraged me to go to a more expensive tariff than I was after. Or pay £100 for a new handset.

I want to make a few phonecalls, send a few texts and browse the web and probably place some bets online via WAP/GPRS. And that's it. I'd like a camera as my current phone (Sony Ericsson K700i) has one. I don't use the radio so I don't need a Walkman phone.

Where should I be looking? What sort of deals should I be getting?

[piggy]

to be honest i got an excellent deal from vodaphone , a free samsung z140v, 100 free mins after 7-00 and weekends and 40 freetexts for £16 but i'm at home all day so only use it for emergencies during the day

[bigcumba]

only use it for emergencies during the day

Like when Betfair goes down!

[piggy]

:doh her names not betty and she's a redhead:wink

[Win2Win]

You get Stop The Clock on Vodafone now, keeps the bills down when the missus phones other mobiles.

[hudsonmat]

Have a look at some of the offers at dialaphone. I can certainly recommend them and although it involves some voucher redemption the offers are very good and you do receive the cheques as promised.

I got a phone from them last year on '3' and was more than happy with the service.

My contract expired recently and I renewed direct with 3 getting a new Nokia 6280 (terrific phone by the way) 100 anytime minutes and 100 texts every month. Cost £20 per month, 1st 6 months half price, last 4 months free so works out about £12 per month.

regards
matt

[samantha1303]

T.Mobile do plans called U-Fix.
You pay either £15 or £25 a month, and providing you don't use more minutes than they have given you you have no call charges.

The £15 plan gives you 50 minutes and 25 texts.
The extra 15 texts to get you to 40 a month would cost you £1.80 making a total monthly bill of £16.80.

If you only wanted offpeak calls you would get 300 mins and 30 texts.
Alot of phones are free if you take the contract.

Check here -
https://www.t-mobile.co.uk/Dispatcher?menuid=plans_ufix_landing

[Fadetoblack]

Not sure if this is available over in England yet but I get 400 free minutes to any number and unlimited free calls to all vodafone numbers. 100 texts and 20 mbs free too. Flat Rate 69€. Mobile TV is free until September and I can watch attheraces on that too.

[mathare]

On the subject of mobile web browsing, for those that do it how much data do you use a month? I currently get free access to all the Vodafone Live content so I'd only really use mobile web browsing for placing the odd bet now and then, maybe a quick look at a few other sites. I can't see me being a very heavy user.

T-Mobile do unlimited mobile internet for £7.50 a month. Vodafone do data at £2.35 a megabyte. Am I likely to use more than 3MB a month?

[Fadetoblack]

The thing about it Matt is that you're charged for what you download and there are a lot of sites now that use large images and those ones that move (so it keeps costing you) If possible, always try and use the text versions of sites where available.

[mathare]

To be honest fella I've never really used mobile internet so I don't know what is out there. The furthest I have got is a quick look at Skybet's WAP site the other day. But I really liked the idea of having access to the online bookies via me mobile so I thought I'd investigate more.

Can you access the full internet on these things then or are you limited to WAP sites?

[Onlyforfun]

I am a fairly heavy user of Betfair on my PDa at weekends and my bill is never above a fiver, get Mobile Betfair installed (its free) and then the application is on your phone and the only data transferred is the odds and stakes rather than full web pages. Most sites are easy enough to use with images turned off.

[mathare]

I have Betfair Mobile installed on my current phone but I haven't used it as my password isn't compatible apparently.

Sounds like I won't be using too much data so maybe a bundle or just paying £2.35/MB rather than going for the unlimited T-Mobile thing is best

[samantha1303]

With t.mobile you can access their content free usually, and sometimes WAP is included in the free minutes,but as I never use WAP I don't know the full details.

[mathare]

I think I am inclined to stick with Vodafone. I think I have found a new tariff that suits me better than the one I am on so I might see what they will offer me if I switch to that.

What I did last time was threaten to leave them and they suddenly became a lot keener to help. The thing is I don't know what extra I want from them. The tariff I am looking at is OK (Anytime 75 or Anytime 125) but I don't know what handset I want. I need to go to a shop and play again I think.

Anyone got a snazzy handset they recommend I look at?

[vegyjones]

Speaking of mobile contracts!

My missus has one with Virgin.
Her phone broke the other week? Are they likely to replace it free of charge? :D

[vegyjones]

Anyone got a snazzy handset they recommend I look at?
My brother has one of those Samsung ones that Jose Mourinho advertises. They look wquite nifty!

[samantha1303]

Speaking of mobile contracts!

My missus has one with Virgin.
Her phone broke the other week? Are they likely to replace it free of charge? :D

It depends how long she has had the phone.

I'm presuming it is not insured but if it is she can have any phone she wants as long as she pays the excess- usually around £25.

If not insured then she may be eligable for an upgrade.
With t.mobile this is a yearly.

Basically you get a free phone with restrictions ( you cant go from a basic nokia to the latest and best phone on the market).
The phone is free you just pay for postage.
You can do this whether your phone is broken or not.

[samantha1303]

Anyone got a snazzy handset they recommend I look at?

I wouldn't use the word snazzy to describe Nokia phones, and you are not going to find a tiny little number, but I believe they are the easiest to use, and best quality phones.

This shows you ever nokia available in the UK
http://www.nokia.co.uk/nokia/0,,18213,00.html

[mathare]

Cheers Sam. I first started out years back on Nokia but switched to Sony Ericsson a few years back. Never had any other make. I like the Sony Eric but I may try Nokia again.

[samantha1303]

Ericsson do some nice phones but they are just so complicated.
Mind you I don't read instructions I just like to be able to pick it up and work it out which I have always been able to do with nokia.

[piggy]

you could allways try T-MOBILE

[presto]

i heard you can't take it onto a plane though piggy.

[mathare]

I know no-one really cares but I have got this sorted now and I reckon I got a good deal.

Handset:
Sony Ericcson V630i (£50)
3G with video messaging/calling, mobile internet, mp3 player, 256MB memory card, in-built camera etc.

Contract:
18 month deal at £20 a month (6 months half price)
125 anytime cross-network minutes a month
Text message bundle that can be used for texts, video messages, photo messages or mobile internet data. Equates to about 250 texts or 13MB of data a month.
3 months free insurance (£6.95 a month after that and can be cancelled at any time)
Free itemised billing
1 month free mobile Sky TV inc. Sky Sports News, At the Races, Sky One.

I was paying a lot more than this and once I cancel the insurance I will be paying no more than £25 a month and that's after the 6 months offer has ended and includes the sports/news mobile TV I will have most months.

I am very pleased with it :D

[John]

That's pretty good for £20 per month mate!

Who is that with? My guess is Vodafone...?

[mathare]

Yeah, Vodafone.

I've been with them for a few years now and went into their shop in Kingston for a chat to see what they would offer me. I didn't really want to pay for a handset but as the contract was so good I was prepared to part with the £50 for the phone. And it seems like a decent bit of kit.

[Win2Win]

I never bother with insurance, most people don't realise it is included in the home insurance, and if you buy it with a CC card, it's usually covered by that as well.