Three-quarters of mobile phone subscribers are wasting an average of nearly £200 a year because they are on the wrong contract, research suggests. Continue reading...
I'm in the US and i think mobile companies are the biggest con-artists that exist. NY mobile taxes are off the roof, and to top it off, mobile companies charge a ridiculous amount of money for plans. The NYer probably pays an average of $70-80 a month in a plan. That's with no internet, unlimited text, and 1500/unlimited minutes. Again, this is the average.
We have 4 primary mobile companies: Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, and T-mobile. The cheapest is T-mobile. I'm with them and have an unlimited texting plan, 1000 minutes, no internet, for $49.99. It comes to $62 after taxes. You can get a $39.99 plan that includes something like 1000 text messages, but once you reach over you'll be charged .40 cents per text. Most people, unlike myself, have smart phones and must include an internet package to their plan, and will most likely add unlimited texting as well. So add another $15 average for texting, and $20 for internet to the original $49.99 and you get $85 + taxes. And that will be the cheapest but best plan you can get out of all the 4 companies (i've done the research). T-mobile has great service too, so it's actually worth it. The real slap at the wallet comes when you buy a smartphone with AT&T and Verizon. Sprint comes second cheapest, but you have to make sure that roaming is disabled on your phone (manually... and sometimes with older phones this cannot be done). Roaming is when you're out of reach with Sprint's network, so you'll use something like Verizon's network to make calls, but Sprint will charge .45 cents per minute for this "amenity". Other carriers have roaming also. AT&T and Verizon are by far the most expensive. With plans like 900 minutes, you'll be paying a $59.99 base price! Now, if you have a smartphone, you MUST add a data plan or you cannot sign up. Data plans range from $25-$45. Then, you'll most likely add a text service which is another $10-$15. This comes to an average of, what, $105 without the taxes!? Unreal. Verizon is the number one most expensive mobile company. Everyone knows this, but everyone also knows that their network is almost flawless. 99% of the time, you'll never lose/drop a call. What's it like where you are? In the UK if i'm not mistaken?
Yep UK I think the deals over here are pretty good but it all depends on how long your contract is! The longer the contract length the better deal you'd probably get. All deals include tax to no other costs unless you go over your limits. Roaming is a issue, people have had bills ranging from thousands if not hundreds of pounds. Anyway personally, I'm a fan of "Sim Only" contracts, which is particularly good if your not wanting an upgraded handset or happy to purchase your own. e.g. $4o/month will get you Unlimited Text, 1500 mins, Unlimited Internet (no tethering) plus free calls to people on the same network, similar deals can be had from most if not all the networks. Plus there are plenty of cashback or free gift deals, where as they entice you with cashback every xx months or a free gift e.g. 32" TV (usually a lesser brand), iPod. Though people have had issues claiming their cashback, either be it due to lost post, the company just playing dirty or people forgetting.
Yeah, it sounds to me like your deals are waaaay better. And yes, SIM cards are the way to go 32" TV!? I could definitely use that as a second monitor for when Diablo 3 comes out....
