Essential guide to choosing the right mobile network for you

Finding the right mobile network can be time consuming and challenging with so many tariffs and networks out there. To ensure you find the right network for you, here is an easy guide on understanding your needs and how to choose your contract.

Finding the right SIM

A SIM is the card where all your personal information is stored and is all you need to move from phone to phone and contract to contract. When looking for a new mobile network, the first thing you should consider is which SIM you will need. To get started, you need to find the contract that best suits your lifestyle. Here are the different options to consider:

Which type of contract to choose?

30-day/ 12Month SIM Only

• SIM Only contracts is one where you don’t pay for a mobile handset, only for the network connection and are historically cheaper.
• SIM Only is all about bringing your own device with you and if your phone is unlocked, you have no restrictions and you can easily pop the SIM into your own phone and start using it.
• SIM only contracts are usually 1 month or 12 months in length.
• If you prefer to make phone calls and text, there are many low cost plans with unlimited texts and minutes, which mean that you won’t have many restrictions.
• You can opt for a 30-day rolling contract, which limits your commitment to 30 days’ notice. 12 month pay monthly SIMs are also available.
• Some providers don’t perform credit checks, but do require identification proof.

18/24 Month Mobile Contract

• With a monthly mobile contract, you pay an agree monthly charge to cover calls, texts and internet usage, depending on what you think you might need
• Most providers will give you a phone free phone of charge, or possibly charge a small fee for the phone purchase.
• The longer your contract, the lower the price of your phone tends to be, but this will depend on the network provider.
• Over the length of time of your agreed contract, you are paying for your phone. Be aware that if you want to leave your contract before the specified end date, it will cost you money.
• You’re tied down to a commitment and most network providers won’t allow you to leave your contract until at least 14 days before your contract terms ends; but upgrades can be much sooner.
• Make sure that if you’re in a current contract and want to stick with your current phone that you switch to SIM Only, so you are not paying additional for your handset.
• Contracts are normally 18 and 24 months in length.

Pay As You Go

• With Pay as you Go, you are not tied to any lengthy contract, which gives you greater freedom and allows you to control your spending.
• You can manage the amount your phone bill costs and all you have to do is top-up every time you run out of credit.
• Some network providers have Pay As You Go bundles, which allow you to buy a specific amount of minutes, texts and data.
• Once the bundle is used you have the freedom to top-up and pay their basic rate per minute, text or data

How to choose a mobile network to suit you

The next step is to choose a mobile network which will suit you. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself when considering are:

• Network coverage should be a priority when considering networks. Tools such as Ofcom Mobile coverage are useful to check which mobile network gets signal in your area.
• What are the prices of the contracts?
• What is the reputation of the mobile network?
• What are the reviews about their customer service? What additional benefits does your network give customers? E.g. TPO gives 10% of your monthly spend to a charity or cause of your choice, at no extra cost to you.

Which phone is best for you?

When looking at which phone you should purchase, you should always consider what you’re using your phone for, e.g. larger buttons, hearing aid compatibility, calling family and friends, browsing the internet and touchscreen or not.

Knowing what you want to use your phone for allows you think about what features you actually want. For example, if you don’t watch videos, do you really need 4G or high resolution camera? It is important to remember that most of the time you may end up paying more for features you don’t need.

If you don’t need the latest gadgets, opting for an older handset can be a lot cheaper. Consider an older smartphone, such as the iPhone 4s ,which can be found online on websites, such as      www.amazon.com.

How much data do I need?

Data usage varies from phone to phone and generally speaking, data usage depends on how many features you have active at any one time. It can sometimes mean that you require a higher data usage. For instance, with an iPhone, if your settings are not configured, your apps will refresh automatically and use up your data. A Sim Only plan allows you the flexibility of switching to suit your data needs, which can save you money in the long run.

3G vs 4G

You may hear a lot about 3G and 4G at the moment. There is little difference between the two except that 4G is faster. A great tool to find out how much data you actually need is Confused.com’s Mobile data calculator

Choosing your phone network is simple

With so many mobile networks out there, there will be a network right phone network for you. Just make sure you take all the relevant steps above to ensure you have a stress free experience.

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Yasamine Davami, editor for TPO  Offering SIM Only plans that give 10% of your monthly phone bill to cause you love at no cost to you.