contract mobile phones how do the work

[madasamuppet]

Hope someone can help me, I have always just had PAYG mobiles but was looking into getting my son a new phone and considering a contract phone.Had a look about and now quite confused about tariffs and stuff. I get that you get the phone for free and you chose the tariff you want i.e. mixture of texts and mins and then pay the fee every month. But on some sites it has the fee for the month and then lists the allowances which are a different amount. So if you go over the allowances do you get billed seperate or if you have reached your allowance for the phone say a week before the month runs out does that mean that you can't use the phone. Also realise that you are tied in to a contract for a set amount of time but if you decide to change tarrifs half way through the contract is this possible or do you have to wait till it comes to an end.

Also does anyone have any suggestions as to who offers the best deals. Like I said I am with O2 PAYG so have no experience with other networks. Son will prob use it for texting more than phoning but would need mins and also a good camera/video and mp3 player. thanks in advance for any help

[389shell]

Hi Mad,

There is loads of different tarrifs about. One I read about on here which seems a good deal for parents taking out a contract for their children is on the Virgin website, it is £15 per month, you would have to check their minutes and texts per month, but if you go over your tariff on either texts or calls, you can only go over by £50 and then they cut the phone off. This is not the case with most, loads do not have a limit and so you could be landed with a heafty bill each month.

Another advantage with this package is you are not tied into a contract, you only have to give a months notice. I am not sure if you even get a phone with this deal, like I said, have a look on their website.

You should get loads of more advise soon, this just seems one of the better deals I have read about.

[buzby]

If the phone is for your son (and he's under 18 ) I suggest you continue with PAYG. Otherwise, you will have to take it out in your name, and will ultimately be responsible for it whether it is lost, stolen or abused.

Contract bundles vary widely, and once you have used up the inclusive element that month, you pay the standard rate for all additional usage until the next month's allowance kicks in. The phone will not cease working. They will expect payment by DD and will help themselves to any money they feel is owing at any time that suits them. Do also remember if he texts a lot, he can end up being hit by Premium Rate texts which he can never control.

In your situation, with a need fro MP3 & Camera, which are not network relevant features, buy a s/h model that fits the bill with these features, and go for O2's 'Simplicity' tariff - this doesn't supply a phone but gives you the chance to terminate with 30 days notice (after the first 30).

[davethorp]

There is the ufix from t-mobile option which is a kind of mix between contract and PAYG as you pay the monthly rate by direct debit to get your free mins and then if they make any calls above and beyond that they need to top up like a PAYG phone meaning no surprise bills.

Only problem is the ufix tariffs aren't that spectacular