When choosing a new smartphone, it can be profitable to shop around for the best deal, as they vary greatly in terms of monthly cost, monthly allowances, phone price, and contract length. In this article, I’ll go over these parts of the contract using a popular iPhone 4S deal from O2 and explain the terms of each fee so you can get the best deal for your needs.
When you buy an iPhone 4S, many offer the phone itself for free, which can be a huge savings as you won’t have to pay several hundred pounds for the cost of the phone. Instead, you will pay a monthly fee, usually 18-24 months. This rate will distribute the cost of the phone, in addition to including a monthly allowance for calls, text messages and data usage. Some contracts will require you to pay for the phone, either the full price or a lesser amount. If this is the case, you will often find that the monthly payment is considerably less. A popular O2 contract is called O2 Unlimited + 1GB, and this includes the phone for free and the contract runs for 24 months.
Free calls
Almost all iPhone 4S rates will include a set number of minutes of free phone calls, which can be made to any UK network or fixed line at a non-premium rate. The O2 plan mentioned above is one of the most generous out there, offering an unlimited number of free calls. This is rare these days, as even many more expensive fees will have a monthly cap, no matter how generous they are. As a bonus, these calls can also be made at any time of the day, even at ‘peak’ hours.
Text messages
The O2 Unlimited + 1GB plan for the iPhone 4S also comes with an unlimited number of free text messages each month. Again, even with many more expensive contracts, you will find that there will be a limit to the number of free texts, which is why this offer from O2 is one of the best out there. Please no, multimedia messages vary from provider to provider. Some will provide them for free, while others may charge around 10 cents. This is still a small price to pay considering you get free texts and calls, and most people only use MMS messages occasionally.
Data mapping
As the name suggests, the O2 Unlimited + 1GB plan has a data allowance of 1GB per contract month. This is one of the most generous data allocations out there. Because the iPhone 4S is well known for its web browsing capabilities, as well as applications that require internet access to function, it is worth opting for a contract with a decent amount of data if you plan to use such features. Although 1GB may not sound like a lot, it is actually well above the average monthly usage for UK mobile phone users. Also, this allowance only applies to data downloaded via O2’s 3G coverage. Wi-Fi connectivity means you can surf the internet on your iPhone 4S to your heart’s content without using your data allowance.
The O2 Unlimited + 1GB plan for the iPhone 4S costs £ 36 per month, making it one of the most attractive iPhone 4S plans available in the UK. Remember, you also get a free iPhone 4S which would cost £ 541.99 if you bought the phone without SIM.
Apple will release the iPhone 5 later this year, and this should lower the cost of many iPhone 4S contracts so you can get an even better deal.
