Mobile Phones: Should You Get a Monthly Contract or a SIM Only Deal? (Infographic)

Today I am sharing an infographic about mobile phone contracts kindly provided by Handset Expert.

The graphic contains a variety of interesting information, but it focuses especially on the attractions of buying a phone with a separate SIM-only contract rather than a monthly contract that includes both.

Have a read of the infographic, and I’ll share a few thoughts of my own at the bottom.

Switching to SIM only deals could save Brits a total of £3.4 billion per year | HandsetExpert

I will lay my cards on the table and reveal that I have a SIM-only contract myself. This has always been my preference, but there are pros and cons both ways, so I’ll go through them briefly here.

On the plus side, as the infographic says, having a separate SIM-only contract is likely to work out cheaper overall. In addition, you can change phone any time just by swapping your SIM card to a new handset. And you can switch to a different network provider if you like without having to face the hassle of paying off your contract and “unlocking” your phone.

There are, though, some possible drawbacks as well. For one, you won’t be able to access technical support for your phone so easily if you buy it outright rather than on a monthly contract. In addition, you are likely to have to pay the full cost of your handset up front rather than by monthly instalments. And upgrading will involve buying a new handset rather than simply negotiating a new deal with your monthly contract provider.

Overall, though, my advice for most people would be to choose a separate SIM-only deal. This is likely to offer better value, not to mention greater flexibility. But if you prefer the simplicity of a monthly contract that covers both device and phone service and don’t mind paying a bit extra for this, you might prefer to stick with that. The same applies if you can’t afford the up-front cost of paying for the handset you want – though bear in mind that if you opt for a single monthly contact for this reason you are still likely to end up paying more money overall.

  • So that’s my opinion, but what do YOU think? Do you have a separate SIM-only contract or single monthly contract for your device and phone service? I’d love to hear your views!




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