How Sim Only Can Save You Money on Your Phone Bill

The rising costs of living are taking its toll on consumers and as the UK economy slowly deepens into a recession it's time to cut back on expenses and make every penny count. There are so many bills to pay and many businesses are passing their rising costs onto consumers.

In the last few months, my gym membership has risen twice, petrol has risen to silly prices above the £1.10 per litre mark, the cost of our weekend newspaper has almost doubled and a loaf of bread costs near £1.50! If that isn't cause for concern for most people, particularly those who aren't well off then I don't know what is jazz call packages

With all these price rises and expenses it makes me wonder how people can survive. We certainly have to be more conscious about what we spend our money on and with Christmas approaching we will also need to consider cutting back on purchasing expensive presents for the family and kids.

One of the first things that we can cut back on is the amount of time and money we spend on mobile phones. You may want to consider how many minutes you are using each month, whether you use more texts than call time, whether you call friends and family on other networks or whether there are a few selected phone numbers that you call regularly. Whatever the outcome, the mobile phone networks will have a tariff that suits you. There probably isn't a better time to change and revisit the cost of your mobile phone usage as there are many new, flexible offers available.

There are currently three main options that you can take choose from:

1. Long-term mobile phone contracts (12-18 months)
2. Pay As You Go (PAYG)
3. Sim Only (short-term 30 day contract)

If you find out that you use your mobile very little and only really use your mobile for occasional or emergency calls then a PAYG sim card is recommended. This will allow you to be in charge of how much you spend by topping-up your sim card with a fixed amount of credit like £10. This will then last you until you have used it all up whether it's in 1 week or in 1 month. The mobile phone networks will also send you offers each week if you spend over a certain amount. For example, on Vodafone, if you use up your credit before the end of the working week then they will give you free weekend calls and texts. Not bad at all!

If you are a medium to heavy mobile phone user then you can either go for a long-term mobile phone contract or short-term contract Sim Only deals. Now, if you are on a 12 or 18 month contract already and are coming to the end of it then you will want to consider your options. Do you want to save money on your monthly bill over the next year or are you happy with the way it is? Do you want to upgrade and get a new phone or are you happy with the one you have? You may also want to challenge your mobile phone network and see what they can offer you for your loyalty. Often, threatening to cancel your contract results in being referred to their Loyalty team where they will offer you reduced line-rental or a better package. However, Sim Only will give you more flexibility if you have a phone already and you won't be tied down for another year or longer if your usage or financial circumstances change.

The trend that we are seeing in the mobile phone landscape is towards Sim Only. In the last year the take up of sim only contracts has increased significantly and now accounts for over 15% of connections in some European countries. This has much to do with consumers tightening their pockets and looking to save money.

Sim Only Contracts are available on T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2, Orange and Virgin Mobile. You get a free sim card and just pay monthly without the need for a credit check either. This is why it's called Sim Only.

Sim Only offers the better value with more minutes and texts than PAYG and the long-term deals so sacrificing a new phone for a cheap contract, more minutes and texts could be beneficial for you. What's more is that you aren't tied down to one network. If another network was to come out with a better deal then you could can cancel your current contract and join another network at no extra cost. This produces high customer churn for the mobile phone networks and so there are very competitive offers available. Much will depend on your own usage but and network preference but it's always good to compare sim only deals on offer.

Rhys Faulkner is one of the best bloggers and he is here to help the community. He has done bachelor from Canada and he is a well-known personality in the blogging community