How To Save Money When Buying An IPhone. If you’re in the market for a new iPhone, you’ll know that they don’t come cheap. An iPhone is a hefty investment, whether you’re simply buying the handset or signing a new contract with a phone. However, there are ways that you can limit the cost. By being sensible and doing a little research and a little work you can get the best price possible on an iPhone. So if you want an iPhone cheap, then here are some tips to help you on your way…
Look at How You Use Your Phone…
The problem with signing a contract for an iPhone is that very often you sign up for a set of conditions that you don’t meet. For example, a calling plan may give you 100 minutes a month. If you use 100 minutes, or close to it, then that’s great. If you use nowhere near that much, then you’re paying for something that you won’t use, and if you frequently use more than that then you’re going to get stung by paying premium prices for extra minutes outside your plan. The best way to avoid this is by going for the plan that most closely matches your needs. Go through the last three months of your old bills and analyse how many minutes you use, how many messages you send, and how much data you utilise. This should give you an idea of your average use so that you can better choose a good contract for you.
Shop Online…
We don’t necessarily mean go to Ebay, although it’s an option. But most mobile service providers save their best prices for their web sites, and buying online can either save you cash or get you special deals on free minutes or messages. It’s definitely worth checking out you providers web site before you start purchasing or signing things.
Pay More (at first)…
Most mobile service providers will offer free hand sets, especially with older model iPhones. However, if you’re willing to pay an upfront fee you can end up saving money over the course of your contract. By paying a percentage of the phone’s cost at the beginning of the contract you will lower your monthly payments, and this generally means that the total cost of the contract will be much less. It’s worth doing the math to find out. Sometimes spending a little more right now means that you save in the long run.
Get a Refurbished Phone…
Most mobile providers will offer refurbished or reconditioned phones, although they might not advertise it. These are usually phones that have been bought and then returned by customers within two weeks. They are all checked out and in perfect working order, and rarely have any form of visible damage. They also usually have lower monthly fees. Online sites are usually the best place to find refurbished phones. Just make sure that wherever you purchase your refurbished phone from that it has a warranty and that the store or site has a return policy, just in case there is a fault with the hand set and you need to send it back.
Phil Turner has looked at reconditioned mobile phones and they look like new if they are factory-reconditioned.