Smartphone contracts have become commonplace when it comes to purchasing a mobile device. This has been particularly true in the last 10 years, when phone contract sales saw a remarkable surge, overtaking the traditional and popular pay as you go smartphone agreements.
Pay-as-you-go phones tend to be cheaper and give you more flexibility, with their main benefit being that you aren't tied down to a long-term contract or commitment. However, you're fully responsible for maintaining, repairing or replacing your phone, whereas phones under contract are usually repaired or replaced by the network provider at no extra cost.
On the flip side, contract agreements offer significantly more than PAYG can to users. Contract holders can have both their handset and airtime bundled together for a set monthly tariff and since 84% of mobile phone packages in the UK are monthly contracts, it's the main way phones are bought by many these days.
Contract holders who want to alter their data allowance or upgrade to the newest flagship devices early in their contract length are often subject to a hefty penalty. Also, considering the trend for new and upgraded phones coming out annually each year, anyone who is in 24- or 36-month contracts is particularly worse off.
So what's the solution and what benefits the customer most?
Decoupling airtime from the handset. Now, what exactly does this mean?
Decoupling airtime from a handset separates the tie between handsets and airtime that you see in traditional smartphone contracts. The key benefit of this is that this can often work out much more cost-efficient than standard contracts.
At the time of publishing an iPhone 13 256GB in Blue with 24-months of unlimited airtime (mobile data, texts and minutes) costs a total of £1710 at EE. Alternatively, the same model on C247 costs just £43.65pm (£879) when you pay with Klarna. Pair that with a Three Unlimited 24-month plan at £18pm the total cost comes to £1479.60. So, by decoupling the airtime from your handset you can save a huge £230.40! Now you’re talking!
A Samsung Galaxy S21 FE with 24-months of unlimited airtime (mobile data, texts and minutes) costs a total of £1,109 at Vodafone. The same model onC247 costs just £22.30pm (£449) when you pay with Klarna. Pair that with a Three Unlimited 24-month plan at £18pm the total cost comes to £967.20 which gives a saving of £141.80. If savings of up to £200 and over weren’t enough, there are still more benefits to decoupling airtime from your handset.
Another reason why people find decoupling airtime from your handset so beneficial is the flexibility behind being able to switch your handset at any time with minimal hassle. Many contracts also don't let users downgrade a phone to decrease the costs, which is especially important in the current financial climate, where the cost of living is increasing.
Decoupling airtime from handsets is the best way to make a smartphone purchase going forward if you’re looking for flexibility. Being in full control of what you change and when you want to change is something everyone should have access to. SIM-only deals have become increasingly popular and value-packed in the last 3 years.
So, make the smart move and change the way you pay for your phone and decouple your airtime from your handset with one of our impressive SIM-only deals. With our great range of handsets, and the flexibility to pay for them in a way that suits you via Klarna, Paypal, credit or debit card, you are can make some significant savings. Let us know your opinion on decoupling airtime from handsets in the discussion box below, or better still, click here to see our range of handsets.
