Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Sizzling Sims & top handset deals, incl...

- Cheapest EVER 8GB Sim is back

- Save £100s with some of the cheapest deals for recent iPhones & Samsungs we've seen

With usage up & prices down, check if you can slash bills now

Mobile use has climbed since lockdown, and in our Twitter poll of more than 3,600 people this week, 51% said they'd used their phones more in that time, while just 6% said less. So with usage up, if you're one of the 9m out of contract, often vastly overpaying, it's a great time to switch given the latest array of top deals for a new phone or a new Sim - the chip in your phone that dictates your network and allowance.

This year we've seen the cheapest ever Sims at many data levels, and today it's the return of the cheapest ever 8GB Sim. And while there's recently been a dearth of hot handset deals, today you can bag the cheapest ever in some categories.

This is important whether you want a new Sim or new phone contract, so you choose the right deal. Data is the real differentiator as most deals have plenty of mins & texts for the majority of people.

If unsure, check old bills, or if you're with EE, O2, Tesco Mobile, Three or Vodafone you can use the Billmonitor* tool to analyse your bill, but you must give it your login details. It'll recommend top deals but it doesn't have them all, such as those we've blagged below. As a guide, in our most recent poll, 68% said they use 3GB/mth of data or less.

Most analysts have reported a large drop in the number of handsets sold in the past year as phones last longer and there are fewer new tech features. So if you're happy with your phone and are out of contract, check now if you can save with a new Sim. We've the top deals below (for newbies of that firm). The standout is the return of the Three 8GB/mth deal, as we've never seen cheaper at that level.

A snazzy smartphone isn't MoneySaving, but if you'll get one anyway, at least get it for less. And that means never going direct to a major network as you'll almost always overpay. Sometimes it's cheapest to buy a new phone outright and pair it with a cheap Sim, but right now contracts through resellers and smaller providers smash that method for some phone and allowance combos. Here you pay an upfront fee, then a monthly rate to cover the rest of the handset + data, mins & texts. 

We've blagged four hot deals on popular phones with plenty of data for most. And right now it's possible to get the iPhone SE, Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite or Samsung S20 at the cheapest price we've ever seen for those combos. The iPhone 11 deal below is close to the cheapest ever and certainly the cheapest way to get it right now.

These all come with unlimited mins & texts and are just a few from 1,000s of combos of handsets and allowances - see Cheap iPhones or Cheap Samsungs for more deals.

Cheapest ever deals on these 'basic' iPhones & Samsung combos

Both brands now have a 'basic' range that's still snazzy but not quite as tech-rich as their higher-spec counterparts. The two deals below are on their latest models released this year.

- Via this link for the iPhone SE with 64GB storage* which goes via Mobiles.co.uk, Vodafone newbies can get 4GB/mth data for £90 upfront, then £20/mth, and you'll be sent a £10 cheque within 2mths, making it an equiv £560 over the 2yr contract. Direct from Vodafone, you'd pay £209 MORE over two years for 2GB/mth LESS. 

- Via this link for the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite with 128GB storage* which goes via Mobiles.co.uk, Vodafone newbies can get 4GB/mth data for £35 upfront, then £20/mth. Plus you'll be sent a £10 cheque within 2mths, making it an equiv £505 over the 2yr contract. Direct from Vodafone, you'd pay £556 MORE over two years for 2GB/mth LESS data.

We've never seen either cheaper, with one possible exception. On paper, they can just be beaten going via cashback site Topcashback for the same deal with £40 cashback instead of the £10 cheque. However, we normally warn that cashback isn't always certain, and on this occasion Mobiles.co.uk (which runs the deal) has even told us the cashback definitely wouldn't be paid out. We've not been able to check with Topcashback, though we will try to. Confused? So are we. So you'll need to weigh up which link to try.

Cheapest ever Samsung S20 combo + hot iPhone 11 deal

These two are the latest standard models from the pair, with all the bells and whistles.

- Via this link for the Samsung Galaxy S20, with 128GB storage*, which goes via Fonehouse, EE newbies can get this 5GB/mth deal for £249.99 upfront, then £23/mth, making it £801.99 over the 2yr contract. Direct from EE, its cheapest S20 deal - which comes with 10GB of data - costs £1,178 over 2yrs, which may be too much for most people. 

- Via this link for the iPhone 11, with 64GB storage* new customers of iD Mobile (which uses Three's network) get 5GB/mth data for £39.99 upfront when using code IDM10OFF. It's then £32.99/mth, making it £831.75 over the 2yr contract. A similar deal from Three with 4GB of data and a slightly different roaming package costs £1,036 over 2yrs.

Just want a cheap smartphone? You don't need to go with expensive iPhones or Samsungs as you can get a decent alternative with 4GB/mth of data for as little as £458 over 2yrs. See cheap contracts for more info on how to compare these.

Want to buy a new phone outright? Refurbished can be as good as new. It's difficult to cut standard new phone costs bought outside a contract, but one trick is refurbished models as they're often just returns from customers who have changed their mind or have small problems that have been fixed.

There's more to slashing prices than simply finding the best deals. Here's what else you need to know.

• How to unlock your phone for free. If you're switching network, a new Sim won't work if your phone is tied to a specific provider, but you can unlock your phone for free if out of contract.
  
  
• It's easy to keep your number if switching network. Simply send a free text and you're sent a code to give to your new network and it transfers the number over within one working day.
  
  
• Is your network the only one with a good signal? Find a cheap 'piggyback'. There are actually only four UK networks: EE, O2, Three and Vodafone. All others piggyback on one of them, eg, Tesco is on O2, Virgin on EE. So if stuck with an expensive network, there may be an escape - see mobile piggyback help.
  
  
• Don't want to switch network? Haggle. Loyalty sadly doesn't pay, but if you'd prefer to stay put, mobile firms are among the easiest to haggle with. For example, in our latest haggling poll, 77% of Three and 76% of EE customers said they'd had success. See Mobile Haggling for full help.
  
  
• Got an old mobile gathering dust? Dig it out & flog it to bag £100s. While you normally get more via eBay, it's usually easier via special mobile-reselling sites. We found one that pays £190 for a 64GB iPhone 8. See Sell Old Mobiles.
  
  
• Out of phone storage? Claw some back to save 'upgrading' to pricier mobiles. Don't assume because you've run out of capacity, you need to shell out for a new higher-spec device. There are lots of ways to save space via simple checks - some don't even require you to delete any photos etc. See storage boosters.
  
  
• Add a spending cap to stop eye-watering bills. There have been many horror stories of people running up HUGE surprise bills. Yet you may be able to set a personalised spending cap.
  
  
• Are you a loser? Do you need mobile insurance? It's not right for everyone, but if you're prone to losing things it may be worth it. See Mobile Insurance to help you decide and for our top-pick policies.