Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Revealed: Mobile prices have HALVED in 2yrs - eg, 8GB Sim now just '£5/mth'. Yet millions are still stuck on old rates

How to slash costs, incl save £100s on iPhone 12 & Samsung S21

The price of the cheapest mobile deals has plummeted in recent years, with 8GB Sims now HALF the price of even two years ago. What's more, our analysis shows five years ago the top 4GB Sim cost £10/mth, yet today you can get TWICE that data, with unlimited calls & texts, for a little over half the price, with the top deal for 8GB/mth (from Three) at just '£5.09/mth'.

The trend is driven by a mix of technology, people changing handset less often and competition. Yet many don't share in the benefit.

If you're one of a scary 9m out-of-contract mobile users, check now if you can save. You're likely massively overpaying, possibly by £100s a year.

To show you the impact of taking action, read Ben's tweet: "Used Martin's tips and managed to upgrade my iPhone XR to an iPhone 11 and cut my bill from £71/mth to £39/mth while keeping exactly the same data, minutes & texts. Cheers."   

PS: If your main issue is a storage shortage, there are lots of ways to claw back space. See 14 ways to boost your mobile storage.

Getting a new, snazzy handset isn't cheap - you're far better to look at our Sim-switching section below. But it is popular and we know many do it, so here's how to do it the cheapest way:

• Don't just jump to the latest handset - most don't need it. Once upon a time, a new handset launch meant a step change in tech, and smaller upgrades were just launched as new versions of that same model. Now the marketeers rename each new version as a new model. Try our find me a phone tool, which lets you say what you want from a phone, and it finds you the cheapest suitable handsets.
  
  Or, if you know how much you can pay, let that rule with our find me the best phone & deal within my budget tool.
   
• Know what handset you want? Often it's cheapest to buy a new phone outright and pair it with a cheap Sim, but contracts through smaller providers can currently beat that. Our cheapest way to get your new phone tool compares 50+ retailers and resellers against just buying outright. Here's a selection of the hot deals for some of the latest handsets available right now:
  
  

  CHEAP Newbies' iphones & samsungs  All unltd mins & texts. Full options via Cheap Mobile Finder.
  Phone, network & data	Cost & contract
  iPhone SE (64GB)  Data: EE, 4GB/mth (via Fonehouse)	Zero upfront, then £21/mth Total £504 over 2yr contract
  Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (128GB) Data: EE, 5GB/mth (via Affordable Mobiles)	£75 upfront, then £23/mth Total £627 over 2yr contract
  iPhone 11 (64GB) Data: EE, 25GB/mth (via Affordable Mobiles)	£61 upfront, then £26/mth Total £685 over 2yr contract
  Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (128GB) Data: O2, 45GB/mth (via MobilePhonesDirect)	£85 upfront, then £30/mth Total £805 over 2yr contract
  iPhone 12 (64GB)  Data: EE, 25GB/mth (via Affordable Mobiles)	£195 upfront, then £29/mth   Total £891 over 2yr contract
  All deals are MSE Blagged as when writing this we asked providers to beat the market's best deals - which has happened, as our research shows. All deals go via Cheap Mobile Finder so you can compare with others.

  
  PS: The resellers we've listed are big, and generally have good feedback. In the unlikely event one went bust, the contract is with the network and it'd carry on. The reseller is responsible for consumer rights on the handset though, so you'd then need to rely on the manufacturer's warranty, or consumer rights via the payment card used.
  
  
• Refurbished can be as good as new - and a lot cheaper. Top-grade refurbished models are often just returns from customers who have immediately changed their mind or have small problems that have been fixed. For example, you can get a "pristine" iPhone XR 64GB for £415 from Music Magpie vs £499 new from Apple.

The biggest savings usually come if you're happy to stick with your current handset. Once you're out of contract, just switch your Sim (the chip in your phone that dictates your data, calls & texts allowance):  

• Quickly compare more than 50 retailers and resellers. The MSE Cheap Mobile Finder's cheap Sim comparison can quickly home in on the cheapest Sim right now. The type of deals available include the following, for new customers, with unlimited minutes & texts.
  
  - 3GB/mth '£4.17/mth'. This MSE Blagged Lebara Sim (uses Vodafone's network) is £2.50/mth for the first 4mths, then £5/mth after, on a 1mth rolling contract - we've averaged the price over a year.
  - 8GB/mth '£5.09/mth'. This MSE Blagged Three Sim deal (via Fonehouse) is £8/mth, but gives an auto-£35 cashback within 90 days, making it equiv to £5.09/mth over the 12mth contract.
  - 30GB/mth £10/mth. This Smarty Sim (uses Three's network) is a no-frills £10/mth on a 1mth rolling contract.
  - Unltd data '£14.25/mth'. This Three Sim deal (via Buymobiles) is £18/mth, but gives an auto-£45 cashback within 99 days, making it equiv to £14.25/mth over the 12mth contract.
  
  PS: Where the deal is via a reseller (eg, Fonehouse), your contract is still with the network. The resellers we've listed are big, and generally have good feedback. In the unlikely event one went bust, you may not get the cashback. 
  
  
• Need to keep your signal? You can still switch network. There are actually only four UK networks: EE, O2, Three and Vodafone. All others piggyback on their signals - eg, Tesco is O2, Virgin is Vodafone. So if you're happy with the signal but not the price, try to find the cheapest Sim with the same signal. Our cheap Sims tool lets you opt for all networks with the same signal.
  
  
• Don't overestimate your data use - 3GB is good for most. With the top deals offering unlimited mins & texts, data is now the key. So check what you use, or try our data calculator if you're not sure. Though if, as right now with the 8GB deal above, you can get more data for a trivial price increase, a buffer can be useful.
  
  
• It's easy to keep your number if switching network. Simply send a free text - you're sent a code to give to your new network and it transfers the number over within one working day.
  
  
• Unlock your phone for free. If your phone is tied to a specific provider, you can't use a different network's Sim. Yet if you're out of contract, your existing network must let you unlock at no cost. Full network-by-network help in Mobile Unlocking.

• Don't want to switch network? Haggle. Mobile firms are among the easiest to haggle with - success rates for those who try are over 65%. So use the tools above to benchmark your top deal, then see our mobile haggling tips for how to get your provider to beat it.
  
  As Zena emailed: "My Sim-only contract with EE was coming up for renewal and they said it would stay at £24/mth. I read your site on how to haggle, checked out the deals I could get and after talking to them, EE came down to £8/mth with unlimited calls & texts. Thanks Martin and team."

• Got an old mobile gathering dust? Dig it out and flog it to bag £100s. See Sell Old Mobiles.
  
  
• Add a spending cap to stop eye-watering bills. See how to set a personalised spending cap.
  
  
• Can you get cashback on top? Once you've done a comparison, see if the deal's available via a cashback site, but do note cashback is never certain.

Martin: "It's the final countdown. This is the last show of a 26-week run. So before I go, I want to tool you up with the crucial information you need to know while the show's not on - there's a lot to get through. Hopefully we'll return late in the year (that's up to ITV).

"If you've questions to suggest on this or owt else, tweet them via @MartinSLewis, and crucially, use the show's hashtag #MartinLewis. Do tune in or set the VHS. It pays to watch. PS: If you missed it, last week's student finance show is available via the ITV Hub."