Handset deals
The three ways to get a phone, the single calculation that settles any offer, and the month in which most households quietly start overpaying.
Sections on this page
The facts
- Combined bundle
- Phone and airtime as one figure
- Split contract
- Two separate agreements
- Outright plus SIM
- No credit agreement at all
- Credit check
- On any monthly device agreement
What it means for you
| Route | What it means | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Combined bundle | One monthly figure; does not fall at term end | Most networks |
| Split contract | Device credit ends at repayment; airtime billed separately | O2, Sky Mobile |
| Outright plus SIM | Lowest total cost; money needed upfront | Anyone |
Whichever you pick, the outright route is the benchmark you should measure the others against — even if you do not choose it.
The facts
- Step one
- Deposit + (monthly × months)
- Step two
- Phone outright + cheapest suitable SIM
- Step three
- Lower total wins
- Freebies
- Count at resale value only
What it means for you
Cost slides between the deposit and the monthly figure like a see-saw, which is precisely why two shops can show you completely different structures for the same phone and both call theirs the cheapest.
Only the whole-term total tells the truth. Work it out before you discuss anything else, and work out the outright benchmark alongside it.
The facts
- Combined bundle at term end
- Monthly figure does not fall
- Split contract at term end
- Device half stops; airtime does not
- Notification required
- None
- Who knows the date
- Only whoever wrote it down
What it means for you
Nothing happens automatically when a minimum term ends. On a combined bundle you keep paying for a phone you already own, indefinitely. On a split contract the device payment does stop — but the airtime carries on at full price until you go in and reduce it.
Within days of that date, do one of three things:
- Move to a SIM-only plan and keep the phone you have.
- Upgrade deliberately, after doing the calculation on the new offer.
- Leave, using the free switching code.
The facts
- Trade-in quotes
- Take two
- Before sending
- Erase and unlink everything
- Next-day delivery
- Needs your exact model in stock
- Returns window
- Commonly fourteen days
What it means for you
| Matter | What to know |
|---|---|
| Trade-in value | Swings with condition, storage size and season — get the maker’s quote and one independent one |
| Before despatch | Erase the phone, unlink every account, photograph it in case of dispute |
| Delivery promises | Believe the stock line on the product page, not the banner |
| Cooling-off | A free trial of the network as well as the phone |
Use the returns window properly: test signal at home and at work room by room, test the battery across several ordinary days rather than one charge, and keep the packaging complete until you have decided.
Still unsure after reading this?
Ring the desk and we will go through it with you. There is nothing to buy at any stage.