What it costs
Which of the numbers you were shown is actually the price, how to read a statement, the yearly figure nobody offers you, and where money leaves quietly every month.
Sections on this page
The facts
- Introductory price
- Time-limited
- Standard price
- The real one
- Deposit
- Slides against the monthly
- Whole-term cost
- The only fair comparison
What it means for you
| Number | What it is |
|---|---|
| Introductory price | Real while it lasts, with a stated duration — useless for comparing networks |
| Standard price | What applies once the discount ends, for most of the term. This is the price. |
| Deposit | Moves inversely against the monthly figure; neither describes a deal alone |
| Whole-term cost | Deposit + (monthly × months) — the only honest comparison |
| Yearly cost | The same figure divided by years; ask for it, because it is rarely volunteered |
The facts
- Combined bundle
- One figure, phone and airtime together
- Split contract
- Two lines
- Add-ons
- Show separately
- Out-of-allowance charges
- Only where no cap was set
What it means for you
On a combined bundle everything is rolled into one number, which makes it impossible to see what the phone is costing you. On a split contract there are two lines, and reading only the total is the single most common mistake customers make.
- Find the airtime figure and treat that as your ongoing cost.
- Find the device figure and note when it ends.
- Check for any add-on you bought once and that has quietly renewed.
- Confirm no out-of-allowance charges have appeared — if they have, set the spend cap today.
The facts
- Biggest leak
- Months after a term ends
- Notification given
- None
- Second leak
- Allowances bigger than you use
- Third leak
- Roaming without a cap
What it means for you
Almost every overpayment we are asked about comes from the same place: a minimum term ended and nothing changed. The monthly figure carries on, and on a combined bundle it carries on including money for a phone you own outright.
Nobody has to tell you the date is coming. The only person who knows is whoever wrote it down.
The facts
- Frequency
- Once a year
- Time needed
- Ten minutes
- What you need
- Your post-discount figure
- Then
- Three rival quotes on the same allowance
What it means for you
- Note what you actually pay now, after any discount has ended.
- Get three rival quotes on the same allowance.
- Either switch, or haggle with those quotes in hand.
- While you are in the app, confirm the spend cap is still on.
- Diary the same review a year ahead.
Still unsure after reading this?
Ring the desk and we will go through it with you. There is nothing to buy at any stage.