Can you imagine your life without your mobile phone?
Scary thought, we know!
Mobile phones are so pervasive nowadays that it almost seems like babies are already born with one.
For many of us, our mobile phone has become almost a natural extension of our arm. Some people might actually need to have it surgically removed. 🙂
This has become even more pronounced since the advent of smartphones which allow us to use the internet from our phones. Most researches now predict that the vast majority of internet access will be done from smartphones and tablets rather than computers. Some researchers even suggest it has already happened by 2013.
Also, for many developing nations, mobile phones are the only means of telecommunication and internet access since other infrastructure such as landlines is either prohibitively expensive or non-existent altogether.
The are two components comprising your use of mobile phones: the mobile phone itself and the plan you are on.
Many people get their phone bundled with their calling plan when they agree to sign-up for a long term plan with their provider. This is usually a 24 months term. During this time, you are ‘locked in’ to that provider and often have to pay high ‘exit fees’ if you want to switch.
As you probably gathered from our tone, we don’t think this is wise.
As Spending Hackers, we strongly feel that nothing is more important than your freedom to choose and the ability to switch whenever a better deal comes along or you have simply had enough with your current provider.
Therefore, we would strongly suggest that you buy your phone outright and make sure it is unlocked, which means it can accept any SIM card.
Another option you might consider is buying a locked prepaid phone whenever a really good deal comes along and then get it unlocked yourself. This is often as simple as paying a few dollars online for a code which you then enter in your phone and which allows it to instantly accept any SIM card.
If you are in the market for a new smartphone but don’t want its price to burn a hole in your pocket or lock you in to a particular provider or, god forbid, a contract, check this post.
In this report, however, we will focus on the second component: your mobile plan.
Want to learn what is the best mobile plan in Australia based on your individual usage patterns?
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