Changing Mobile Phone Plans Before A Contract Ends

Monday November 3, 2008

Mobile phone plans can lock you in for a long period of time, but sometimes your needs in mobiles will change or else moving country will render a plan useless. In such a case, it is important to minimise the cost of ending your contract and to find new mobile phone plans with a minimal upfront cost.

Sell your old mobile phone

If your previous plan included a mobile phone as part of the contract, you may want to see if you can recoup some money by selling this mobile phone. You can get a new phone on your new plan, so money you get from selling your old phone can help you to pay out your old contract.

How much do you need to pay?

When buying out of a contract, you will generally need to pay the minimum spend for any unused months as well as finishing any repayments for your mobile phone. With some mobile phone technologies, such as 3G mobiles, this may also include supplementary plans such as data usage for Web browsing. You may also need to pay a penalty fee, so be sure you can afford to pay out your plan before cancelling a contract.

Can you wait out the contract?

Often it is better to wait out a contract rather than to cancel it. For instance, while roaming internationally on an old plan may cost more than using a domestic mobile phone plan, will it cost more than paying out your contract and then getting a new plan? If you need extra features, would it cost you less to simply buy new mobiles and then see if your existing service provider offers some of its services as separate plans? If you need a higher data allowance for Web browsing, for example, many service providers will offer this on a separate contract.

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