Mobile phone with a contract: you have to consider that
The mobile phone is slowly giving up the ghost and you want a new smartphone? Then there is often the question of whether you want to be bound by a contract or not. But when is it worth it and what should you pay attention to? We give you some tips in our article.
If you want to treat yourself to a high-priced smartphone without getting into financial difficulties right away, there is Mobile phones with contracts – The good piece is paid off month after month. In principle, a bundle of smartphone and contract is becoming more and more worthwhile. While in the past people were often asked to keep their hands off it, today you can save significantly, which is also confirmed by the Stiftung Warentest (Edition 10/2019) highlights. We’ll show you what you have to consider when it comes to mobile phone contracts.
Current note: Buy cheap – but when? Experience has shown that the best discounts for smartphones come at the end of the year. Of the Black Friday will take place this year on November 25th, 2022, followed directly by Cyber Monday on November 28th, 2022.
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Do you want to commit yourself that long?
What you need to be aware of beforehand: A mobile phone contract can be associated with a long term. Although since December 2021 providers have had to make sure that they no longer only offer 24-month contracts, but also options for 12 months or shorter, you still commit yourself for quite a long time. If you are dissatisfied afterwards, it will be difficult to get out of the contract and you should therefore think about which tariff and which conditions suit you beforehand.
When it comes to the term, you should also not forget to cancel. Because mobile phone contracts are worthwhile in most cases, especially if you only max out the respective term – no more, no less. do you forget to cancel in good time, thanks to the new regulations, this is no longer dramatic. After the contract period, a monthly termination is possible.
In our video we give you more useful tips on mobile phone tariffs:
Our tip: It is best to terminate the contract immediately after you have concluded it. Then you won’t have to worry about it in the coming months.
At the end of the contract period, you have paid off the respective mobile phone. Say: It’s finally yours. So you are also free to decide whether you want to buy a new cell phone with a contract after this time or, for example, switch to a SIM-only tariff. You can find out exactly what this is all about below.
What performance should the tariff have?
Mobile phone contracts have various advantages, you have to look at what is important to you. If you still like to communicate via SMS, a corresponding SMS flat rate should not be missing. If you are not afraid of making calls, you should not do without an all-network flat rate. And, of course, mobile Internet is relevant for the majority of smartphone users. You should get a feel for what is good enough for you. If you live in the city and are mostly connected to the WLAN in everyday life, you need significantly less data volume than, for example, in the country or if you travel a lot.
Once all these points have been clarified, you probably already have a picture of your desired tariff in mind. Then, in the end, all you have to do is clarify whether you iPhone or Android phone want to use. Especially in the Android area, there are many recommended bundles due to the large number of models.
Are you unsure what to look out for with smartphones? Then we have the right guide for you:
Which tariff providers are there?
Vodafone, Telekom and O2
The majority of mobile phone contracts come from Vodafone, Telekom and O2 (Telefónica), since these providers are also the network operators in Germany. Which provider is worthwhile for you ultimately depends on where you live. On the respective websites you will find network maps from Telekom, Vodafone and O2.
But of course there are also other providers who ultimately rent from one of the network operators. For example, Congstar uses the Telekom network, while Aldi-Talk at O2 is. There is no harm in researching which provider belongs to which network operator.
And what about SIM only?
The topic is also briefly touched on above SIM only relevant. These tariffs are particularly useful if you already own the smartphone you want and are just looking for a suitable tariff. You will then only receive the SIM card or an eSIM for your mobile phone and that’s it. Here, too, there are various providers that are worthwhile, such as fraenk – whereby the tariff belongs to the Telekom subsidiary Congstar.
By the way: If you want to keep your phone number despite a new SIM card, it doesn’t cost anything more. There has been a corresponding regulation since December 2021, which applies not only to mobile but also to landline numbers. And some providers advertise that you even get a financial bonus if you take your own phone number with you.
How do you know if a contract is worth it?
First of all: Fortunately, you don’t have to be a math genius to calculate whether a contract is worthwhile. All you have to do is extrapolate the basic fee specified in the respective contract to the corresponding term, add the additional payment, connection fee and shipping costs and finally offset it with the pure device price (and a possible change bonus). In the end you come up the actual cost of the contract during the contract period. Here is an example of a tariff offer for the iPhone 14 at Curved:
| The costs of the tariff bundle at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Basic charge (monthly) |
54.99 euros |
| change bonus (once) |
100 euros |
| additional payment (once, at the beginning of the contract) |
1 € |
| connection fee (once, at the beginning of the contract) |
0 euros |
| Shipping (once) |
4.99 euros |
| Total cost after 24 months (in the event of termination at the end of the minimum contract period, monthly and one-off costs added) |
1,225.75 euros |
| device value (current online best price according to idealo.de) |
925 euros |
| effective cost tariff (total costs less device value) |
300.75 euros |
| Effective cost tariff per month | 12.53 euros |
| View offer | |
Even if the many numbers seem overwhelming at first, you can calculate quite quickly whether the respective contract is worthwhile for you or not. Above all, it is important that you are not lured in by cheap device prices (1 euro, 0 euro, etc.), nor from the latest flagships. Especially when a smartphone comes out, numerous contract bundles come onto the market, but the prices are too high due to the novelty of the respective model. If you can wait a few months, you don’t have to worry about the novelty surcharge.
If you would like to look for a cheap mobile phone contract yourself, we recommend the websites Curved, DeinHandy and the MediaMarkt Tarifwelt. Otherwise, we will of course always keep you up to date with our deal articles and inform you regularly about which mobile phone tariffs you can strike carefree.
Are you still looking for the right smartphone? Then we have the right quiz for you here:
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