Mobile Phone Confusion
By Boingboing
@boiboing (13153)
Northampton, England
January 4, 2019 9:02am CST
I've been lucky to not have needed a mobile phone contract for a very long time - at least for the last 13 years or so. I'm not a bit user and unlike many people, I never saw the need to carry two phones - one for work and one for private use. Instead I just stuck to company provided phones.
So now that I don't have a job, I needed a mobile phone contract and it's quite a minefield of confusion and opportunities. I eventually settled for a newish UK company called 'Smarty' who only do SIM-only deals (so none of the usual getting overcharged for the phone) and they also offer 30 day contracts so you can leave or upgrade whenever you want to. As I'm still clueless about what I want to do next, I'm not feeling big on commitment right now so it suits me fine.
Best of all, they offer two free months AND a £10 Amazon voucher for new sign ups. That might even be 3 free months if I can get my referral code to work and sign my husband up too.
Gone are the days when you got about 50 minutes a month and no data. Now I can have unlimited calls - a challenge if ever there were one - plus unlimited texts (not something I'll use much) and 2 GB of data all for £7.50 a month. My poor husband was paying the same for 0.5 GB and 250 minutes so he's quite keen to get a swap now.
It's been an 'Admin Day' as I've also bought car breakdown cover and car insurance for the car I'll be getting next week. Again, after 20+ years with a company car, I'm having to rejoin the 'real world' and sort out all these things.
Today's to do list is still quite long though, so I'd better stop now and crack on with the rest of it.
Bye for now.
7 people like this
5 responses
@responsiveme (22926)
• India
4 Jan 19
The companies here are falling over each other to give better and better deals. The younger generation want more data than talk time.
3 people like this
@responsiveme (22926)
• India
4 Jan 19
@boiboing and the transition has been quite fast too.
Those phone booths were a novelty in the early 90s and lots of people had a roaring business with them.
My change over to a mobile phone and then a smart phone was much later than others in my circle
1 person likes this
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
4 Jan 19
@responsiveme Not just in India. I recall going to Portugal in the late 80s/early 90s and staying with a friend. She and her flat mates had to hang out in a local cafe each evening so that the fiance of one of them could call her there because the waiting time for a phone line at their apartment was something like 2 years. Mobile technology has been an absolute life-changer for people all over the world.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (471541)
• Switzerland
4 Jan 19
At home we have a landline phone and all the calls to Switzerland, Europe and United States are free. This comes with our Internet/TV package. I have a smartphone without a contract, I bought the SIM and I buy the credit I need. I think that last year I did not even spent 10$.
3 people like this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
4 Jan 19
I just down graded my plan cause I don't do much texting and calling now both local and overseas, all this could be done now for free using apps like viber and messenger, the savings I used to upgrade my connection to faster fiber optics. I think the downside is you get a lower end free phone in a lower plan.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
4 Jan 19
It sounds like this is the best plan for you. I text a lot with friends and my kids so I need unlimited
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
7 Jan 19
@boiboing I didn't text for years, I didn't see the point but now that I do, I can't imagine how I lived without it.
1 person likes this
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
7 Jan 19
@BelleStarr It's funny how we miss out and then realise what we've been missing.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340019)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Jan 19
It will be quite a readjustment for you now that you are no longer working.
