Blog

25th August - Free sim cards, good or bad?

Many networks now offer sim only options, two of which are completely free. Free sim cards are an incredibly popular option for the financially savvy - most of us have old mobiles knocking about from old contracts, and probably at least one on a network giving away sims for free.

At the time of writing, o2 and t-mobile are offering free sims, and when you top them up you also get some great deals, such as free calls to mates, or cheap texts from 3p each.

So what's in it for the networks? The most obvious answer is market share - the mobile phone market is incredibly competitive, and todays leader may be way down the field next year if they don't keep innovating. Mobile users are not the most loyal - it's very easy to find the latest deals, and you can almost always take your number with you across networks.

There are, however, hidden benefits for the networks - not least selling upgrades. Because the mobile sector is so competitive, it's also very expensive to attract customers from other networks. By offering free sims, customers flock to their network - after all - everyone loves a freebie! These new simcard customers can expect to receive the odd text from the network with special offers and deals on contract phones.

In summary, if you can cope with a couple of marketing texts (which may or may not interest you), a few free sims are probably a great idea - if you dont use them you cant receive the texts anyway, and if you do use them, you'll probably get some great deals on minutes and texts. You can see the latest deals over on the free sim cards offers page.

22nd August - Where next for mobiles?

Its been a while since the latest wave of free laptops hit us from the networks, and simcard.org.uk think it's time to ask what's next?

It's no secret that the freebies on offer are sweeteners - it wasnt so long ago that a 12 month contract was the norm, and as handsets became more expensive, this stretched to 18 months, as an alternative to a sometimes hefty up front cost for the latest mobile. As you will no doubt recall, consumers weren't overly impressed by the 18 month offering, and along came the first deals, with handheld consoles and dvd players being used to tempt us into longer contracts.

Now we find ourselves with laptops on offer as part of our mobile broadband deal, and with them are commonly 24 month minimum terms. So what's next, an how far can things go?

We've all seen the problems associated with longer contracts, not least handsets failing within the minimum term, but outside standard warranty. Extended warranties have a bad name, and whether or not this is justified, we must ask whether we really need a free laptop, nintendo wii or in car dvd player. The reality is we're often desperate to get the latest phone, and tv adverts, pop up website ads and billboards are quick to show them off to us - the once brick like mobile has become a status symbol to many of us, and we're more than happy to accept an end of line laptop as a bribe to supress our conscience.

So whats next, a car, house or helicopter? Or maybe a reality check and a simple 12 month deal? Perhaps even the broadband market can teach us something, and we'll start to demand 1 month minimum terms, and the £10 mobiles you can find in the Argos catalogue may gain popularity, after all, something will supercede the mortal mobile - something always does.