Is a smartphone with a permanent contract worth it?

A few years ago, mobile phone companies raffled us off as customers. And so much so that for making us clients they practically gave us the fashionable smartphone. As we know, this is already part of history. And today, if you want a high-end mobile you will have to pay for it, in one way or another.

The permanence contract that we signed years ago with the companies does not resemble the one that they make us sign today.. With the ease of payment of a top-of-the-range terminal as a claim. Thus they attract customers with offers that in the long run are not as good as they appear. 

With a permanent contract the new mobile costs us more

It is relatively easy to calculate how much we will pay (supposedly) for a mobile with a telephone company. Adding the amount that we must enter with the monthly payments we will obtain the total price. But this account is not so simple. In most cases the smartphone on duty is necessarily linked to a tariff what is so excessive as unnecessary.

Do companies abuse these offers?. It cannot really be called abuse as such, since we are the clients who accept them. We want the fashionable smartphone and a priori the payment method is comfortable. Knowing that they will also facilitate everything and we will have the desired mobile in our hands. Everything looks like advantages.

Although we do not mean by this that there are no good offers and promotions. Most users "bite" at some promotions with more disadvantages than advantages. The main drawback that an offer of reduction in our rate can have is that it is a temporary reduction. I mean, it's great that the price is reduced by twenty or twenty-five percent. The problem is that this offer only lasts a few months.

Imagine that paying attention to the commercial of our company we change to a better rate and we decide on a good smartphone. The numbers with which they sell us the offer sound good. But, after the three months of the promotion, we would continue to pay the remaining twenty-one months without discount a generally high rate.

What if the smartphone breaks down in the period of permanence?

Several things can happen. If it spoils us within the warranty period there will be no problem. It can be changed or repaired and continue as in the beginning. The bad comes when for example we lose it, it is stolen or we get it wet. If you are lucky enough to have taken out good insurance, you will breathe easy. If not, we know that when some circumstance occurs in which we cannot use it again because of us, the companies ignore us.

It is in these cases that a permanent contract becomes endless. Imagine that we accidentally ran out of phone. We will have to continue paying month by month until you reach twenty-four installments without having it or using it. If we want to cancel the stay not only will we have to pay what is missing from the phone, but the company can penalize us with an also high amount.

To top, in case you need another phone We will either have to buy it free, or repeat the operation and sign another twenty-four months of permanence. And of course, pay for two phones at the same time. For this reason, it is seldom advantageous to be tied to any company. And so we can have the option to change from one to another at will.

Better a free terminal without ties with companies

It is preferable to buy a free terminal (how to know if my mobile is free?) in a store and be with the company that offers the best prices. Have the freedom to modify the rate, change it or change us to the highest bidder. As we know, the large distributors and electronics stores also offer us payment and financing facilities. So we can choose the desired phone without having to hire a rate that we do not need.

In other times, it was enough to "threaten" with a portability to another company for ours to go out of its way to offer us the best of the best. Now with so much competition in the market this has changed. And before we tie ourselves with any telephone company, we must consider the options. Making the total numbers including the rate and the price of the mobile once the bonus period has passed can open our eyes. And this will save us a lot of money in the long run.