What would you do (new contract approaching)

[Greenlizard0]

Essentially my current contract is due to run out and I'm in a quandry looking at my options.

If I "renew" my current status with T-Mobile I no longer get my £15 per month off loyalty bonus for my Combi 30 plan. I am eligible for a new mobile, however the handsets offered through retentions are either not that good, or stupidly priced. I've noticed that by cancelling and starting a new contract - I can get some better handsets for free. So that's renewing out the window.

To start a new contract I've looked around, and it appears the best deals are on the web with free gifts making them appealing. After getting opinions about various companies and their customer services from consumer websites, I have found a few I'm happy to take a risk with.

I did realise though, while looking at new phones there aren't any that motivate me to move away from my current one.

So websites offering free gifts it is - and I suppose getting the most expensive gift as possible. Free tvs and laptops seem a good idea. But I'm not sure what to get.

There are 32" and 37" lcds available and yesterday I viewed some in a shop and found (still!) the image quality wasn't something I really liked (I'm using a crt on my pc). I'm very picky, and hate flatscreens that don't cope with motion and end up "pixel-y" even while displaying HD content. I found two screens in those sizes at e.g. the same resolution of 720p etc., (no 1080p screens offered) and found myself noticing imperfections. It is also worth noting that I don't have a Blu-Ray optical drive and hadn't planned to get one at this time.

Another option is a laptop. I already have one, but it's barely used. When switched on it has performed whatever I wanted it to do with ease. However getting a new laptop would mean I could recoup some cash by selling my current one. It'd be an upgrade too, but (comparing specs) not by that much; and considering that the one I have already does what I need it to do, more power would be fairly pointless.

I don't have a console, and I don't play console games.

I could avoid the free gift and go for a spanking top of the range phone - and then sell it. However that isn't always easy, and lets face it, doing so via auction can of course entail its own risk. There'd also be a hit on its value through fees.

Sorry for the length of this post - but what would you do in my situation?

[Flibb]

if your not switching phones why not go sim only. Big benefits are price and rolling 30 day contract, so if your phone dies or you want to change contract you can.

As an example

I can drop from £27.50 to £20 and have more minutes, morer txts and keep my "unlimited" (has fup) internet.

Sod the gifts I prefer to keep the cash in my pocket. Other option is to get a new phone and flog it.

[Greenlizard0]

Aye, I had contemplated getting an N97 and auctioning it. Though with fees through eBay and Paypal that's a heavy chunk lost. Also I really couldn't stand with the bother of selling something expensive that way.

[Flibb]

I can drop from £27.50 to £20 and have more minutes, morer txts and keep my "unlimited" (has fup) internet.

Having said this I've finally found somebody doing the TD2, on T-Mob with "unlimited" internet for £24.47 / month and £40ish for the phone, so back to being tempted. Not a lot of calls / txts but enough for my usage, and 18 month contract. Might hit the buy button

[Greenlizard0]

TD2? Mind if you pm me a link? I'm open to ideas.

[Flibb]

Touch Diamond 2
http://www.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk/...kBQ#tabsAnchor

[peterb]

Do you need a new p[hone? What would a new one do that your exiwsting one doesn't? If the answer is 'nothing' then keep the phone and go sim only.

[Behemoth]

Personally I'd go down the route of SIm only, which is what I plan to do when it's time to send Orange down the river. I'm happy with my current LG Viewty phone. The only thing it doesn't have is Wifi, but to be honest thats just something else to go wrong.

Looking to save cash, and have the ability to drop the contract rather than be commited to another 18 months.

[deeves]

Personally I'd go down the route of SIm only, which is what I plan to do when it's time to send Orange down the river. I'm happy with my current LG Viewty phone. The only thing it doesn't have is Wifi, but to be honest thats just something else to go wrong.

Looking to save cash, and have the ability to drop the contract rather than be commited to another 18 months.

As Behemoth said, if you're happy with ur handset why not go for the sim only where you've the flexibility of cancelling it by giving a 30 day cancellation notice.
Or if changing the network doesnt bother you too much, shop around to see who has the best deal.

I recently got the E71 smart phone and Im quite impressed with it. Great looks, decent camera (3.2 megapixel), QWERTY keyboard, & its not heavy at all, and with the deal I got I pay £20 a month & I get 200 x-network mins, unlimited texts (3000 texts), unlimited internet (1GB allowance), unlimited (2000) 3-3 calls and if you need more mins, think you can have same deal as above but with 500 mins for £25 which isnt too bad.
Here's a picture of the E71:

[Greenlizard0]

Cheers for all your suggestions. I think I'm going to keep my handset as it is and take the new laptop.