HANDS up anyone who has ever exceeded their data or call allocation on their mobile phone contract. I guess not too many, but as the majority of us currently live in lockdown our reliance on mobile phones has increased significantly.

Now is the time to dig the contract out and check the small print. Lots of current phone deals come with unlimited calls/texts and generous limits on data, but for anyone who has an old contract this may not be the case. It’s time to check that our current contract meets our current needs, as exceeding the limit will attract significant charges and the providers are unlikely to be sympathetic.

Similarly, furloughing and working from home may reduce the data and calls we use, so it may be worth making a switch to a reduced phone package to save money,

We need to stay ahead of the game and the easiest way to do this is to make sure that what we pay for is what we actually need. For anyone who owns their phone, either via an outright purchase or when the original contract comes to an end, we are no longer bound to the original provider or their deal. The world is our oyster, so pick the provider and package which works best, always ensuring that the coverage is good before making a move.

A recent development in phone packages is monthly sign-ups, in place of 12+ month contracts. Providers are falling over themselves to win our custom, offering deals the like of which we have not seen in the past.

Switching is easy, however, if the contract still has time to go before it expires it’s probably cheaper to wait. More information about switching at uswitch.com/mobiles/guides/how-to-switch-mobile/