The iPhone Tariff Price Comparison Tool – with 23 iPhone tariffs
December 22nd, 2009
I’ve spent a few days working on a new tool – the iPhone Tariff price comparison tool. With the iPhone now available on four networks – O2, Orange, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone – we now have a whole plethora of different tariffs available.
Our tool will ask you for:
- the model of iPhone you desire (8GB iPhone 3G, 16GB iPhone 3G S or 32GB iPhone 3G S)
- your desired contract length (18 months, 24 months or enter any other number of months to work out an “effective cost per month”)
- the number of minutes you use per month
- the number of texts you send per month
It’s a first for us to develop our own tool. We felt it was important for the following reasons:
- There needs to be a lot more clarity in iPhone pricing. It is standard practice for the networks to place hidden costs in their iPhone tariffs. Our tool calculates an effective cost per month which represents the real cost of the iPhone.
- There are further hidden costs in minutes/texts outside your allowance. We work out how much these cost and incorporate it into the effective cost per month.
- 24-month contracts are now available as an alternative to 18-month contracts. How much money do you save my going for the 24-month contract? Our tool makes this clear so you can decide whether the cost saving justifies locking yourself in for all these extra months.
- There are now four networks offering the iPhone, with over 20 tariffs to choose from. We shared your pain in having to find the pricing plans on the websites of the networks (they don’t make it easy). We hope this tool will be a one stop shop for iPhone tariff information.
photo: William Hook
Which iPhone tariffs are the cheapest?
Although the iPhone tariffs all looked fairly similar at a glance, we were surprised to see significant price differences between the tariffs.
For example:
- The light user (8GB iPhone 3G S, 50 minutes, 50 texts, 18-month contract)
The cheapest tariff is on Orange and has an effective cost of £34.72/mo.
The next cheapest tariff is on O2 and has an effective cost of £34.76/mo. - The texter (16GB iPhone 3G S, 50 minutes, 300 texts, 24-month contract)
The cheapest tariff is on Vodafone and has an effective cost of £36.21/mo.
The next cheapest tariff is on Orange and has an effective cost of £37.89/mo. - The caller (16GB iPhone 3G S, 500 minutes, 100 texts, 24-month contract)
The cheapest tariff is on Orange and has an effective cost of £37.89/mo.
The next cheapest tariff is on O2 and has an effective cost of £37.89/mo. - The phone addict (32GB iPhone 3G S, 1000 minutes, 1000 texts, 24-month contract)
The cheapest tariff is on Vodafone and has an effective cost of £48.71/mo.
The next cheapest tariff is on Vodafone and has an effective cost of £53.71/mo.
The third cheapest tariff is on Tesco Mobile and has an effective cost of £62.08/mo.
Go to the iPhone Price Comparison Tool.
Your thoughts and suggestions
The iPhone price comparison tool is a first for us so we’d love to hear your thoughts and comments. Did it work for you? Drop us a comment below or send me an e-mail at ken at kenstechtips dot com.
| About Ken | |
 | My mission is to demystify the world of mobile technology for general audiences and to communicate how mobile technology can enhance every aspect of our daily lives. I've been maintaining the Ken's Tech Tips website since 2004. I have experience communicating mobile technology and presenting new mobile products both online and offline, including at various trade shows and events. You can check out my profile or drop me an e-mail. |
