If you are currently looking to buy a new smartphone, you probably want to pay the best price for the best option. But as smartphones become more and more essential to our lives, and more new models are released on a yearly basis, they are becoming increasingly expensive. £1,000 to buy a brand-new handset today is quite an average price, and those who sign up to a contract could find themselves paying between £50 and £100 each month just for their phone. The good news is that there are options available for those who want to get their hands on one of the best new handsets without spending all that money. One of the best ways to save money on getting a great new smartphone is to buy refurbished. While refurbished phones are not brand-new and have been used before, it’s often impossible to tell the difference. Here are some of the main benefits of taking the refurbished route for your next smartphone.
Save Money
A refurbished handset is always going to be cheaper than its brand-new counterpart, simply because it has been taken out of the box and used before. This means that you can find smartphones that look and feel brand new, but at a fraction of the price that you’d pay for the privilege of being the first to use it. If you are looking to avoid getting into another lengthy and expensive smartphone contract, a refurbished handset can be one of the best ways to do this, without compromising on phone quality and features. And, if you are not too concerned about some small marks of wear and tear from the previous use of the phone, you could get your handset even cheaper.
Spread the Cost
Refurbished handsets are becoming available on more and more monthly payment plan options. You can often spread the cost of purchasing your handset, and still pay a lot less compared to a traditional smartphone contract option. This can be an ideal choice for anybody who doesn’t have the money to pay for a new handset upfront, but wants to save money on a monthly basis in the long run. In addition, this option often gives you the choice of how long you want the repayments to run for – meaning that you can save even more by opting for the shortest possible time you can afford based on how much you’ll pay each month, rather than this being dictated by the mobile network.
More Flexibility
Since you buy refurbished handsets as a SIM free option, this gives you more flexibility when it comes to the network that you want to use, and how much you will pay each month for your minutes, texts and data. Rather than having to go with whatever network is offering the best monthly price for the phone that you want, you can shop around for much cheaper and more flexible SIM only deals. Lebara offers some of the best SIM only deals available, with the option to cancel and opt out without a charge at any time you like. In addition, you can decide to change what you pay on a month-by-month basis if you wish by signing up for different SIM only bundles. There are also no credit checks, meaning that everyone can sign up regardless of their financial situation. Check out the best SIM only deals from Lebara here.
Choice of Handsets
It’s a common misconception that you can only buy older handsets that have been refurbished, but this is not often the case. In fact, it is one of the best ways to get your hands on the latest smartphone models at a discount. While it might take a little longer to get your phone after the handset has been released, waiting until there’s a refurbished option available can save you a significant amount of money if you really want the latest iPhone release. In some cases, refurbished handsets might have once been replaced by insurance before being repaired and refurbished to a high standard, for example. Because of this, you probably won’t have to wait for the next handset to be released and people to start upgrading their old ones.
High Quality
Another common misconception about refurbished handsets is that they are more likely to break down or have problems since they must be customer returns or insurance claim handsets. And while some are, this doesn’t necessarily mean that your phone will have problems. As long as you purchase a refurbished phone that has been repaired to a high standard by the manufacturer or an approved retailer, you shouldn’t have any problems. And in some cases, a refurbished phone could be one that was simply taken out of the box – there might not have been anything wrong with it at all.
Warranty
As long as you purchase from the manufacturer or a reputable provider, your refurbished handset should come with a warranty. There may also be an option to extend your warranty if you would like more peace of mind. This means that even if there are problems with your handset, you can trust the manufacturer to repair or replace it. In some cases, you may even get the handset replaced with a brand-new model if you have options. So, there’s definitely nothing to worry about here.
Environmentally Friendly
Last but not least, one of the biggest benefits of deciding to buy a refurbished handset is that it’s one of the best ways to be kind to the environment. If you are concerned about your shopping habits and choices as a consumer and want to do whatever you can to be kinder to the planet, a refurbished handset could be the ideal option for you. With more and more new smartphones released every year and the demand for the latest handsets rising, refurbished phones keep unwanted handsets out of landfills and make sure that they are used for as long as possible. In addition, the process of refurbishment itself can also put broken and unusable handsets to use by salvaging them for any useable parts that can be utilised throughout the process. And finally, an increase in purchasing refurbished handsets means that the demand for brand-new handsets will decrease, which can help to reduce factory production pollution around the world.
Getting a new smartphone today can often be an expensive process. No matter how you choose to buy, a brand-new phone can cost a lot if you want a high-quality model. Instead, refurbished handsets can be an ideal alternative with a lot of advantages. They are better for the environment and can help you save a lot of money, since you’re not paying simply for the privilege of being the first to open the box. With warranties in place and a lot of refurbished phones coming from manufacturers themselves or trusted retailers, it’s an ideal way to get your new handset at a fraction of the price and with peace of mind regarding its usability.